CR: Evaluation of argument

[rte.sushil]

Columnist: George Orwell’s book 1984 has exercised much influence on a great number of this newspaper’s readers. One thousand readers were surveyed and asked to name the one book that had the most influence on their lives. The book chosen most often was the Bible; 1984 was second. The answer to which one of the following questions would most help in evaluating the columnist’s argument?
A. How many books had each person surveyed read?
B. How many people chose books other than 1984?
C. How many people read the columnist’s newspaper?
D. How many books by George Orwell other than 1984 were chosen?
E. How many of those surveyed had actually read the books they chose?


OA: B


Queries:
1.)
"George Orwell’s book 1984 has exercised much influence on a great number of this newspaper’s readers."
What is the relation between 1984 and newspaper's readers? How are they related? Was the book being published in some of its column?
I think if we get answer answers to such small questions, probably it helps us to make our resoning more strong.
Since no information as such is mentioned so i just assume that columinist is talking about its readers as the book may have influenced in some way.


2.)
How many people chose books other than 1984?
I couldn't understand how it is important to know if people chose other books?

If i assume Bible : 995, 1984: 5--> seems that 1984 book didn't play a crucial role. it doesn't matter whether people read other books
If i assume Bble : 500; 1984: 490 : Other books : 10 --> 1984 book had an influence so again here it doesn't matter whether people read other books
Similarly, If i assume Bble : 990; 1984: 6: Other books : 4--> 1984 book had an no influence so again here it doesn't matter whether people read other books
Please help me in understanding the logic that why it is important to know about others books as we are only talking about book 1984.


3.)
I chose answer E because Bible is common book and people can get information about it from various sources such as from church, etc. as possibility of knowing about Bible is more because it is religious book and many people are aware of it
But for book 1984 people may not be aware of it so it is important to know how many of those who surveyed had actually read the book because only then it make sense whether it influenced them in actual sense, which means that they have not just selected 1984 as the influential book but it has actually influenced them.


Please help me..

Thanks!!

[Willy]

If 900 people voted for other books, i.e. 1 vote for each book, and 90 voted for Bible then only 10 out of 1000 voted for 1984. This outcome would not support the columnist's conclusion.

If 480 voted for the bible, 450 for "1984" and 70 for all other books, i.e. 1 vote for each book, then this would support the columnist's conclusion.

So, we need to know how many votes other books get.

[jnelson0612]

If 900 people voted for other books, i.e. 1 vote for each book, and 90 voted for Bible then only 10 out of 1000 voted for 1984. This outcome would not support the columnist's conclusion.

If 480 voted for the bible, 450 for "1984" and 70 for all other books, i.e. 1 vote for each book, then this would support the columnist's conclusion.

So, we need to know how many votes other books get.

Thank you, Willy. Very good explanation!

[MadhusudhanV176]

But why can't C be the answer? What if the the survey represented a very small sample of the readers? For instance, if there were 1 million readers, then one cannot conclude that 1984 exercised influence on a "great number" of readers based on the responses of just 1000 readers ! In other words, isn't the author generalizing based on the responses of a sample?

[jnelson0612]

But why can't C be the answer? What if the the survey represented a very small sample of the readers? For instance, if there were 1 million readers, then one cannot conclude that 1984 exercised influence on a "great number" of readers based on the responses of just 1000 readers ! In other words, isn't the author generalizing based on the responses of a sample?

You make an excellent point, but that is not what C says.

If C had said something like this:
"C) Are the column's readers representative of the readers of the newspaper as a whole?"
that would be a very important question to answer. I think that that is what you mean.

C actually says
"C. How many people read the columnist’s newspaper?"

Just knowing that 100, or 1000, or 10,000 people read the newspaper doesn't help us evaluate the argument.