Critical Reasoning

An unbiased observer of everyday encounters in Western societies would surely not find many instances of unkindness by people under 65 toward people over 65. There are undoubtedly incidents of unkindness based on age, and these warrant reproof. However, the very fact that such reproof occurs and is generally accepted implies that our Western societies basically respect the elderly. The same conclusion can be drawn from a recent survey finding: 71 percent of the under 65 population agreed with the statement that "people over 65 receive too little respect from society", while only 44 percent of the over-65 population, the target of the alleged irreverence agreed with it.

The author concludes that Western societies basically respect the elderly partly because

(A) people under 65 are just as kind to people over 65 as they are to people of their own age group
(B) survey data suggest that fewer people over 65 than under 65 get too little respect
(C) disrespect for the elderly does not go so far as to result in actual harm
(D) survey data suggest that people over 65 are more aware of incidents involving disrespect to the elderly than are people under 65
(E) incidents of unkindness to the elderly are neither common nor generally accepted in Western societies

I have few questions to ask about this question -
1) I believe this question is asking about assumption, but I checked on some other forums where people took this question as supporting.
2) Can someone please properly dissect the argument and give a solid reasoning ?

Thanks

IMO:D,

Is the OA, D. If so, i could elaborate.

To me, this question is asking "How does the author support his/her conclusion?"

IMO E

Conclusion: Our Western societies basically respect the elderly
Premise 1: Unkindness based on age warrants reproof, and such reproof is generally accepted by society
Premise 2: Survey-- "over/under 65" aware that "over 65" receive too little respect

A. "kind to?" Not supported
B. "over 65 vs under 65?" No. Different comparison in survey
C. "harm?" Not addressed
D. "over 65 more aware?" No. The reverse is true

What is the OA?

Agree with E. Note sentence one - "would surely not find many instances" - says uncommon. Sentence three says that reproof for such instances occurs and is "generally accepted". TOgether these two statements agree with E.

Tani Wolff - Kaplan wrote:Agree with E. Note sentence one - "would surely not find many instances" - says uncommon. Sentence three says that reproof for such instances occurs and is "generally accepted". Together these two statements agree with E.

Great. Thanks for pointing out what makes (E) correct. I must admit, on my first attempt, I picked (E) not because I thought it was correct, but because I definitely found something wrong with choices A - D. I was uncomfortable with "not common" in answer choice E, but I couldn't clearly rule it out. Besides, overall (E) seemed to be supported the most by the text.

Also thought it was interesting how many of the wrong choices contained "term shifts"
Passage mentions "unkindness", (A) mentions "just as kind"
Passage mentions "little respect", (C) and (D) mention "disrespect"

@Tani, Any thoughts on this? Are these "term shifts" in the wrong answers intentional?
And if so, how often do you see "term shifts" used in wrong answer choices?

Term shifts can be very tricky. There is a fine line between changing terms and using synonyms. In this case, "just as kind" can actually mean "very unkind" if the original represents an instance of unkindness. However, "disrespect" and "respect" are are clear opposites. As used here, the problem is not with the change in terms, but with the facts. "Causing harm" is both out of scope and extreme. One could register disrespect without going to the extent of harm.

The problem with D is that it has the facts backwards.

Tani Wolff - Kaplan wrote:Term shifts can be very tricky. There is a fine line between changing terms and using synonyms. In this case, "just as kind" can actually mean "very unkind" if the original represents an instance of unkindness. However, "disrespect" and "respect" are are clear opposites. As used here, the problem is not with the change in terms, but with the facts. "Causing harm" is both out of scope and extreme. One could register disrespect without going to the extent of harm.

The problem with D is that it has the facts backwards.

- Thanks for the feedback.

Hi Tani, XLogic,

Can you help me to decipher the meaning in text in green:

There are undoubtedly incidents of unkindness based on age, and these warrant reproof. However, the very fact that such reproof occurs and is generally accepted implies that our Western societies basically respect the elderly.

I did not understand the meaning of reproof in the context of stimulus.

OA is E

sunnyjohn wrote:Hi Tani, XLogic,

Can you help me to decipher the meaning in text in green:

There are undoubtedly incidents of unkindness based on age, and these warrant reproof. However, the very fact that such reproof occurs and is generally accepted implies that our Western societies basically respect the elderly.

I did not understand the meaning of reproof in the context of stimulus.

OA is E

My rough Translation:

Incidents of unkindness based on age should not be tolerated. However, the fact that it is generally accepted that unkindness based on age should not be tolerated implies that...

Reproof = Disapprove, Rebuke, Shun, Object to, Opposed to, Criticize etc.

To reprove someone is to chastise, rebuke or criticize them. That sentence is saying that when people are unkind to elderly people they are likely to be criticized and that others support that criticism.