Winifred: Not necessarily. Most animals have several ways of accomplishing critical tasks. Bees of some species can navigate using either the position of the Sun or the memory of landmarks. Similarly, for honeybees, scent trails are a supplementary not an exclusive means of communicating.
Summarize Argument: Counter-Position
Winifred thinks that honeybees’ use of scent trails does not necessarily mean that the dance of honeybees serves a purpose other than communicating food locations. As support, Winifred explains that most creatures “have several ways of accomplishing critical tasks.” We also get a specific example to back up this claim: some bees can navigate using either the Sun or landmarks. Winifred further states that honeybees’ scent trails are not their main communication method. Winifred’s conclusion is thus supported by both a broad claim about animals and a specific one about honeybees.
Identify Argument Part
Winifred’s statement about how bees of some species navigate is a specific example used to support the claim that most animals can accomplish critical tasks in multiple ways.
A
It addresses an ambiguity in Henry’s use of the expression “communicate the location.”
here is no ambiguity to address in Henry’s use of the phrase “communicate the location”, nor does Winifred claim there is. This just isn’t something the argument does.
B
It provides evidence in support of a general claim.
This matches the use of the claim about certain bees’ navigation methods. The claim is used in the argument as an example of animals having “several ways to accomplish critical tasks.” The example provides support by showing that the general claim is backed up in reality.
C
It calls into question the accuracy of key evidence cited by Henry.
Winifred never contests the accuracy of Henry’s evidence, meaning no part of Winifred’s argument plays this role.
D
It points out that Henry’s conclusion directly contradicts one of his premises.
This is not something that any part of Winifred’s argument does.
E
It proposes an alternative explanation for the honeybees’ dance.
Winifred never actually states what might be the purpose of the honeybees’ dance (and nor does Henry). The argument is just about whether it’s possible the dance is used to communicate food locations.
Summary
Despite what some anthropologists claim, agriculture must not have begun under conditions of drought and hunger. Why? Because agricultural discoveries are the result of the study of natural processes. People cannot study natural processes without leisure, and people have leisure only when resources are plentiful.
Strongly Supported Conclusions
Agriculture began under societies that had plentiful resources.
A
whenever a society has plentiful resources, some members of that society devote themselves to the study of natural processes
Plentiful resources are a necessary condition for people to devote themselves to studying natural processes. We don’t know whether a sufficient condition occurs just because a necessary condition occurs.
B
plants cannot be cultivated by someone lacking theoretical knowledge of the principles of plant generation and growth
We don’t know whether plants cannot be cultivated if a person lacks theoretical knowledge. The stimulus also does not address what would be considered theoretical knowledge.
C
agriculture first began in societies that at some time in their history had plentiful resources
Since some anthropologists are wrong, agriculture must have begun when a society had plentiful resources.
D
early agricultural societies knew more about the natural sciences than did early nonagricultural societies
We don’t know anything about nonagricultural societies. Additionally, the stimulus is limited to agriculture, whereas “natural sciences” is too broad.
E
early societies could have discovered by accident how the plants they cultivated reproduced and grew
We don’t know whether early societies discovered agriculture by accident.
Summary
Although critics worry that pessimistic news reports about the economy cause people to lose confidence in the economy, studies show that, on matters on which people have direct experience, they don’t defer to journalists. People have direct experience with the economy.
Strongly Supported Conclusions
People don’t defer to journalists regarding the economy.
Critics don’t need to be worried that pessimistic news reports will influence people’s feelings about the economy.
Critics don’t need to be worried that pessimistic news reports will influence people’s feelings about the economy.
A
Critics who think that the economy is affected by the extent of people’s confidence in it are wrong.
Unsupported. The issue is whether news about the economy affects people’s perceptions. We don’t know anything about whether people’s perceptions affect the economy.
B
Pessimistic news reports about such matters as foreign policy, of which people do not have experience every day, are likely to have a negative impact.
Unsupported. Although it’s possible people defer to journalists on foreign policy, there’s no support for characterizing the effect of that deference as negative. Being influenced by news reports is not inherently negative.
C
Pessimistic news reports about the state of the economy are likely to harm the economy.
Unsupported. We know people don’t defer to journalists on the economy. So, there’s no evidence news reports will harm the economy by making people lose confidence in it. In theory the news could hurt the economy through some other means, but the stimulus doesn’t speak to that.
D
News reports about the economy are unlikely to have a significant effect on people’s opinions about the state of the economy.
Strongly supported. We know that on matters on which they have direct experience, people don’t defer to journalists. And we’re told people have direct experience with the economy. So, they don’t defer to journalists on the economy.
E
Journalists need not be deeply concerned about their reporting’s effects on the well-being of the average citizen.
Unsupported. The stimulus indicates people are unlikely to defer to journalists on the economy. But journalists might have an impact on people regarding other topics. We have no basis to say journalists shouldn’t be concerned about potential effects regarding other topics.