Self-study
Scientist: Given the human tendency to explore and colonize new areas, some people believe that the galaxy will eventually be colonized by trillions of humans. ██ ███ ███ ████ ████████ ██ ██████ ████ ██ ████ █████ ██ █████ ██████ ████ ██████ ██ █████████████ █████ ███ ██ ██ ███ ██████ ███ ██ ████ ██ ██████ ██ █████ ██ ███ █████████████████ ███ ████ ███ ████████████ ████ ██ █████ ██ █████ ██████ ████ ███████ ████ ████ ███████ ██ ███ ███ █████ ██████ ████ ███████ ███ ████ ███ ████ ████ ████ ████████████ ████ ████ ███████
Summarize Argument: Counter-Position
It’s unlikely that humans will ever colonize the galaxy. Why? Because if humans were to colonize the galaxy, there would be trillions of us. (The galaxy is huge.) If there there were trillions of us, then the overwhelming majority of humans ever to exist would exist during that galaxy-colonized period. We exist. There’s no reason to think we’re unrepresentative of all humans. Yet we do not live in the galaxy-colonized period. Hence, it’s unlikely that humans will ever colonize the galaxy.
Describe Method of Reasoning
Similar to the contrapositive argument. Author reasons that if something were to occur, it would have a consequence. But that consequence is false. Hence, that something is unlikely to occur.
20.
The scientist's argument proceeds by
a
reasoning that because ██ █████ ███ ███ █████████ ████ █████ ███ █ ███ ███████████ ██ █████████
Descriptively inaccurate. (A) thinks the author’s argument is that because we have not yet colonized the galaxy we will therefore probably not colonize the galaxy. Rather, a main premise is that we’re not alive during a galaxy-colonized period.
b
drawing a conclusion ████ ██████████ ███████████ ███ ██ ███ ████████ ████ ███ ████████ ███████
Descriptively inaccurate. The conclusion contradicts and rejects other people’s prediction that humans will one day colonize the galaxy.
c
taking for granted ████ ██████████ ███████████ █████ ███ ██████ ██████ ████ ██ ████ ██████ ██ ███ █████ ██ ███ ███████ █████
Descriptively inaccurate. In fact, the author assumes just the opposite. His argument attempts to make a prediction about the future on the basis of present facts.
d
inferring that since ██ █████ ████ ██ █████ ██ ██ ██████ ██ █ █████ ██████████ ███ ███ █████████ ███ ██████████ ██ ████████ █████
Descriptively accurate. Author infers that since we are not alive during the galaxy-colonized period, that the hypothesis that we will one day colonize the galaxy is probably false.
e
making a prediction ███ ████ ███ ██████ █████ ██ ███████████ █████ ██████████
Descriptively inaccurate. Premise descriptor is inaccurate. Author does not base his prediction on “established human tendencies.” Instead, he bases it on probability and the total number of humans .