Self-study
Historian: In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the Swahili civilization of East Africa built tombs with large pillars and paneled facades. ████ ██████████ ███ ██████████ █████ ███ █████ ██████ ██ ███████ ███ ██████ ███ ███ ███████ █████ ███ █████ ██████ ████ ████ ███ ███████ ████████████ ███ ████████ ████ █████████ ████ ███████ ███████ ████ ██ ████ ███████ ██████████ ██ █████ ████████
Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
The historian observed the phenomenon that the 14th and 15th century Swahili tombs with large pillars and paneled facades were similar to structures built by the Oromo people, and were not found in any other civilizations with which the Swahili civilization had contact. From this phenomenon, the historian hypothesized that the Swahili culture was influenced by the Oromo culture.
Identify and Describe Flaw
The historian assumes a causal relationship from correlation. The historian overlooks the possibility that the Oromo culture was actually influenced by the Swahili culture, or that the two civilizations independently developed these structures.
10.
The historian's argument is most ██████████ ██ █████████ ██ ███ ███████ ████ ██
a
fails to address ██████████ ███ ███████████ ████ ███ █████ ██████ ███ ███ ███ ███ ██████████ ██ █████
Even if we consider the possibility that the Oromo didn’t use the structures as tombs, the argument is still flawed in its assumption that the Oromo culture influenced the Swahili culture (and not the other way around). It is the structure, not the use, of the buildings that we care about.
b
concludes, simply because ███ █████ ████████ ███████ ████ ███████ ██████ ████ ███ █████ █████ ██████ ███ ██████ █████
This is descriptively inaccurate. The argument does not indicate that one event occurred earlier than another event. We know that the Swahili tombs are from the 14th and 15th centuries, but we have no idea when the Oromo people built their structures.
c
draws a restricted ██████████ ████ ████████ ████ ███████ ██████ ███████ ███ █ ████ ███████ ██████████
This is descriptively inaccurate. The premises don’t actually support a much broader conclusion––the premises don’t even support the conclusion that the historian provided.
d
takes for granted ████ █████ ███ ██ █████ ████████████ ███████████ ███ ████████ ███ █████ █████ ██ ███ ████ █████ ██ ████ ███ █████ ███ ███████ ████████
The historian actually does demonstrate that it wasn’t a third civilization that inspired the structures. The historian says that the tombs were found in the Swahili and Oromo civilizations, but that they were unknown among any other people with whom the Swahili civilization had contact.
e
takes for granted ████ ███ █████ ██████ █████ ████████████ █████ ████ █████ ███████ ███ ███████ ███████ ███████ ████ ███ ███████ ████████████ ███
This is the flaw. The stimulus does not say anything about when the Oromo created their tombs. From the information given, it could totally be the case that the Swahili civilization built their tombs first, and the Oromo culture was influenced by the Swahili culture.