#6 - Of the many test pilots who have flown the new plane

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Parallel Reasoning. The correct answer choice is (D)

When attacking a Parallel Reasoning question, it is important to identify the various structural elements in the stimulus in order to match those elements to the correct answer choice. There are numerous elements present in this stimulus. First of all, the conclusion is one of improbability as it concludes it is unlikely that a particular pilot will find it difficult to operate the plane. Also, the conclusion is about one person and what they will do in the future. The premise, meanwhile, states that none of the many who have flown the plane so far have found the plane difficult to operate. The correct answer choice needs to line up with these various elements in order to be correct. Any answer that fails to match these elements is likely incorrect.

Answer Choice (A): This answer choice does not Double the Conclusion of the stimulus. The conclusion here is about the average reader, rather than one particular reader. The conclusion in the stimulus concerned “the test pilot flying the plane tomorrow”, not the average test pilot. These are different conclusions.

Answer Choice (B): This answer choice also fails to Double the Conclusion. Here, the conclusion concerns most people who buy the book, not one particular person who buys the book. This answer choice also fails the Premise Test because the premises do not establish that none of the many book reviewers found the book entertaining. Instead, we only know that many of the book reviewers found the book entertaining.

Answer Choice (C): The premise here is too specific. It refers to “neither of the two reviewers”, where the stimulus referred to none of the many reviewers. This does not match the Premise Test.

Answer Choice (D): This is the correct answer choice. Notice the premise indicates many reviewers have read the novel, but none enjoyed it. This matches the premise in the stimulus. Also, the conclusion states that it is unlikely that the reviewer for the local newspaper will enjoy the book. This statement concerns one particular person and what they will do in the future. Since both the conclusion and the premise match the stimulus, this answer choice successfully parallels the stimulus.

Answer Choice (E): The premise here is very close to the premise in the stimulus, and would probably be close enough for this answer choice to be correct. However, the conclusion states that it is unlikely that anyone in the general public will be offended by the book. “Anyone in the general public” is much too broad to match the conclusion in the stimulus, which concerns only one particular test pilot. Since this answer choice fails to Double the Conclusion, it is incorrect.

[spsa1000]

Hi there! I'm wondering about the phrasing of "none of the many," i.e., of the many test pilots who have flown.., none has found it difficult to operate. I thought the "many" at the beginning of the sentence was a red herring for the total of "none" or "not one" who have/has found it difficult to operate.

I chose C because I felt it matched that total of none best.

I'm not quite clear why we should weight the "many" over the "none" when paralleling. Could someone explain this to me?



Thank you

[Adam Tyson]

"None of the many" means two things, spsa1000, and they are both important to paralleling this argument. First, it means that there were many (many test pilots who flew the plane, many reviewers who read the book). Second, it means zero from among that group (zero found it difficult, zero enjoyed it). The correct answer should tell us that there was a large group (many), and that something is true about zero members of the group (or put another way, something negative is true about all members of the group).

Answer C fails on both parts of that test. First, two reviewers aren't many. Second, what was true about neither of them (they did not hope for a sequel) is not what the author talks about in the latter part of the answer choice. We should not care whether the next reviewer will "express" such a hope - we should care whether they actually FEEL such a hope! Shifting from hoping (feeling an emotion) to expressing hope in a written review (which would be an overt action) does not parallel what happened in the stimulus, where the members of the first group did not have a certain experience and the author projected that another person similarly situated would also not have that experience.

Answer D hits all the same notes: a group of many, who all had the same negative experience, and a prediction that another person who is like the people in that group will have the same negative experience. It has the many and the none, and it has no shifting from an experience or feeling to an action based on that feeling. It's not about weighing one thing as more important than another, but finding the one answer that matches all the things that matter.

[ashpine17]

is this a valid argument? I am confused because how do we know the test pilot flying the plane tomorrow will find it difficult to operate?

[evelineliu]

Hi Ash,

For this question, you do not need to worry about the validity of the argument in order to answer it.

The argument can be summarized: "It is unlikely that a test pilot will have trouble operating a plane tomorrow because many other test pilots have not experienced difficulty operating that plane." This doesn't necessarily have any glaring logical flaw, but it isn't the strongest argument. The past pilots not having trouble doesn't necessarily mean that tomorrow, the test pilot won't have trouble.

Best,
Eveline

[smtq123]

Hi,

In the stimulus, the conclusion is not conditional "the test pilot flying the plane tomorrow" whereas in option D it is mentioned that "the reviewer will enjoy the book WHEN she reads it" which is conditional because of WHEN.

My question is how these two are considered similar.

Appreciate your feedback on my query. Thanks!

[Adam Tyson]

While "when" can be an indication of conditional reasoning, smtq123, sometimes it isn't. Sometimes, "when" just refers to a timeframe - in this case, it just indicates a future event that is going to occur. Another indication that this relationship is not conditional is that it is about what is likely, rather than what is certain. Conditional relationships are certain, because the necessary condition isn't just likely. It's necessary!

Also, while the stimulus doesn't use the same language, the concept of "when" is nonetheless implied. It could just as easily have said "when the pilot flies the plane tomorrow they will probably not find it to be difficult" and nothing would have changed. That meaning was already contained in the argument.