#6 - Rotelle: You are too old to address effectively the

[Administrator]

Please post your questions below! Thanks!

[AJH]

Hi,

So I chose answer D because it seems like Sims is pointing out that Rotelle is too young, and thus inexperienced, to understand and address the issues listed. Meaning it would be contradictory. I see that answer choice E is likely correct because of the use of the word "directly" if we are looking just at the issues Rotelle mentions. Please help me understand the difference here. Thanks!

[Jon Denning]

Hey AJH - thanks for posting!

This Method of Reasoning question is a classic: it's a direct reference to a Ronald Reagan quote from his 1984 debate with Walter Mondale, when, after being pressed on his advanced age and questionable stamina, Reagan quipped, "I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience."

In this particular question Sims takes a similar approach, but in doing so entirely ignores his opponent's point: is Sims too old or not to effectively address the difficult issues facing the country (nuclear power, poverty, pollution, etc)? You'll note that nowhere is Sims' response is there any mention of age's relevance to an ability to effectively address those issues, or whether Sims is in fact still young enough to do so.

And that is precisely what (E) gives us: Sims fails to respond directly to Rotelle's claim about an age limit on addressing those issues effectively. Instead, Sims simply skirts the point by attacking Rotelle's age (youth and inexperience).

Answer choice (D) on the other hand suggests that Sims addresses Rotelle's claim and shows it to be self-contradictory, but that never occurs. Showing an internal contradiction error requires pointing out that the evidence presented actually supports the opposite conclusion of the one drawn, as in: "You are too old to effectively address these challenging issues. Only someone with many decades of life experience could possibly hope to solve this set of problems." See how that essentially argues against itself? That's self-contradiction. But in this particular exchange Rotelle commits no such error, and Sims certainly doesn't attempt to point one out.

I hope that helps!