Summarize Argument
The author concludes that if the most populous species in the pond is the bullhead catfish, then the fishing guide must believe that the species of fish in the pond that has adapted best to living in polluted water is the bullhead catfish. This is based on the fact that the fishing guide says that the most populous fish species in the pond is also the one that has adapted best to living in polluted water.
Identify and Describe Flaw
The author assumes that the fishing guide would be aware of the fact that the most populous fish species in the pond is the bullhead catfish, if that is indeed the most populous fish species in the pond. This overlooks the possibility that the fishing guide might have some other species in mind when he says that the most populous fish species is the one that has adapted best.
A
takes for granted that the local fishing guide believes that Stillwater Pond has been polluted by farm runoff for years
This is not an assumption, because the guide’s belief about how long the water has been polluted doesn’t affect the relationship between the most populous species and being the best adapted.
B
fails to take into account the possibility that the catfish in Stillwater Pond had to adapt very little to survive in polluted water
Whether the catfish had to adapt very little doesn’t affect the possibility that it’s still the most adapted. A fish can be the most adapted even if it hasn’t adapted much. Also, the argument only concerns belief about what’s most adapted, not what is actually the most adapted.
C
fails to take into account the possibility that the recent studies on fish populations in Stillwater Pond are inaccurate
The conclusion begins by saying “if” the studies are accurate. This conditions the rest of the conclusion on the hypothetical situation in which the studies are accurate. Whether they are actually accurate is irrelevant to this hypothetical situation.
D
fails to take into account the possibility that the local fishing guide mistakenly believes that some fish species other than the bullhead catfish is the most populous fish species in Stillwater Pond
If this possibility were true, then even if the catfish is the most populous species, the guide might not believe that the catfish is the most adapted. The guide might simply have a different species in mind, even if that species isn’t actually the most populous or most adapted.
E
takes for granted that Stillwater Pond has only one species of catfish living in it
The author doesn’t assume there’s only one species of catfish in the pond. The recent studies happen to identify the bullheat catfish as the most numerous species, but there can be other catfish species that are not as numerous.
Myungsook: I disagree. Converting observations into numbers is the hardest and last task; it can be done only when you have thoroughly explored the observations themselves.
Speaker 1 Summary
Clarissa argues that mathematics has been necessary to allow the natural sciences to progress. To support this, Clarissa says that scientific observations are only worth attention if they are stated in precise, quantitative terms. (It seems that this requires mathematics in some way.)
Speaker 2 Summary
Myungsook disagrees, and instead comes to the implied conclusion that observations can be worth serious attention even without being stated in precise quantitative terms. To support this idea, Myungsook tells us that observations can only be put in quantitative terms after being “thoroughly explored,” which would reasonably require paying attention to them.
Objective
A
mathematics has been a highly significant factor in the advance of the natural sciences
Clarissa would agree with this claim, but Myungsook doesn’t disagree. Myungsook doesn’t state an opinion one way or the other about the importance of mathematics to the natural sciences.
B
converting observations into quantitative terms is usually easy
Myungsook would disagree with this, but Clarissa never states an opinion. Clarissa actually doesn’t say anything about the easiness or difficulty of converting an observation into quantitative terms.
C
not all observations can be stated precisely in quantitative terms
The speakers don’t talk about this. Neither Clarissa nor Myungsook mentions anything about the limitations that may exist on what observations can be stated in quantitative terms, if any.
D
successfully doing natural science demands careful consideration of observations not stated precisely in quantitative terms
Clarissa disagrees, but Myungsook agrees: this is the disagreement. Clarissa says that scientists should only think about quantitatively stated observations. Myungsook, however, says scientists need to think about observations before they can be stated quantitatively.
E
useful scientific theories require the application of mathematics
Clarissa would probably agree with this. Myungsook, on the other hand, never talks about how necessary mathematics might be to science.