A
If one chess-playing program can examine more possible moves than a different chess-playing program run on the same computer under the same time constraints per move, the former program will have a better chance of winning than the latter.
B
How fast a given computer is has no effect on which chess-playing computer programs can run on that computer.
C
In general, the more moves a given chess-playing program is able to examine under given time constraints per move, the better the chances that program will win.
D
If two different chess-playing programs are running on two different computers under the same time constraints per move, the program running on the faster computer will be able to examine more possible moves in the time allotted.
E
If a chess-playing program is run on two different computers and is allotted more time to examine possible moves when running on the slow computer than when running on the fast computer, it will have an equal chance of winning on either computer.
A
It is a claim for which no support is provided, and which is used to support only the argument’s main conclusion.
B
It is a claim for which no support is provided, and which is used to support a claim that is itself used to support the argument’s main conclusion.
C
It is a claim for which support is provided, and which is in turn used to support the argument’s main conclusion.
D
It is the argument’s main conclusion and is inferred from two other statements in the argument, one of which is used to support the other.
E
It is the argument’s main conclusion and is inferred from two other statements in the argument, neither of which is used to support the other.
The diet of Heliothis subflexa caterpillars consists entirely of fruit from plants of the genus Physalis. These fruit do not contain linolenic acid, which is necessary to the growth and maturation of many insects other than H. subflexa. Linolenic acid in an insect’s diet is also necessary for the production of a chemical called volicitin. While most caterpillar species have volicitin in their saliva, H. subflexa does not.
Summary
Most caterpillar species have volicitin in their saliva.
If an insect produces volicitin, then it must have linolenic acid in its diet.
Many insects need linolenic acid to grow.
*Physalis* plants don’t contain linolenic acid.
*H. subflexa* caterpillars only eat *Physalis* plants.
*H. subflexa* caterpillars don’t have volicitin in their saliva.
Very Strongly Supported Conclusions
Most caterpillar species have linolenic acid in their diets.
Most caterpillar species don’t eat only *Physalis* plants.
Many insects can’t grow and mature if they only eat *Physalis* plants.
A
H. subflexa caterpillars synthesize linolenic acid within their bodies.
Unsupported. *H. subflexa* caterpillars don’t get linolenic acid from their diets, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that they synthesize it within their bodies. They might just not need any linolenic acid or volicitin.
B
Most species of caterpillar have sources of linolenic acid in their diets.
Very strongly supported. Most species of caterpillar have volicitin in their saliva. And if an insect produces volicitin, then it must have linolenic acid in its diet. So most species of caterpillar have linolenic acid in their diets.
C
Any caterpillar that has linolenic acid in its diet has volicitin in its saliva.
Unsupported. If a caterpillar has volicitin in its saliva, then it must have linolenic acid in its diet. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that if a caterpillar has linolenic acid in its diet, then it must have volicitin in its saliva. (C) reverses the conditional claim.
D
A food source containing linolenic acid would be poisonous to H. subflexa caterpillars.
Unsupported. *H. subflexa* caterpillars only eat plants that don’t contain linolenic acid. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that plants that do contain linolenic acid are poisonous to them. They might just hatch on *Physalis* plants and never move to other plants.
E
No caterpillars other than H. subflexa eat fruit from plants of the genus Physalis.
Unsupported. Most caterpillars have linolenic acid in their diets. But this doesn’t mean that no other caterpillars eat *Physalis* plants. There might be others like *H. subflexa* that only eat *Physalis* plants, or some that eat *Physalis* plants and other plants with linolenic acid.
A
Viruses can affect the evolution of an organism and can thereby influence the likelihood of their diverging into two species.
B
The chromosomes of the zebra finch and the dark-eyed junco contain fragments of no virus other than the hepadnavirus.
C
When a virus inserts itself into an animal’s chromosome, the insertion occurs at a random spot.
D
Many bird species other than the zebra finch and the dark-eyed junco contain fragments of the hepadnavirus.
E
The presence of a hepadnavirus in an animal species does not affect the likelihood of that species’ survival.
Edgar: Some of the pumps supplying water to our region have been ordered shut down in order to protect a species of small fish. But it is absurd to inconvenience thousands of people for the sake of something so inconsequential.
Rafaela: You’re missing the point. The threat to that fish species is a sign of a very serious threat to our water supply.
Speaker 1 Summary
Edgar asserts that we shouldn’t shut down pumps supplying water to our region simply because those pumps threaten a small species of fish. The shut down would cause too much inconvenience for so little benefit.
Speaker 2 Summary
Rafaela’s implicit conclusion is that the decision to shut down the water pumps is a good idea. This is because the threat to the fish species is a sign of a threat to the water supply.
Objective
We’re looking for a point of disagreement. The speakers disagree over whether shutting down the pumps is a good idea and about whether the decision to shut down the pumps is designed only to protect the fish species. Edgar thinks the decision is just about the fish. Rafaela thinks it’s also about the water supply.
A
shutting down the pumps will actually inconvenience a large number of people
Rafaela doesn’t express an opinion. She doesn’t comment on inconvenience or say anything suggesting an opinion about it.
B
the survival of the fish species is the only reason for shutting down the pumps
This is a point of disagreement. Edgar thinks the shutdown is only related to protecting the fish. Rafaela thinks it’s about protecting the water supply.
C
species of small fish are inconsequential
Rafaela doesn’t express an opinion. She doesn’t comment on whether protecting small fish is important or unimportant. Her point is that the shut down also helps protect the water supply.
D
the order to shut down the pumps was legal
Neither speaker expresses an opinion. They don’t comment on the legality of the shutdown.
E
shutting down the pumps will be sufficient to protect the fish species
Neither speaker expresses an opinion. They don’t comment on whether the shutdown will successfully protect the fish.
A
In close proximity to the fireplaces with lichen and grass are other fireplaces that, evidence suggests, burned material that produced more heat than smoke.
B
In the region containing the Neanderthal fireplaces in which lichen and grass were burnt, no plants that could be burned more effectively to produce heat or light were available 60,000 years ago.
C
Some of the fireplaces containing burnt lichen are in regions in which lichen is not believed to have been plentiful and so would have had to have been brought in from some distance.
D
There is clear evidence that at least some groups of Neanderthals living more recently than 60,000 years ago developed methods of preserving meat other than smoking it.
E
The ability to preserve meat through smoking would have made the Neanderthal humans less vulnerable to poor periods of hunting.
A
fails to establish that university graduates do not have initiative, flexibility, and the ability to solve practical problems
B
overlooks the possibility that corporations may require an attribute that potential employees can obtain only by attending a university
C
provides no justification for the presumption that corporations only hire employees who have initiative, flexibility, and the ability to solve practical problems
D
takes for granted that the only reason that high school graduates go on to attend university is to improve their job prospects
E
takes for granted that initiative, flexibility, and the ability to solve practical problems are attributes that can be acquired through study