Person A "In the past ten years, most of the new clothes that I have purchased have fallen apart within a few short years. However, all of the clothes that I have purchased at vintage clothing shops are still in excellent condition, despite the fact that they were all over thirty years old at the time that I brought them. Clearly, clothes are not manufactured as well today as they were when those vintage clothes were made”
Which of the following is a weakness in the argument above?
Person A "In the past ten years, most of the new clothes that I have purchased have fallen apart within a few short years. However, all of the clothes that I have purchased at vintage clothing shops are still in excellent condition, despite the fact that they were all over thirty years old at the time that I brought them. Clearly, clothes are not manufactured as well today as they were when those vintage clothes were made”
Which of the following is a weakness in the argument above?
The correct option is D It fails to take into account clothes made over thirty years ago that are no longer fit for sale.
Person A compares all the clothes he has bought within the last ten years to only the clothes that have survived 30 years before he purchased them. The correct answer should point out the dubious nature of his comparison, and indeed, choice (D) points out the inappropriateness of this kind of comparison. The only "vintage” clothes he takes into account are those that have proven to be extremely durable. So it isn't much of a surprise that they're still functional. Person A doesn't consider the clothes made long ago that have fallen apart, so he can't evaluate the overall standards of that era.
(A)The argument doesn't address all eras, so the person doesn't have to compare the clothes made 30 years ago with those of every other era.
(B)The person's argument does not address cost at all - just quality. Considering cost would not affect the validity of the argument.
(C)The person doesn't take into account vintage clothes that are no longer fit for sale , but he never equates the proportion of tattered clothes with the total number of clothing items sold. So choice (C) doesn't describe a weakness in the argument.
It fails to take into account clothes made over thirty years ago that are no longer fit for sale.
Person A compares all the clothes he has bought within the last ten years to only the clothes that have survived 30 years before he purchased them. The correct answer should point out the dubious nature of his comparison, and indeed, choice (D) points out the inappropriateness of this kind of comparison. The only "vintage” clothes he takes into account are those that have proven to be extremely durable. So it isn't much of a surprise that they're still functional. Person A doesn't consider the clothes made long ago that have fallen apart, so he can't evaluate the overall standards of that era.
(A)The argument doesn't address all eras, so the person doesn't have to compare the clothes made 30 years ago with those of every other era.
(B)The person's argument does not address cost at all - just quality. Considering cost would not affect the validity of the argument.
(C)The person doesn't take into account vintage clothes that are no longer fit for sale , but he never equates the proportion of tattered clothes with the total number of clothing items sold. So choice (C) doesn't describe a weakness in the argument.
