#9 - Theater critic: The theater is in a dismal state. Audiences are sparse and revenue is down.

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Flaw in the Reasoning. The correct answer choice is (A).

Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice.

Answer choice (B):

Answer choice (C):

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E):

This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[Rosepose24]

I got the correct answer and understand why it is correct. However D intrigued me because I have no idea what that would look like in example.

Could you please describe an example for D where the flaw is - reliance on emphasis rather than on argument.

Is D even a type of flaw to look out for? Curious.

Thank you.

[evelineliu]

Hi Rose,

(D) is wrong because even if we heard the producer yelling at the top of his lungs, his response would still be an argument. It's a poor one because the evidence does not lead to the conclusion, but it's still an argument.

Best,
Eveline

[pmuffley]

Hello! I get why A is correct, however, I am having trouble seeing why B is incorrect. Answer choice B is: "accusing the critic of relying solely on opinion unsupported by factual evidence"

The producer does say in the stimulus: "By publishing these opinions, you yourself are discouraging new audiences from emerging and new talent from joining the theater."

Isn't that accusing the critic of relying on opinions?
She obviously relied on facts....but that still doesn't mean that he can't accuse her of something that isn't true.

[Robert Carroll]

pmuffley,

The producer's accusation is not about the content of the critic's opinion at all. In fact, you can see what in what you quoted: "By publishing these opinions, you are discouraging new audiences." So the producer is not really concerned with what the opinion of the critic is or of how the critic formed that opinion (by facts or otherwise), but with the effect the opinion will have. The producer is not criticizing the critic for having the opinion but for communicating that opinion to others, with a possible negative effect. So, again, the producer is not concerned at all with whether the opinion is founded upon facts or not, and isn't even concerned with the propositional content of the opinion, but instead with what effect that opinion's being broadcast will have on others.

Robert Carroll