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Paleontologist: The extinction of the Megalodon was not caused by a sudden global cooling event. Fossils of marine mammals—the Megalodon's primary prey—show no population decline in geological strata corresponding to the extinction period. Since its prey thrived, the theory that a catastrophic plunge in ocean temperatures starved the Megalodon is unfounded.

Statement: The discovery that the Megalodon inhabited deep, temperature-stable ocean trenches, whereas its prey occupied highly temperature-variable surface waters, significantly weakens the paleontologist's argument.

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The statement is false. The proposed discovery actually strengthens the paleontologist's argument rather than weakening it.
The paleontologist concludes that global cooling did NOT cause the extinction. The new information shows the Megalodon lived in temperature-stable deep waters, meaning it would be physically insulated from a cooling event. This provides an additional, independent reason to believe cooling wasn't the cause. Because this fact bolsters the paleontologist's conclusion, it strengthens the argument. Therefore, the statement asserting that it weakens the argument is false.

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1
Identify the author's main conclusion.
The conclusion is negative: A sudden global cooling event did NOT cause the Megalodon's extinction.
Isolating the exact conclusion is necessary to determine what type of evidence would weaken it.
2
Analyze the premises provided.
The primary premise is that the Megalodon's food source (marine mammals) survived the period without population decline.
Understanding the evidence helps evaluate the argument's core assumptions and vulnerabilities.
3
Evaluate the impact of the new information in the statement.
The new fact indicates the Megalodon lived in temperature-stable environments, protecting it from sudden oceanic cooling events.
We must determine how this new fact structurally interacts with the author's negative conclusion.
4
Determine if the information weakens the conclusion.
Because the new fact makes it even less likely that cooling killed the Megalodon, it provides secondary support to the author's claim. It strengthens the argument, meaning the statement that it weakens the argument is false.
A fact that strengthens an argument cannot fulfill a weaken prompt.

Anahtar Kavram

Recognizing opposite-task traps in arguments with negative conclusions.
Tahmini Süre:1m 30s
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