Support Psychologists observing a shopping mall parking lot found that, on average, drivers spent 39 seconds leaving a parking space when another car was quietly waiting to enter it, 51 seconds if the driver of the waiting car honked impatiently, but only 32 seconds leaving a space when no one was waiting. ββββ ββββββββ ββββ βββββββ ββββ ββββββββββ ββ βββββ βββββββ ββββββ ββββ ββββ βββββββ βββββ βββ ββββ ββββ ββββββββββββββ βββββββββ ββ ββββββββ ββ βββββββββββ ββββ βββββββ ββββββ βββββ βββ ββββββ
The author hypothesizes that drivers feel possessive of their parking spaces, and even more so when it seems like other drivers want those spaces. This is based on psychologists' observations that drivers take longer leaving a parking space when other cars are waiting, especially when those cars are honking.
The author believes that the drivers took more time leaving their spots when other cars were around because they were possessive of their spots, and not for some other reason, such as being careful not to hit the other car waiting nearby, or stress from being honked at.
Which one of the following, ββ βββββ ββββ βββββββ βββ ββββββββββ
The more pressure ββββ βββββββ ββββ βββββββ ββββββ βββ βββββββ βββ ββββ ββ βββββββ βββββββββ ββββ βββββ βββββ βββ ββββ βββββββ ββββ βββ ββββ ββ βββββββ βββββ
This would weaken the argument. It provides an alternative explanation for the psychologists' observations. Drivers arenβt necessarily leaving more slowly because they feel more possessive, but because they feel pressure from the waiting cars, and even more pressure when those cars honk at them.
Weaken: Introduce or support an alternate explanation for a phenomenon.
Strengthen: Helps to eliminate an alternate explanation for a phenomenon.
The amount of ββββ βββββββ βββββ ββββββββ β βββββββ βββββ ββ βββ ββββββββββ ββββββββ ββ βββββββ βββββ βββββββ βββ βββββββ βββ ββββ ββ ββ βββ βββ ββ βββββββ βββββ βββββ βββββββ βββ βββββββ ββββββββββββ
This doesn't weaken the argument. If anything, this would slightly strengthen the argument by undermining the alternative possibility that drivers are slower in general when they know others are watching them.
It is considerably ββββ βββββββββ βββ ββββββββββββββ βββ β ββββββ ββ ββββββββ β βββ βββ ββ β βββββββ βββββ ββ βββββββ βββ βββββββ ββ βββββ ββββ βββββ ββ βββββββ
Notice that, while this explains why drivers took longer to leave the space when cars were waiting versus when no cars were waiting, it doesnβt explain why honking made the drivers take even longer. In other words, this answer choice doesn't provide an alternative explanation for that aspect of the phenomenon, and so the author's hypothesis about possessiveness explaining these observations is untouched. We need an alternative explanation that accounts for the whole phenomenon.
Weaken Qs: Answers that try to introduce an alternate explanation, but fall short, or try to explain a different phenomenon.
Strengthen Qs: Answers that try to eliminate an alternate explanation, but fall short, or try to eliminate an explanation for a different phenomenon.
Parking spaces in ββββββββ ββββ βββββββ ββββ βββ ββββββββββββββββ ββ βββββββ ββββββ ββ βββββββ ββββ βββββββ ββ βββ ββββββββββ ββββ βββββ ββββ ββββ ββ βββββββ ββ βββββ βββββ
This answer choice suggests that in shopping mall parking lots, cars are more--or less--likely to be waiting for spaces than in other parking lots. But we're not interested in how often cars tend to wait for parking spots, just in what happens when they do, and why. This answer choice doesn't weaken the argument.
Almost any driver βββββββ β βββββββ βββββ ββββ ββββ βββββ ββ βββββββ ββββββ βββ βββββ ββββββββββββ βββ ββββ βββββ ββββ βββββββββ βββ ββββββ ββ ββββ βββββ βββββββ βββ ββββββ
This addresses why drivers took longer to leave when a waiting driver was honking. It doesn't explain why drivers took longer to leave when the waiting drivers were waiting quietly. This doesn't account for the whole phenomenon, so doesn't successfully weaken the author's hypothesis that possessiveness is the root cause of this phenomenon.
Weaken Qs: Answers that try to introduce an alternate explanation, but fall short, or try to explain a different phenomenon.
Strengthen Qs: Answers that try to eliminate an alternate explanation, but fall short, or try to eliminate an explanation for a different phenomenon.