Which of the following MOST closely resembles the flawed reasoning employed by Roarke?
A) This lawn chair must have been improperly designed. A large number of customers have complained that it rusts quickly and then falls apart.
B) The plan for the new office building must not have been well-reasoned, as it provides no backup plan in case of poor weather or other unforeseen events.
C) The inspection must have not have been competently done. After all, it failed to uncover any mold.
D) Every project that follows the ACME quality procedure is run efficiently, effectively, or both. Since the Prensabi project followed the procedure and was not effective, it must have been run efficiently.
E) The review of our ethical standards reveals serious breaches of professional standards. But this review must be wrong, because all of our employees are paid, and therefore each must be a professional.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

C)Roarke argues that the survey must be wrong because it failed to reveal an effect. Similarly, in Choice C the inspection is alleged to be faulty because it failed to reveal mold. In each case, the speaker neglects the possibility that the thing being searched for (effects, mold)didn't exist at all. Choices A, B, and D are not flawed. Choices A and B seem reasonable enough, and Choice D is actually valid reasoning. Choice E is bogus, for a different reason:Choice E uses two distinct meanings of the term "professional." It would be absurd to claim that anyone who is paid automatically meets "professional standards." This is a logical flaw, but not the one Roarke makes.

Which of the Following MOST Closely Resembles the Flawed Reasoning