Summarize Argument
The author concludes that people in industrialized societies today would probably become more close-knit if they undertook group tasks that required them to cooperate with each other. This prediction is based on the observation that what made medieval European communities close-knit was the fact that people had to cooperate with each other to meet basic needs.
Identify Conclusion
The conclusion is the author’s prediction for what would likely happen if people today undertook tasks similar to those that medieval communities had to undertake: “[I]f people in industrialized societies today undertook corresponding group tasks, their communities would probably become more close-knit.”
A
Much of what made medieval communities as close-knit as they usually were was the way they went about meeting basic needs.
This is part of the support. The author uses this fact to support a prediction about what would likely happen to people in industrialized societies today.
B
People in industrialized societies today should undertake group tasks similar to those that medieval communities undertook in order to meet their basic needs.
The author never tells anyone what they “should” do. The conclusion is simply a prediction about what is likely to happen.
C
In medieval communities, people went about meeting basic needs in ways that required them to come together in respectful cooperation, suspending any private grievances.
This is part of the support. This is an illustration of how medieval societies were close-knight because of group tasks. The author uses this fact to support a prediction about what is likely to happen to people in industrialized societies today.
D
Medieval communities were usually more close-knit than communities in industrial societies are today because, in medieval communities, people undertook group tasks requiring them to come together in respectful cooperation.
The author never states that medieval communities were more close-knit than communities in industrial societies today. The conclusion is a prediction about what is likely to happen to people in industrial societies today.
E
Communities in industrial societies today would probably become more close-knit if their members undertook group tasks requiring the participants to come together in respectful cooperation.
This is a paraphrase of the last sentence, which is the conclusion.
Advertisement: At BigFoods, we compare prices for you. We recently determined which items our shoppers buy most often. A varied sample of these items cost 10 percent more at Grocerytown than at BigFoods! None of these regularly purchased grocery items were on sale at BigFoods—these are our everyday prices!
Summary
The advertisement says that BigFoods has figured out which items their shoppers buy most often. BigFoods then picked out some of those items, and compared the cost of that sample to the cost of the same items at Grocerytown, where they cost 10 percent more. The sample also used the regular, non-sale prices at BigFoods.
Strongly Supported Conclusions
Based on this advertisement, we can conclude:
Some items cost at least 10 percent less at BigFoods than those same items cost at Grocerytown.
Some of the items that cost less at BigFoods are among those items most purchased by BigFoods shoppers.
A
BigFoods lowered its everyday prices before making the comparison with Grocerytown.
This is not supported. The advertisement doesn’t mention anything about BigFoods lowering prices, nor does it say anything else that would lead us to that conclusion.
B
Shoppers who usually patronize Grocerytown prefer to shop there for some reason other than its prices.
This is not supported. Based on the advertisement, we don’t know anything about why someone would prefer to shop at Grocerytown, for its prices or otherwise. We don’t even know if the prices are actually higher across the board at Grocerytown, or only on a few items sampled.
C
Some of the items that shoppers at BigFoods buy most often are less expensive at BigFoods than at Grocerytown.
This is strongly supported. The advertisement explains that a sample of the most-purchased items at BigFoods overall cost less than at Grocerytown. That means that some individual most-purchased items must also cost less at BigFoods.
D
Few of the items that shoppers at BigFoods buy most often were on sale at Grocerytown when the price comparison was carried out.
This is not supported. We simply have no way to know whether the items compared were on sale at Grocerytown or not; all we know is that the price of the sample was overall lower at BigFoods.
E
The items that shoppers at BigFoods buy most often are not the same as those that shoppers at Grocerytown buy most often.
This is not supported. The advertisement doesn’t indicate if the items BigFood shoppers buy most often are also bought most often at Grocerytown or not, so we can’t come to a conclusion one way or the other.
Summarize Argument
The author concludes that the dangers of mountain climbing have been greatly exaggerated. This is based on the fact that between 1922 and 2002, there have been fewer than 200 climbing deaths on Mt. Everest. But there were over 7,000 traffic deaths in France alone in 2002.
Identify and Describe Flaw
The author fails to consider the number of people who climbed Mt. Everest between 1922 and 2002 and the number of people who drove in France in 2002. This is relevant to the overall fatality rate. For example, maybe there were only 200 people who climbed Mt. Everest during that time, and almost every one of them died. This would tend to show that climbing Mt. Everest was extremely dangerous.
A
whether the number of traffic fatalities in France was higher in 2002 than in other years
The author cited the numbers in France simply to show the large disparity in deaths from driving and from climbing. If in 2001, there were, for example, 6,900 traffic deaths, that has no impact. Or if 2000 involved 5,000 deaths, that’s still far more than 200 climbing deaths.
B
whether the number of traffic fatalities in France is usually higher than that in other countries
The author cited the numbers in France simply to show the large disparity in deaths from driving and climbing. If France usually has a higher number of traffic deaths than other countries, that changes nothing, because the disparity in fatalities from driving and climbing would still be large.
C
whether the number of fatalities among climbers on Mount Everest could be reduced by implementing stricter safety measures
The author doesn’t assume that we can’t make things safer. The argument is about the current danger presented by climbing, not whether climbing can be made safer.
D
how many climbers were on Mount Everest during those 80 years and how many people traveled on French roads in 2002
The author fails to consider that there might have been very few climers on Mount Everest, and many thousands of driver on French roads. This is relevant to the overall fatality rate, which is a more accurate measure of danger than simply counting the number of deaths.
E
how many climbing fatalities there were during those 80 years on mountains other than Mount Everest
The number of deaths on other mountains doesn’t tell us anything about the death rate on Mount Everest. What’s missing from this argument is information that bears upon the relative death rate on Mount Everest vs. driving in France in 2002.
Summarize Argument: Counter-Position
The author concludes that there’s no reason to believe that swimming immediately after eating causes muscle cramps. This is because muscle cramps are caused by either muscle fatigue and dehydration or by reduced blood flow to the muscles. Muscle fatigue and dehydration aren’t related to eating, and eating doesn’t cause enough reduced blood flow to the muscles to cause cramps.
Identify Conclusion
The conclusion is the author’s counter to the belief that swimming immediately after eating causes muscle cramps: “[T]here is no reason to believe this.”
A
Swimming immediately after eating is not dangerous.
This twists the author’s conclusion, which is only that swimming after eating doesn’t cause muscle cramps. The author never suggests swimming after eating is not dangerous for some other reason besides muscle cramps.
B
Reduced blood flow to muscles is not a cause of muscle cramps.
The author acknowledges that reduced blood flow might not be a cause of muscle cramps, but never states that it is definitely not a cause.
C
There is no reason to believe that swimming immediately after eating causes muscle cramps.
This is a paraphrase of the conclusion.
D
Blood going to the stomach to aid in digestion after a meal is not a cause of muscle cramps.
This is a premise.
E
Blood going to the stomach to aid in digestion after a meal would not reduce blood flow to the muscles.
This relates only to a premise. And, it twists what that premise actually says. The author states that there’s not enough blood that goes to the stomach during digestion to reduce blood flow to muscles. This doesn’t mean that there’s no reduced blood flow to muscles at all.