Clark: Our local community theater often produces plays by critically acclaimed playwrights. In fact, the production...

Emil-Kunkin on January 17, 2022

Hi @abigail-okereke, since, this is an error in reasoning question, we are looking for a restatement of the flaw. The argument precedes by saying that the theatre often produces the work of acclaimed playwrights, and that acclaim is one of the factors in deciding what to produce. The author uses this to conclude that since a playwright is being produced by that theatre, she must be acclaimed.

In general terms, the author is confusing a criterion that is important but not necessary (acclaim) for one that is necessary. We know that acclaim is important, but we are never told that ALL plays produced by the theatre are acclaimed, only that many are.

With this understanding of the flaw, A and C are (as you pointed out) the most attractive. However, A states that the author mistakes a necessary condition for a sufficient condition, which does not match out understanding of the flaw. In the passage, the author mistakes a general statement for a necessary condition, which closely matches C.