Question

The Senator Wiley damned the Frequent Flyer schemes, now operated by virtually all major American airlines, as nothing less than a bribe to acquire the accounts of major corporations that are willing to pay excessively high sums to buy Frequent Flyer discount coupons in order to give untaxed rewards to employees. To make the discounted ticket prices viable, airlines raise the initial marked price of the tickets. Thus, the price of tickets for the general public is kept artificially high. Walter Healey, the Vice President of American Airlines, responded to the criticism by saying the Frequent Flyer scheme was enjoyed by millions of Americans who were able to acquire Frequent Flyer tokens from supermarket purchases and credit card transactions.
Which of the following, if true, best exposes the flaw in Healey's response to Wiley's criticism?

• A. Only a few supermarket chains and credit card companies offer Frequent Flyer tokens to customers.
• B. Fewer people acquire Frequent Flyer tokens through supermarket purchases than through credit card transactions.
• C. Most airline companies offer bonus tokens for long-haul flights.
• D. The price of tickets booked under Frequent Flyer schemes is often as low as 50% of the regular ticket price.
• E. Ticket prices are regularly reviewed by a committee of airline representatives.

Hint:

When an argument is answered with a misdirection, the flaw can be exposed by showing how the respondent's point is either irrelevant or, more powerfully, how it actually supports the original argument it was meant to refute.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This is a "Find the Flaw" or "Weaken" question. We need to identify why Healey's response fails to adequately address Wiley's criticism.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
- Wiley's Argument: Frequent Flyer (FF) schemes provide deep discounts to corporate clients. To compensate for this loss, airlines inflate the regular ticket prices for the general public. Thus, the general public is harmed.
- Healey's Response: Healey ignores the point about harm to the general public. Instead, he points out that many people benefit from the scheme by getting tokens from supermarkets and credit cards. This is a classic misdirection or "red herring" fallacy; he changes the subject from the group being harmed to a group that benefits.
The task is to find an option that exposes this flaw. A good answer will show that Healey's point is either irrelevant or, even better, actually reinforces Wiley's original criticism.
(A) This weakens Healey's point that "millions" benefit, but it doesn't expose the core logical flaw in his response, which is ignoring Wiley's main argument.
(B) This is an irrelevant detail comparing two sources of tokens.
(C) This strengthens Healey's point about the benefits of the scheme, rather than exposing a flaw.
(D) This option highlights how significant the discounts are for FF users (as low as 50% off). This directly strengthens Wiley's core argument. If the discounts are that large, it becomes much more plausible that airlines need to significantly inflate the regular prices to remain profitable. By bragging about a key feature of the FF program (deep discounts), Healey is inadvertently providing evidence for Wiley's claim that someone else must be footing the bill. It shows that the "benefit" Healey talks about is the direct cause of the "harm" Wiley is concerned with.
(E) This is an irrelevant procedural detail.

Step 3: Final Answer:
Option (D) best exposes the flaw because it shows that the benefit Healey is championing (deep discounts) is so significant that it makes Wiley's conclusion (inflated prices for others) almost necessary, thereby undermining Healey's response as a defense.