Name the subtler faulty reasoning

Grade 11 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Letters on the Iron Street Bridge (two letters)

   Text A, a letter from Ms. Delia Ostrander: [1] The Linden Falls council will select a new color for the Iron Street Bridge next month, because the green paint applied in 2009 has faded and is peeling along both railings. [2] The paint crew's estimate indicates that each of the three colors under consideration would cost roughly the same, about $48,000 including scraping and primer. [3] I am asking the council to choose deep red, since the bridge was red when it opened in 1931, as a photograph in the town library shows. [4] Ever since the town painted the benches on Iron Street red two summers ago, more residents have strolled downtown in the evening, so the red benches must be what attracted them. [5] When the historical society surveyed eighteen shoppers at the farmers' market, eleven preferred red, which is a small group, but it suggests that red would not be an unpopular choice. [6] A red bridge would also complement the brick of the restored mill beside it, which the town now operates as its visitor center. [7] For these reasons, I hope the council will restore the bridge's original color.

   Text B, a letter from Mr. Howard Bexley: [8] I urge the council to choose gray, which the paint crew recommends in its written estimate because gray conceals rust stains better than red or green. [9] Gray is the best color for the bridge, because no other color would be as good a choice for it. [10] The bridge carries approximately 6,000 vehicles a day, so the council should select the color least likely to distract the drivers who cross it. [11] The paint crew has worked long hours on the town's roads all summer, so the council should accept the crew's recommendation of gray. [12] Ms. Ostrander is correct that the bridge was red in 1931, and I have examined the same photograph in the library. [13] Even so, a color chosen in 1931 does not determine what will last longest on the bridge today, when its railings endure many winters of road salt. [14] If the council wants more opinions than a market survey can provide, it could display the three colors on the town website and invite comments for a week.

2. 1.

   Ari fills the flaw column for sentence 4, about the red benches. Which fallacy does sentence 4 commit?

   • Post hoc: it takes the strollers who came after the painting as proof that the paint drew them.
   • Circular reasoning: its reason, that red benches attract people, is just the claim said again in other words.
   • Non sequitur: the evening strollers have no connection to the color of the benches.
   • Merely weak: the paint may well have helped, but two summers is too short a time to be sure.
3. 2.

   Luz adds an unstated premise row under sentence 10. Which unstated premise does the step in sentence 10 need?

   • The bridge carries approximately 6,000 vehicles each day.
   • The council should select the color least likely to distract drivers.
   • A bridge's paint color can distract the drivers who cross it.
   • Some of the drivers cross the bridge more than once a day.
4. 3.

   Tala labels sentence 5 in the matrix. Is sentence 5 a fallacy, merely weak, or sound, and why?

   • Merely weak: the shoppers were shown red alone, so they could not have preferred another color.
   • A fallacy, hasty generalization: it turns eighteen answers at one market into a rule for the whole town.
   • Merely weak: eighteen shoppers is a small group, and the letter claims only that red would not be unpopular.
   • Sound: eleven of eighteen is a clear majority, so the survey settles which color residents want.

5. A Free Sunday at the Merrow Art Museum (board minutes)

   [1] At its March meeting, the board of the Merrow Art Museum considered a proposal from the director, Ms. Farida Okonjo, to eliminate the $12 admission fee on the first Sunday of every month. [2] Ms. Okonjo reported that about 41,000 people visited last year and that admission fees covered roughly a fifth of the museum's operating costs, with the remainder coming from memberships, grants and the gift shop. [3] She estimated that a free Sunday each month would cost about $14,000 a year in lost admissions, which a local foundation has offered to cover for two years. [4] She added that a museum in nearby Northgate offered free Sundays for six months and saw attendance on those days roughly double, though she cautioned that one museum's brief experiment may not predict Merrow's experience.

   [5] Mr. Calvin Rusk, the treasurer, said that the free day is an unwise plan for the museum, because it is simply not a sensible idea for an institution like Merrow. [6] Mr. Rusk also observed that the museum has owned its building since 1952, so the board should not attempt a free day. [7] Ms. Grace Albee, a board member, said that a free day would attract families who have never visited, because a family of four currently pays $48 at the entrance. [8] Mr. Rusk replied that after the museum reduced its student price in 2019, attendance declined that winter, so the lower price is what drove visitors away. [9] Ms. Okonjo answered that attendance declined that winter at every museum in the region while the main highway was closed for repairs, as the board's own annual report recorded.

   [10] The board agreed that a trial year would allow the ticket desk to count free-day visitors, exactly as it already counts paying visitors. [11] Ms. Albee requested that the count also record how many free-day visitors are attending for the first time, since they are the audience the proposal is intended to reach. [12] Mr. Rusk said that he still opposed the proposal but would accept a vote at the April meeting. [13] The board voted to request a written commitment of the $14,000 from the foundation before that vote. [14] The meeting adjourned at twenty minutes to nine, after a brief discussion.

6. 4.

   Jun fills the flaw column for sentence 5, Mr. Rusk's first objection. Which fallacy does sentence 5 commit?

   • Hidden assumption: it quietly assumes that a free day would lose money, which no sentence states.
   • Non sequitur: its reason is about a different subject, so the claim does not follow from it.
   • Sound: a treasurer is well placed to judge which plans suit the museum's money.
   • Circular reasoning: its reason, that the plan is not sensible, only repeats the claim that it is unwise.
7. 5.

   Pia adds an unstated premise row under sentence 7. Which unstated premise does Ms. Albee's step need?

   • The price is what keeps many of those families from visiting now.
   • A family of four currently pays $48 to enter the museum.
   • A free day would attract families who have not visited before to the museum.
   • Families who already visit would also enjoy a free Sunday.
8. 6.

   Bo labels sentence 6 in the matrix. Is sentence 6 a fallacy, merely weak, or sound, and why?

   • A fallacy, circular reasoning: it argues against the free day by saying a free day should not be tried.
   • A fallacy, non sequitur: owning the building since 1952 has no bearing on whether to try a free day.
   • Merely weak: the building's date is a real fact, but one fact is too little support for the claim.
   • Sound: a museum that has owned its building that long should be careful about changing its ways.

9. Beehives on the Northam Library Roof (a column and a letter)

   Text A, a column by Mr. Ellis Varga, a member of the county beekeepers' association: [1] The Northam library board will decide in May whether to allow the county beekeepers' association to keep four hives on the library's flat roof, which is closed to the public. [2] The association would purchase the hives and the bees, and experienced members would inspect them every two weeks from April through September. [3] Honeybees leaving a rooftop hive generally fly upward and out over the street, well above the heads of pedestrians on the sidewalk below. [4] Hives have operated on the roof of the county courthouse for three years, and the building's manager reports no complaints from visitors during that period. [5] The library's parking lot was repaved last fall at considerable expense, so the board should approve the hives this spring. [6] The hives would also allow the library to offer a summer class on how bees produce honey, which the association has volunteered to teach without charge.

   Text B, a letter from Ms. Ruth Calloway: [7] I have nothing against bees, but the board should investigate several questions before it approves the plan. [8] The roof was last repaired in 2015, and a full hive in late summer can weigh more than a hundred pounds, so the board should ask an engineer whether the roof can support four. [9] Since the hives appeared on the courthouse, more children have been treated for allergies at the county clinic, so the hives must be making allergies worse. [10] The library has no money budgeted for beekeeping, so the hives would eventually cost the town. [11] My neighbor kept bees for six years and was stung only twice, which is just one keeper's experience, but it suggests that careful handling makes stings uncommon. [12] The board should also consult the library staff, since they would be answering the public's questions about the hives. [13] If the roof is sound and the staff are willing, a one-season trial would demonstrate how the hives function in practice. [14] A trial would also provide the board with actual records, such as how frequently members visited and how many questions the staff received.

10. 7.

    Kira labels sentence 11 in the matrix. Is sentence 11 a fallacy, merely weak, or sound, and why?

    • Merely weak: the neighbor kept bees in a backyard, which is very different from a library roof.
    • Merely weak: it rests on one keeper's record, says so, and claims only that careful handling makes stings uncommon.
    • A fallacy, hasty generalization: it uses one neighbor to show that hives on the library would be safe.
    • Sound: six years with just two stings is strong proof that beekeeping is safe for the people nearby.

11. Meters on Pembury's Main Street (hearing transcript)

    [1] MS. LENA HARTWELL, owner of a hardware store: The council's proposal would install meters on Main Street, charging $1 an hour from nine to six, to pay for new sidewalks downtown. [2] Main Street currently has free two-hour parking, and the town's own survey last October found the spaces about ninety percent occupied at midday on weekdays. [3] Meters would empty our stores, because the shopping plaza on Route 9 charges nothing for parking. [4] When the town installed meters in the library lot in 2020, library visits declined the following year, so the meters are what discouraged readers. [5] I also questioned customers at my own counter for a week, and most of the twenty-two who responded said they would object to paying, though I recognize that one week at one store is an incomplete picture.

    [6] MR. OWEN TRASK, chair of the sidewalk committee: The town received thirty-one complaints about cracked or uneven sidewalk slabs downtown last year, more than for any other street. [7] The town manager's report estimates that meters would raise about $60,000 annually, which would repave approximately one block of sidewalk every two years. [8] Meters are a fair way to pay for the sidewalks, because charging drivers to park is a fair way to raise that money. [9] Pembury's downtown sidewalks were originally poured in 1938, so the council can be confident that meters will benefit the street. [10] Ms. Hartwell's point about the library lot deserves an answer, and the library's report explains that visits declined that year because the building was closed for four months while its roof was replaced. [11] A meter that frees a space every two hours could also help shoppers, since a crowded street turns away drivers who cannot find a spot.

    [12] MS. HARTWELL: If the council proceeds, I ask that the first fifteen minutes remain free, so that a customer collecting a single order is not charged. [13] MR. TRASK: The committee would accept that change, and it would ask the town to count shoppers again a year after the meters are installed. [14] The council will vote on the proposal at its meeting on June 3.

12. 8.

    Ren fills the flaw column for sentence 3, about the shopping plaza. Which fallacy does sentence 3 commit?

    • Post hoc: it claims that the stores emptied after the plaza began to offer free parking.
    • Circular reasoning: it says that meters would empty the stores because meters would empty them.
    • Sound: shoppers who can park for free are sure to prefer the plaza over Main Street when they shop.
    • Hidden assumption: it quietly assumes shoppers choose where to shop mainly by what parking costs.
13. 9.

    Esme adds an unstated premise row under sentence 11. Which unstated premise does Mr. Trask's step need?

    • Many drivers now park longer than the free two-hour limit allows.
    • Most shoppers on Main Street arrive by car and not on foot.
    • A crowded street turns away drivers who cannot find a parking spot.
    • Meters on Main Street could help shoppers find a space.
14. 10.

    Noah labels sentence 4 in the matrix. Is sentence 4 a fallacy, merely weak, or sound, and why?

    • Merely weak: one parking lot is a single case, so it gives the claim just a little support.
    • A fallacy, hidden assumption: it quietly assumes that readers drive to the library instead of walking.
    • Sound: the library's visits really did decline in the year after the meters were installed.
    • A fallacy, post hoc: it treats the drop that came after the meters as proof that the meters caused it.