Self-study
The vomeronasal organ (VNO) is found inside the noses of various animals. █████ ███ ██████████ ███████████ ███ ████████ ███ ███████ ██ █████ ████████ ████ ██████ ████ █ ███ ████ ██ ███████████ ██████ ████ ████████████████ ████ ███████████ ████ ████ ████ ██ █████████ ███ █████ ██ ███████ ███ ████████ ████ ████████ ████████████ ██████ █████ ███████████ ██ ██████ █████ ████ ███ ████ ██████ ███ ██████████ ███████████ ██ █ ███████████ ███████ █████ ██ ████ ███████
Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
The author hypothesizes that the vomeronasal organ (VNO) is a functioning sensory organ in most humans. This is based on the fact that humans reported experiencing subtle smell sensations when researchers their stimulated VNO cells.
Notable Assumptions
The author assumes that it was the stimulation of the VNO cells that caused the smell sensations, and not some other impact of the actions taken by the researcher. The information given discusses a correlation between stimulation of VNO cells and experiencing smell sensations, and the author is assuming a causal relationship from this correlation. The author is also assuming that the test subjects actually experienced the subtle smell sensations that they reported experiencing.
2.
Which one of the following, ██ █████ ████ ███████ ███ █████████
a
It is not █████ ███████ ███ ███████████ █████████ ██ ███████████ ████ ███ █████ ██ ███ █████ █████████ ██████
(A) weakens the argument because it introduces the possibility of an alternative hypothesis that some other factor, not the VNO cells, was responsible for the smell sensations that the test subjects experienced.
Alternate explanation
Alternate explanation
Weaken: Introduce or support an alternate explanation for a phenomenon.
Strengthen: Helps to eliminate an alternate explanation for a phenomenon.
b
Relative to its ██████████ ██ ███████ █████ ████████ ███ █████ ███ ███████ ██ ██ ████████████ ███████████ ███ ███████████████
“Rudimentary” and “underdeveloped” does not mean nonfunctional.
Illusory inconsistency
Illusory inconsistency
Answer is attractive because it seems to (but doesn't actually) contradict the premises or conclusion.
c
Certain chemicals that ████ █ ███████ ████ ██ ███ ███ ███ ███ █████████ ██ ███████ ██ █████ ██ ██ ██████ █████████ ██ ███ ██████ ██ ████ █ ████ ██ ███ ███████████ ██ ███████
It could be the case that the VNO functions differently in other animals and in humans––the human VNO could rely on other chemicals.
Illusory inconsistency
Illusory inconsistency
Answer is attractive because it seems to (but doesn't actually) contradict the premises or conclusion.
d
Secondary anatomical structures ██████████ ████ ███ ███ ██ █████ ███████ ████ ██ ██ ██████ ██ ███████
We do not know if these secondary anatomical structures are necessary in the function of the VNO; the human VNO could have different secondary structures or could function without these secondary structures.
Illusory inconsistency
Illusory inconsistency
Answer is attractive because it seems to (but doesn't actually) contradict the premises or conclusion.
e
For many animal ████████ ███ ███ ██ ███████ ██ ██████ ███████ ███ █████ ██ ██████
The fact that the VNO produces subtle smell sensations in animals does not weaken the argument that the VNO does something similar in humans––this may give an additional reason to believe the argument.