full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Alex Gendler: Can you solve the rebel supplies riddle?

Unscramble the Blue Letters

If you initially assumed the rules imply a smteraciyml match between the neubmr on the box and the type of lid, you’re not alone. That error is so common, we even have a name for it: affirming the consequent, or the fallacy of the converse. This fallacy wrongly assumes that just because a certain condition is necessary for a given result, it must also be sufficient for it. For itsacnne, having an atmosphere is a necessary condition for being a habitable planet. But this doesn’t mean that it’s a sufficient condition – planets like veuns have atmospheres but lack other ctriiera for habitability.

Open Cloze

If you initially assumed the rules imply a ___________ match between the ______ on the box and the type of lid, you’re not alone. That error is so common, we even have a name for it: affirming the consequent, or the fallacy of the converse. This fallacy wrongly assumes that just because a certain condition is necessary for a given result, it must also be sufficient for it. For ________, having an atmosphere is a necessary condition for being a habitable planet. But this doesn’t mean that it’s a sufficient condition – planets like _____ have atmospheres but lack other ________ for habitability.

Solution

  1. criteria
  2. instance
  3. number
  4. venus
  5. symmetrical

Original Text

If you initially assumed the rules imply a symmetrical match between the number on the box and the type of lid, you’re not alone. That error is so common, we even have a name for it: affirming the consequent, or the fallacy of the converse. This fallacy wrongly assumes that just because a certain condition is necessary for a given result, it must also be sufficient for it. For instance, having an atmosphere is a necessary condition for being a habitable planet. But this doesn’t mean that it’s a sufficient condition – planets like Venus have atmospheres but lack other criteria for habitability.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
red top 4

Important Words

  1. affirming
  2. assumed
  3. assumes
  4. atmosphere
  5. atmospheres
  6. box
  7. common
  8. condition
  9. consequent
  10. converse
  11. criteria
  12. error
  13. fallacy
  14. habitability
  15. habitable
  16. imply
  17. initially
  18. instance
  19. lack
  20. lid
  21. match
  22. number
  23. planet
  24. planets
  25. result
  26. rules
  27. sufficient
  28. symmetrical
  29. type
  30. venus
  31. wrongly