Lesson: Challenging Critical/Logical Reasoning - 19t01

Additional Question Types: Explain/Paradox, continued

Statistics show that more than half of the nation's murder victims knew their assailants; in fact, 24 percent last year were killed by relatives. Nor was death always completely unexpected. In one study, about half the murder victims in a particular city had called for police protection at least five times during the 24 months before they were murdered. Nonetheless, most people are more likely to fear being killed by a stranger in an unfamiliar situation than by a friend or relative at home. Which of the following, if true, best explains the reaction of most people to the likelihood of being murdered? Statistics are likely to be discounted no matter what the source, if their implication seems to run counter to common sense. In the face of such upsetting problems as murder and assault, most people are more likely to react emotionally than rationally. A study taken in only one city is not likely to have an effect on attitudes until similar studies have been undertaken at the national level and yielded similar results. Most people do not consider themselves to be in the high-risk groups in which murder occurs frequently between relations, but do see themselves as at least minimally susceptible to random violence. People who seek police protection from relatives and friends are often unwilling to press charges when the emotions of the moment have cooled.

The discrepancy here is that most people have a greater fear of being killed by a total stranger even though statistics suggest that it is more likely to be killed by someone you know. What could account for this? It's basically just a matter of people's perceptions not always according with reality. As Choice (D) points out, nobody likes to think of themselves as being at risk for murder by friends or family, no matter what the statistics might say. This choice makes it possible that both the murder statistics, and the statistics on people's fears, could both be true.

Let's now look at another question type you're likely to see.

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