Critical Reasoning: Conclusion Weakening Questions
Which of the following would most weaken the author's statement that reliable statistics illustrate the true state of the world?
Good!
[[snippet]]This statement shows that the statistics, while being reliable, reduce a complex state to an average, and may yet hide the whole picture.
Incorrect.
[[snippet]]This statement strengthens, not weakens, the author's statement. These statistics' reliability relies on the fact that all countries are equally represented, a qualification which this statement meets.
Incorrect.
[[snippet]]This statement strengthens, not weakens, the author's statement, as it says that the statistics from all countries are all of the same quality. Therefore, this statement gives us no reason to think that these statistics are unreliable.
Incorrect.
[[snippet]]This answer choice neither strengthens nor weakens the author's statement. The number of people who read and understand statistics does not influence the way in which those statistics represent the state of the world.
Incorrect.
[[snippet]]The time taken and the money spent gathering statistics does not influence the reliability of those statistics, or the accuracy of their representation of the true state of the world.
