Check whether the claims can stand together
Read for meaning first. Select a highlighted word if you want a closer look.
In a practice debate about a fictional reading room, two statements were contradictory: one said every desk had a lamp, while the other said that one desk had no lamp at that same time. The speaker's later count was also inconsistent with the inventory she had accepted earlier. Her final inference was illogical, claiming that a comfortable chair proved the room needed no additional lighting. The class separated these problems instead of treating every weakness in the argument as the same kind of mistake.
The contradictory statements could not both be true about the same desks at the same time. An inconsistent count showed a failure to agree with the earlier record, but the class still needed to check which count was accurate. The illogical inference involved a different problem: comfort alone did not establish anything about the adequacy of the lighting. After identifying each issue, the students revised the description and asked for evidence that actually addressed how well people could see their books.
Before you move on
Look away from the passage. Can you explain each focus word in your own words?
Original fictional passages for vocabulary practice.