Identify a flaw | Quick guide

A quick guide to approaching questions that ask you to identify a flaw

This question asks you to identify a flaw in an argument’s reasoning. You can assume that the argument is defective in some way. Your job is just to figure out how. Therefore, your answer will generally be a description of something that's wrong with the argument.

Wrong choices will often sound very tempting, because they’re worded abstractly, and they usually do describe a flaw—just not the flaw that’s happening in this argument. Try to avoid the temptation of settling on a choice because “it sounds good”!

Beware! You may also occasionally see wrong choices that describe something that is true of the argument, but isn’t a flaw.

For flaw questions, a strong prediction can be extremely helpful in recognizing the answer.

Some helpful practices

Identify the conclusion and support

Paraphrase them simply but accurately in your own words in order to help your understanding of the argument structure.

Do a quick check for common fallacies:

Is the arguer mistakenly assuming causation when two events are actually only correlated? Is the arguer jumping to conclusions about a larger group of people than the ones being discussed in the support? Is the arguer attacking someone's opinion just because that person's character is questionable? Does the arguer discuss one topic in the support and then draw a conclusion about a different topic?

Describe the disconnect in your own words

If you don’t find a common fallacy, describe the disconnect between the support and conclusion in your own words. Don’t try to describe it in a scholarly or academic way—you’ll understand and retain it better if you use your own words.
It can be helpful to pretend you’re on the opposite side of a debate than the passage’s arguer—what might you say to rebut? Be as specific as possible; for example, don’t respond with “you’re making an unwarranted assumption”, since that already describes flaws in general.

Identify the choice that matches your prediction, otherwise, eliminate strategically

Find the choice that matches your predicted flaw, making sure to not become distracted along the way.
If you had trouble making a prediction even after following the guidance above, try throwing out choices that describe something that isn't even happening in the passage. For example, if a choice states that the speaker generalizes from too small a sample, look to see if there's even any indication of a too-small sample in the passage. If there isn't, you can eliminate that choice.

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eva.alapatt
Posted 2 years ago. Direct link to eva.alapatt's post “I would like to know how ...”
I would like to know how to quickly rebut a flaw.
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