Summary
The effects of technology on language and the effects of language on culture are complex. For example, the telegraph, telephone, and television have changed how people speak to each other. Currently, electronic mail has caused a widespread loosening of language usage rules. This loosening has caused relationships between people to be more causal than ever before.
Strongly Supported Conclusions
Changes in the way people communicate with each other can cause the relationships between people to change.
A
Technology can adversely affect the nature of relationships between people.
This answer is unsupported. We don’t know from the stimulus whether technology has any adverse effects. We cannot assume that a change in language use or relationships between people is adverse.
B
Changes in communication media can cause interpersonal relationships to change.
This answer is strongly supported. Electronic mail, through the loosening of language rules, caused interpersonal relationships to change.
C
A decrease in linguistic sophistication can lead to an increase in technological sophistication.
This answer is unsupported. We don’t know from the stimulus whether the loosening of language rules is a direct cause of technological advancement. In fact, this relationship seems opposite from how it’s presented in the stimulus.
D
A widespread loosening of overly rigid language-usage rules can improve communication.
This answer is unsupported. We don’t know from the stimulus whether communication has improved or not. We only know that communication has changed generally.
E
Changes in interpersonal relationships can cause changes in the way people speak to one another.
This answer is unsupported. If anything, the opposite relationship is presented in the stimulus: the way people speak to one another can cause changes in interpersonal relationships.
Summarize Argument: Counter-Position
The author concludes that the newspaper does not provide coverage of the high school’s most popular sports. This is based on the fact that track gets no coverage, while basketball gets full-page coverage. In addition, 15% of the school’s students compete on the track team, while only 5% compete on the basketball team. The author takes this to imply that track is far more popular than basketball.
Identify and Describe Flaw
The author interpret’s the newspaper’s claim of providing coverage of the most “popular” sports as a reference to the most-participated in sports. But “popular,” as the newspaper used it, means of high interest to the public or to the school’s students, or to the newspaper’s readers.
A
infers a cause from a mere correlation
The author does not conclude or assume a causal relationship. The argument concerns whether the school covers the most “popular” sports, not about cause and effect.
B
bases its conclusion on a sample that is too small
The argument doesn’t generalize from a sample. The citation to track and basketball statistics are intended to show that basketball is more popular than track. Also, we have no indication that the number of track participants or basketball participants are too small.
C
misinterprets a key word in the newspaper’s advertisement
The author misinterprets the word “popular.” The author thinks it refers to the most-participated in sports, but it actually refers to popularity as in the level of interest.
D
employs as a premise the contention it purports to show
(D) describes circular reasoning. The conclusion — that the newspapers does not cover the most popular sports — does not restate a premise.
E
criticizes the source of a claim rather than the claim itself
The author doesn’t criticize the newspaper as part of proving that the newspaper’s claim is false.