The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Of course. Here are the correct answers and a detailed explanation.
Correct Answers:
- a. B. It is the best smartphone on the market.
- b. D. The fact that many people buy the iPhone does not necessarily mean it is the best smartphone on the market.
Explanation:
The provided argument is a classic example of a logical fallacy known as appeal to popularity, or argumentum ad populum. To understand the correct answers, we must first break down the argument’s structure and then analyze the specific flaw it contains.
For part (a), the goal is to identify the conclusion of the statement. An argument consists of a premise (the evidence) and a conclusion (the point being argued). The word “so” is a conclusion indicator, signaling that what follows is the main claim. The premise is “Apple’s iPhone outsells all other smartphones.” This is the factual evidence being presented. The conclusion, which follows “so,” is the assertion that “it must be the best smartphone on the market.” Therefore, option B correctly identifies the argument’s conclusion. The other options are incorrect because they represent the premise, the subject, or a part of the premise.
For part (b), we must explain why this argument is fallacious. The appeal to popularity fallacy occurs when an argument asserts that a claim must be true or good simply because a large number of people believe it or engage in it. The flaw in this reasoning is that popular opinion is not a reliable measure of objective quality or truth.
Option D perfectly describes this error. It correctly states that the iPhone’s popularity (the fact that many people buy it) does not logically guarantee its quality (that it is the “best”). A product can be popular for many reasons unrelated to it being the best, such as superior marketing, brand loyalty, perceived status, or ecosystem lock in. Meanwhile, a different smartphone might be objectively “better” in terms of camera quality, battery life, or processing power but sell fewer units. The argument incorrectly equates high sales with high quality, which is the core of the appeal to popularity fallacy.
