AWA Argument Deconstruction 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An argument states: 'Sales of our product dropped after we changed the packaging, so the new packaging caused the decline.' What logical flaw is present?
- Circular reasoning
- Post hoc ergo propter hoc (Correct answer)
- False dichotomy
- Ad hominem
Correct answer: Post hoc ergo propter hoc
The argument assumes causation from mere temporal sequence, which is the post hoc fallacy.
Question 2: Which question best challenges: 'Our city should ban fast food restaurants because obesity rates have risen in recent years'?
- Do fast food restaurants employ many people?
- Are there other factors contributing to rising obesity rates? (Correct answer)
- How long have fast food restaurants been in the city?
- What is the cost of operating a fast food restaurant?
Correct answer: Are there other factors contributing to rising obesity rates?
Identifying alternative causes of obesity undermines the causal link the argument assumes.
Question 3: When an AWA argument cites a survey of 50 volunteers at a health clinic to represent the general population's views, the best critique targets:
- The survey's wording
- The sample's lack of representativeness (Correct answer)
- The number of questions asked
- The timing of the survey
Correct answer: The sample's lack of representativeness
Clinic volunteers are not representative of the general population, making the sample biased.
Question 4: An argument concludes that a policy will work in City B because it worked in City A. Which assumption must be true for this to hold?
- City A and City B have the same mayor
- The two cities are sufficiently similar in relevant respects (Correct answer)
- The policy was implemented at the same time in both cities
- Both cities have the same population size
Correct answer: The two cities are sufficiently similar in relevant respects
Transferring a result from one context to another requires that the contexts share relevant characteristics.
Question 5: The phrase 'either we raise taxes or public services will collapse' exemplifies which fallacy?
- Slippery slope
- Straw man
- False dilemma (Correct answer)
- Appeal to authority
Correct answer: False dilemma
Presenting only two options when more exist is a false dilemma (false dichotomy).
Question 6: An AWA argument says: 'Expert nutritionist Dr. Smith endorses our supplement, so it must be effective.' The primary weakness is:
- Dr. Smith may be biased or outside her area of expertise (Correct answer)
- The supplement has not been tested on animals
- Nutritionists disagree on many topics
- The argument does not cite a second expert
Correct answer: Dr. Smith may be biased or outside her area of expertise
An appeal to authority is weakened when the authority may have conflicts of interest or lacks specific expertise.
Question 7: Which evidence would most strengthen an argument claiming that longer school days improve student test scores?
- A list of schools with long days
- A controlled study showing score gains in schools that extended hours versus comparable schools that did not (Correct answer)
- Teacher opinions favoring longer days
- National average test scores from last year
Correct answer: A controlled study showing score gains in schools that extended hours versus comparable schools that did not
A controlled comparison isolates the effect of longer days, providing the strongest causal evidence.
AWA Argument Deconstruction 2
An argument states: 'Sales of our product dropped after we changed the packaging, so the new packaging caused the decline.' What logical flaw is present?