Self-study
Conclusion Evolution does not always optimize survival of an organism. ████ █████ ███████ █████ ███████ ██ █ ███ ██ ████████ █████ █████ ███ ██████ ██████ █████ ████ ███ ███████ ███████ ██ ████████████ ██████████ ███ █████ ███████ ████ ████ ██ ██████ ██ ██████ ██████████ █████ ████ ███ ██████ ███ ███████ ██ ██████ ███ ████ █████ █████ ██ ██████ ███ ████ ███████ ████ ███ ███████ █████ ████ █████ ███ ██ ████ ██████████ ██ ██████████ ███ █████ ████ ███ ███████ ███████ █████ ████████ █████ ████████ ██████████
Summarize Argument
The author concludes that evolution doesn’t always optimize an organism’s survival. This conclusion is supported by the example of male moose’s evolution of giant antlers. They evolved these antlers to fight other males; the largest antlers give an evolutionary advantage. But larger antlers make it harder to escape predators. Male moose would be better off, at least in terms of surviving from predators, if they all had smaller antlers.
Describe Method of Reasoning
The author supports a conclusion by using an example.
21.
Which one of the following ██ █ █████████ ██ █████████ ████ ██ ███ █████████
a
citing an example ██ ████ █████ ██ █ █████████ ████████
Although the author does cite to an example to counter the claim that evolution always optimizes survival of an organism, this claim is not a competing argument. An argument requires a premise and conclusion; an individual claim is not necessarily an argument.
b
employing an analogy ██ █████ ██ ███████ █ ██████████████
The author doesn’t use an analogy. An example is not an analogy. Arguments by analogy involve an attempt to identify similarities between two things to support an inference that another similarity exists.
c
challenging a general █████ ██ ██████████ █ ██████████████
Th author uses the male moose example to counter the general claim that evolution always optimizes survival of an organism. This general claim wasn’t explicitly laid out, but the author’s conclusion can be interpreted as a rejection of that general claim.
d
disputing the relevance ██ ██ ███████ ███████ ██ ███████ ██ ████████ ████
The author uses the example of male moose to support his own conclusion. This does not constitute disputing the relevance of the example.
e
undermining a claim ██ ███████ ████ ██ ██ ██████████████████
The author does not point out that any claim is self-contradictory. A self-contradictory claim is one that either asserts or implies something that is logically inconsistent with another part of the claim.