Question

Car owners aged 50 to 60 are more likely to purchase ice cream and are more likely to purchase it in larger amounts than are members of any other demographic group. The popular belief that teenagers eat more ice cream than adults must, therefore, be false. The argument is flawed primarily because the author
A. Fails to distinguish between purchasing and consuming
B. Does not supply information about carowners in age groups other than 50to 60
C. Depends on popular belief rather than on documented research findings
D. Does not specify the precise amount of ice cream purchased by any demographic group
E. Discusses ice cream rather than more nutritious and healthful foods
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Answer 1

Situation Adults aged 50 to 60 buy more ice cream than does any other demographic group (for example, teenagers). Does this mean that adults consume more ice cream than teenagers do?

Reasoning A flawed assumption underlies the reasoning: the assumption that the buyers of the ice cream are also the eaters of the ice cream. Although the demographic group carowners aged 50 to 60 purchases more ice cream than does any other demographic group, it is quite likely that much of the ice cream purchased by those homeowners is for consumption by family members rather than for exclusive consumption by the purchaser. This leaves open the possibility that teenagers may indeed be the largest consumers of ice cream.

A. Correct. The failure to make this distinction led to the making of the flawed assumption.
B. This is false: The argument tells us (indirectly) that carowners aged 50 to 60 buy more ice cream than does any other group-which allows us to infer that they buy more than do carowners aged 30 to 40, for example. But even if the argument had stated such information explicitly, it would not have offered any better support for its conclusion.
C. There is nothing in the argument to suggest that the information given is based on popular belief.
D. Providing precise information about the quality of ice cream purchased by carowners aged 50 to 60 would not improve the arguments at all.
E.The subject is ice cream, not nutrition, so this point is irrelevant.

The correct answer is A.