Consumer: The latest Connorly Report suggests that Ocksenfrey prepackaged meals are virtually devoid of nutritional value. But the Connorly Report is commissioned by Danto Foods, Ocksenfrey’s largest corporate rival, and early drafts of the report are submitted for approval to Danto Foods’ public relations department. Because of the obvious bias of this report, it is clear that Ocksenfrey’s prepackaged meals really are nutritious.
The reasoning in the consumer’s argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument
(A) treats evidence that there is an apparent bias as evidence that the Connorly Report’s claims are false
(B) draws a conclusion based solely on an unrepresentative sample of Ocksenfrey’s products
(C) fails to take into account the possibility that Ocksenfrey has just as much motivation to create negative publicity for Danto as Danto has to create negative publicity for Ocksenfrey
(D) fails to provide evidence that Danto Foods’ prepackaged meals are not more nutritious than Ocksenfrey’s are
(E) presumes, without providing justification, that Danto Foods’ public relations department would not approve a draft of a report that was hostile to Danto Foods’ products
A. Correct. This option identifies the ad hominem flaw present in the argument—the consumer attacks Ocksenfrey as a company instead of addressing the actual quality of its products.
B. Incorrect. This choice suggests an unrepresentative sample flaw, which doesn't apply here. The consumer refers to all of Ocksenfrey’s prepackaged meals, not just a portion of them.
C. Incorrect. This describes a scenario involving an unrepresentative sample—judging all prepackaged foods based on one bad example. However, the original argument doesn't rely on such limited evidence.
D. Incorrect. While Ocksenfrey might have its own biases, the argument doesn't reference any claims made by the company. Since its statements aren't part of the reasoning, this choice doesn't apply.
E. Incorrect. The argument makes no claims about Danto’s product quality. The consumer focuses only on criticizing Ocksenfrey, so this option introduces irrelevant information.
