Read the excerpt: 'The minister declared that the reform had succeeded beyond all expectations, pointing to a five percent rise in revenue while ignoring that administrative costs had doubled.' Which critical thinking flaw is demonstrated by the minister's reasoning?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Cherry-picking evidence to support a predetermined conclusion
- Step 1: Highlighting a favourable metric (5% revenue rise) while deliberately omitting unfavorable conflicting data (doubled costs) is selective reporting or cherry-picking. Answer: Cherry-picking evidence to support a predetermined conclusion. Why not the others: False dichotomy limits choices; bandwagon appeals to crowd consensus; post hoc confuses temporal sequence with causation.
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