Self-study
In an experiment, two groups of mice—one whose diet included ginkgo extract and one that had a normal diet—were taught to navigate a maze. ███ ████ █████ ████ ████████ ██████ ████ ████ ██████ ██ ████████ ███ ██ ████████ ███ ████ ███ ████ ███ ████ ████ ███ █████ █████ ████████ ███ ██████ ███ ███ ████ ████████ ████████ ███████ █████ ███████ ████ █████ ████ ██████ ███████ ██████ ██ █████ ███ ████████ ████ ████ ██████ ██████ ██ █████ ██ ███████ ███████
Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
The author hypothesizes that although mice given ginkgo extract remembered a maze better, ginkgo may not have directly enhanced memory. Instead, the implied claim is that ginkgo indirectly improved the mice's memory by lowering their stress. This is because ginkgo lowers stress levels, and memory is enhanced when very high stress levels are reduced.
The author draws a hypothesis based on experimental observations. However, we're not directly trying to weaken the experimental finding that ginkgo improved memory, but rather the proposed mechanism for how that occured. To weaken this hypothesis, we can find evidence that ginkgo does in fact directly improve memory. We can also attack the relevance of ginkgo's stress-reducing properties to this specific experiment.
12.
Which one of the following, ██ █████ █████ ████ ██████ ███ █████████
a
The doses of ██████ ██ ███ ████ ██ ███ ████ ██ ███ ██████████ ████ █████████████ ██████ ████ ███ █████ ████ ████ ████ █████ ██ ██████ ██████ ██ █████
We don't have any reason to believe that a higher dose would decrease ginkgo's stress-reducing effect—if anything, this affirms that the mice received enough to be de-stressed. So this doesn't weaken the argument.
Directionally wrong
Directionally wrong
Answers that, if they have any effect, do the opposite of what we want (weaken when we're trying to strengthen, or strengthen when we're trying to weaken).
b
Neither the mice ███ ████████ ███ ██████ ███ ███ █████ ████ ██ ███ ██████████ █████████ █████████████ █████ ██ ██████████████████ ███████
In other words, the enhancement of memory from lowering very high stress levels isn't relevant, because the mice didn't have very high stress levels. By making stress relief irrelevant, this effectively weakens.
Plausibility
Plausibility
Presenting evidence that corroborates (in Strengthen) or conflicts (in Weaken) with the author's hypothesized explanation or the predictions that follow from that explanation.
c
Some chemical substances ████ ██████ ██████ ██ ████ ████ ██ █████ ███████████ ██████ █████ ███████
Is ginkgo one of those substances? We don’t know. Even if ginkgo had this effect, that would only strengthen the claim that it didn't directly improve memory. Either way, this doesn't weaken.
d
Scientists have not ███ ██████████ █████ ██████████ ██ ██████ ███ ███████████ ███ ████████ ██████ ██ █████
It doesn't matter which substance in ginkgo is responsible for reducing stress, just that it has that effect in mice. The exact stress-reduction mechanism is irrelevant, so can't weaken.
Illusory inconsistency
Illusory inconsistency
Answer is attractive because it seems to (but doesn't actually) contradict the premises or conclusion.
e
The mice who ████████ ███ ██████ ████ ████ ██ ████ ██ ███ █████ ████ ██ █████ ██ ████████ ███ █████
How long the mice took to learn the maze is irrelevant, because we’re only concerned with their memory, i.e. how well they navigated the maze the second time. This doesn't affect the argument.
Illusory inconsistency
Illusory inconsistency
Answer is attractive because it seems to (but doesn't actually) contradict the premises or conclusion.