Examkin

Soru

Zorluk: OrtaNecessary Assumption

Archaeologist: Ceramic pots excavated at the lowland Oakhaven site contain high concentrations of variscite, a rare green mineral whose only known natural deposits in the region are located in the distant Obsidian Peaks. Since the ancient Oakhaven inhabitants clearly used variscite to produce their pottery, we can conclude that they must have engaged in long-distance trade with the groups living in the Obsidian Peaks.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the archaeologist's argument depends?

  1. A
    Any ancient settlement whose artifacts contain materials from a distant location must have engaged in long-distance trade.
  2. B
    The groups living in the Obsidian Peaks actively sought out lowland settlements like Oakhaven to establish trade networks for variscite.
  3. The variscite used in the Oakhaven ceramics was not transported to the lowland area by natural geological or hydrological forces prior to the pots being manufactured.Cevap
  4. D
    The inhabitants of Oakhaven lacked the technological ability to manufacture ceramic pots without including trace amounts of variscite.
  5. E
    Long-distance trade was the exclusive form of interaction that occurred between the inhabitants of Oakhaven and the groups living in the Obsidian Peaks.

Cevap

The argument relies on the assumption that the variscite was not brought to the lowlands by natural forces.
The argument relies on a 'Defender' assumption to rule out a fatal alternative explanation. The archaeologist assumes that human trade is the only way the variscite could have traveled from the Obsidian Peaks to Oakhaven. This ignores the possibility that natural forces (like glaciers or rivers) carried the mineral down to the lowlands over thousands of years, where the Oakhaven inhabitants could have simply found it locally. For the argument's conclusion to hold, it must necessarily assume this natural transport did not happen.

Adım Adım Çözüm

1
Identify the core argument structure.
Premise: Oakhaven pots contain variscite, which naturally occurs only in the distant Obsidian Peaks. Conclusion: Oakhaven inhabitants must have traded with the Obsidian Peaks groups to acquire it.
Understanding the premise-conclusion relationship is essential for spotting the logical gap.
2
Locate the logical gap or flaw in the reasoning.
The archaeologist leaps from the geographical origin of the mineral to the conclusion that human trade transported it, failing to consider other methods of transport.
Evaluating how the premise connects to the conclusion reveals unstated alternative explanations that the author must be ruling out.
3
Evaluate the choices using the Negation Test.
Negating the correct option yields: 'The variscite WAS transported by natural geological forces.' If true, the inhabitants could have found the mineral locally, invalidating the need for long-distance trade.
A necessary assumption is a statement that must be true for the conclusion to hold. If negating a statement destroys the argument, that statement is the logically required assumption.

Anahtar Kavram

Identifying a 'Defender' assumption that rules out an alternative explanation for the evidence presented in the premises.
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Konular

Necessary Assumption

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