Self-study
Navigation in animals is defined as the animal's ability to find its way from unfamiliar territory to points familiar to the animal but beyond the immediate range of the animal's senses. ████ ███████████ █████ ████ █████ █████ ███ ████████ ████ ████████████ ██████████ ██ █████████ ████ ████ ██ ████████ ██ █ █████ ████ ████ ████████ ██ ███ ████ █████████ █████ █████ ████████ ████ ███ ██████████ ████ ██████ █████
Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
Some naturalists hypothesize that polar bears can navigate from unfamiliar territory to familiar areas across long distances. As support for this hypothesis, they reference a polar bear that returned home after it was released over 500 km away.
Notable Assumptions
The stimulus defines navigation as finding a way from an unfamiliar territory to familiar areas, but in the example of the polar bear, we don’t know if the polar bear was released in unfamiliar territory. The naturalists assume that the polar bear was released in unfamiliar territory. They also assume that the polar bear didn’t receive any other assistance in making its way home.
12.
Which one of the following, ██ █████ █████ ███ ████ █████ ██ ███ ████████ ██ ███ ████████ ███████ ██ ███████ ██ ███ ████████████ ██████
a
The polar bear ███████ ███ ███████ ██████ ███████ █████ ██ ██ █████ ██████ ███ ████ ██████████
The fact that the polar bear changed course several times doesn’t contradict the fact that the polar bear successfully made it home after being released 500 km away.
Illusory inconsistency
Illusory inconsistency
Answer is attractive because it seems to (but doesn't actually) contradict the premises or conclusion.
b
The site at █████ ███ █████ ████ ███ ████████ ███ ██ ███ ██████ ██████ █████████ ██████
(B) weakens the argument because it shows that the polar bear did not meet one of the requirements of navigation: finding its way through unfamiliar territory. If the site at which the polar bear was released was familiar, then its actions don’t fit the definition of navigation.
Alternate explanation
Alternate explanation
Weaken: Introduce or support an alternate explanation for a phenomenon.
Strengthen: Helps to eliminate an alternate explanation for a phenomenon.
c
The route along █████ ███ █████ ████ ████████ █████████ █████████ ██ ████ ███ ████████ ████
The terrain through which an animal is navigating is not relevant to the argument; we only care about if the polar bear was navigating.
d
Polar bears are ████ ███ ██ ████ ███████ ██ ██████ █████ ███████ ████ ████ █████ ██ ████ █████ ███ ████ ████ ████████████ ██████████
It doesn’t matter how many animals are capable of finding their way home across long distances. We only care about if the example cited by the naturalists is aligned with the definition of navigation.
e
Polar bears often ████ ██ █████ ███████ ███████████ ██ █████ ██ █████ ██ █████ ███ ████████ ██████████
The argument is concerned with whether or not the polar bear was navigating, not how it was able to do so. The fact that polar bears often use smell is not relevant.
Unwarranted assumption
Unwarranted assumption