Question: Some statisticians claim that the surest way to increase the overall correctness of the total set of one’s beliefs is: never change that set, except by rejecting a belief when given adequate evidence against it. However, if this were the only rule one followed, then whenever one were presented with any kind of evidence, one would have to either reject some of one’s beliefs or else leave one’s beliefs unchanged. But then, over time, one could only have fewer and fewer beliefs. Since we need many beliefs in order to survive, the statisticians’ claim must be mistaken.
The argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it
(A) presumes, without providing any justification, that the surest way of increasing the overall correctness of the total set of one’s beliefs must not hinder one’s ability to survive
(B) neglects the possibility that even while following the statisticians’ rule, one might also accept new beliefs when presented with some kinds of evidence
(C) overlooks the possibility that some large sets of beliefs are more correct overall than are some small sets of beliefs
(D) takes for granted that one should accept some beliefs related to survival even when given adequate evidence against them
(E) takes for granted that the beliefs we need in order to have many beliefs must all be correct beliefs
“Some Statisticians Claim that the Surest Way to Increase the Overall Correctness” is a topic of GMAT critical Reasoning. This GMAT Critical Reasoning topic has been taken from the book ‘501 GMAT Questions’. In this question, the candidates need to provide an option that does not support the argument provided in the passage. GMAT critical reasoning tests the logical and analytical skills of the candidates. Critical reasoning in GMAT requires candidates to find the strengths and weaknesses of the argument, or find the logical flaw in the argument. The GMAT CR section contains 10 -13 GMAT critical reasoning questions out of 36 GMAT verbal questions.
Answer: A
Explanation: In this question, we need to find the option which provides a ground where the argument is vulnerable to criticism.
Let us look at the passage provided.
The conclusion that we get from the argument: We need to need strong assumptions about the given argument to survive. The statisticians' claims can be false.
We must look into the given options to check the correct statement.
| Point | Belief's |
|---|---|
| claim that the surest way to increase the correctness of beliefs is to cut out wrong ones and not add new ones is mistaken. | it would leave us with fewer and fewer beliefs, and we need many beliefs to survive |
The argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it
(A) presumes, without providing any justification, that the surest way of increasing the overall correctness of the total set of one’s beliefs must not hinder one’s ability to survive-
If we look carefully, the author's stating that something is not the surest way to increase correctness. This is because it hinders one's ability to survive. Hence option A is the correct answer.
(B) neglects the possibility that even while following the statisticians’ rule, one might also accept new beliefs when presented with some kinds of evidence-
This statement is a bit confusing. It is weak to support the given argument.
(C) overlooks the possibility that some large sets of beliefs are more correct overall than are some small sets of beliefs-
This statement is little supportive. But this alone cannot support the argument.
(D) takes for granted that one should accept some beliefs related to survival even when given adequate evidence against them-
This statement states "beliefs related to survival". This refers that it is different from needing a lot of beliefs to survive. It further states that it doesn't relate directly to the issue of increasing the correctness of beliefs.
(E) takes for granted that the beliefs we need in order to have many beliefs must all be correct beliefs-
This is an incorrect belief because this not what the argument states.
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