PT131.S3.Q23

PrepTest 131 - Section 3 - Question 23

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Support To predict that a device will be invented, one must develop a conception of the device that includes some details at least about how it will function and the consequences of its use. ███ ████████ █████ ███ ██████ ██ ██████████ ██ █████████ ██ ███████████████████ ███ █████████ █████ ██████████ █ ████████ ███████████ ███ ███ ██████ ███████ ████ ███ ███████ █████ ██████

Summarize Argument

Predicting an invention is self-contradictory. Why? Because predicting an invention entails developing a detailed conception of how that invention will function. But if you manage to do that, congrats, you just invented the thing. So that’s not prediction. That’s just invention. Hence, predicting an invention is impossible.

Describe Method of Reasoning

Author argues that something (predicting an invention) is impossible because a necessary condition of that something (developing a detailed conception of how that invention will function) rules that something out by definition (you can’t predict an invention that already exists).

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23.

Which one of the following ████ ██████████ █████████ ███ █████████ ██ █████████ ████████ ██ ███ █████████

a

constructing a counterexample ██ █ ███████ ██████████ █████ ███ ██████

b

appealing to definitions ██ █████ ███ █████████████ ██ █ ████ ██ ██████████

c

countering a hypothesis ██ ██████████ ███ █████████ ██ ███ ████████████ ██ ████ ██████████

d

pointing out how █ ███████ ██ ██████ ███████ ██ ██ ██████████ ███ ██ ██████ ██████████

e

attempting to show ████ ██████████ ███ █████ ███████ ████ ██ ███ ██ ████ ███████ █████ █████

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