Top Law Schools

Maria won this year's local sailboat race by beating Sue, the winner in each of the four previous years. We can conclude from this that Maria trained hard.

The conclusion follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?

a. Sue did not train as hard as Maria trained.
b. If Maria trained hard, she would win the sailboat race.
c. Maria could beat a four-time winner only if she trained hard.
d. If Sue trained hard, she would win the sailboat race.
e. Sue is usually a faster sailboat racer than Maria.

The correct answer is 'C'. I chose answer 'B'. Can someone please explain the difference between these two answers?

B is a mistaken reversal (confusing necessary and sufficient).

C is a restatement of the arg.

"only if" is a necessary indicator.

Thanks. Doesn't the sufficient condition, i.e. answer B, result in the same answer tho?

aptorres wrote:Thanks. Doesn't the sufficient condition, i.e. answer B, result in the same answer tho?

Assuming B, she would win if she trained hard, but she could have won without training hard, too.

aptorres wrote:Thanks. Doesn't the sufficient condition, i.e. answer B, result in the same answer tho?

No. Answer B just tells you that hard work was sufficient to allow Maria to win. It doesn't tell you whether other actions would have been sufficient for Maria to win. (For instance, maybe losing weight or getting more sleep would have been sufficient for Maria to win.)

I see the light. (thanks to both of you).

Do any of you two do private tutoring in the DC-metro area by any chance?