Self-study
Marmosets are the only primates other than humans known to display a preference for using one hand rather than the other. █████████████ ████ █████████ ███ ███████████ ████ ███ █████████████ █████ ██████ █████████ ██████ ██ ████ █████████ █████████ ███████████ ███████████ ████ ██ ██ ██ █████████ ████ ██████ █████████ █████ █████ ████ ██ ████ ██ ████ █████████ ██████ ██ ███████████ ███████ █████████ █████ █████ ████████ ███████████
Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
The researchers hypothesize that most marmosets become left-handed because they imitate their parents as babies. Why? Because infant marmosets are known to imitate frequently.
Notable Assumptions
The researchers assume there’s no alternative or additional explanation accounting for the prevalence of left-handedness among marmosets. In particular, they assume baby marmosets tend to imitate their parents, and that genetic factors don’t determine a marmoset’s handedness.
1.
Which one of the following, ██ █████ ████ ████████ ███ ████████████ ███████████
a
A study conducted ██ █████ █████████ ████████ ████ ████ ████ █████████████
This doesn’t affect the researchers’ argument. It’s stated only that “[s]ignificantly more” marmosets are left-handed than right-handed, which is compatible with the existence of many right-handed marmosets, provided there are also lots of left-handed marmosets out there.
b
Right-handed marmosets virtually ███ ████ ██ █████ ███ ███████ ███ ██ ████████████
This weakens the researchers’ argument. It implies left-handed and right-handed marmosets are frequently raised by the same parents, making it less likely that marmosets tend to acquire the same handedness as their parents.
c
According to the ██████ ██ ███████ ██ █████████ ███ █████████████ ███████ █████ ████████ █████ ██████ █████ ████ ████ ██ █████ █████ █████
This doesn’t affect the researchers’ argument. It doesn’t change the relative prevalence of left-handed marmosets, nor does it imply the researchers are basing their hypothesis on faulty evidence.
d
Ninety percent of ██████ ███ █████████████ ███ █████ ███ ███ ███████████ ███ ██████ ██ ████ ██ █████ ███ ███████████ ███████
This implies humans tend to acquire their handedness from their parents, not that humans—or marmosets—acquire their handedness through imitation. There are many reasons, besides their tendency to imitate, why marmosets might, unlike humans, tend to be left-handed.
Irrelevant corroboration
Irrelevant corroboration
Answers that provide additional support for a claim that the argument doesn't need more support for.
e
Marmosets raised in █████████ ████ ████████████ █████ █████████ ██ ████ ████ ███ ███ ███████ ███ ████ ██████ ██ ██ ████████████ ████ ████████████
This supports the researchers’ hypothesis that handedness is developed through imitation, rather than solely genetic or environmental factors. It implies baby marmosets tend to acquire their handedness from other, nearby marmosets—not just from genetic relatives.
Alternate explanation
Alternate explanation
Weaken: Introduce or support an alternate explanation for a phenomenon.
Strengthen: Helps to eliminate an alternate explanation for a phenomenon.