Party X has recently been accused by its opposition, Party Y, of accepting international campaign contributions, whic...

SamA on October 23, 2019

Hello @Sabrinamc,

Before we look at our answer choices, let's ask ourselves what is wrong with this argument. Just because Party Y once committed a violation, does that make its accusation invalid? I don't think so. Remember, we generally need to examine the argument itself, rather than the person/party making it. We need to find an argument that makes a similar flaw.

Here is why B is not the same flaw. B does claim that the plaintiff is hypocritical, which is similar to the passage. However, B does not use this supposed hypocrisy as a basis to reject the accusation. That is the root of the problem with the passage, and it is absent from this answer choice.

In C, the plaintiff accuses the defendant of a violation. The plaintiff recently engaged in similar actions. Does that make the accusation invalid? No, it does not. Maybe both parties are guilty, but that does not make the accusation of the plaintiff less valid. Rejecting an accusation on the basis of hypocrisy, rather than on the details of the accusation, is the flaw we are looking for.

maggsll on June 10, 2020

Great explanation, thank you!
I had the same issue.