QUESTION TEXT: It has been argued that the immense…
QUESTION TYPE: Role in Argument
CONCLUSION: The inference that the T. rex must have been a scavenger is too hasty.
REASONING: Original inference: T. rex was big. Therefore, it would be too slow to catch prey and must have been a scavenger.
Argument: If there was prey bigger than the T. rex, it would be slower and therefore catchable. So maybe the T. rex was a hunter after all.
ANALYSIS: It is important here to keep the argument and the original inference separate. The original inference is the claim that T. rex must have been a scavenger. The argument is saying this inference was too hasty.
This means that this statement is an inference that the stimulus’ author is arguing to be too hasty.
___________
- The argument never claims the inference specifically to be inconsistent with its conclusion. The argument’s conclusion is that the inference is too hasty. The inference can be too hasty while still ultimately true.
If I saw one episode of Friends and said “Ross was important so he must be in most of the episodes”, this is maybe too hasty but still correct. - This is too strong. The argument isn’t saying the inference is certainly false, just that it’s too hasty.
- CORRECT. The author is saying that the evidence isn’t strong enough to jump to this conclusion.
- It isn’t offered in support of the hypothesis, it is the opposing hypothesis. And the argument isn’t concluding it to be false.
- It is not offered as evidence for the conclusion.
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