Self-study
Millions of female bats rear their pups in Bracken Cave. ████████ ███ ███████ ███ █████ ███ ████ ████████ ██ █████ ██████ ████ ██████ ██ ██████ ██████ ███████ ████████ ████ ███ ███ ████ █████ ███ █████ █████ ███ █████ ████ █████ ██ ███████ ███ ████████ ███ █ ███ ███ ██████ ███████████ ███ ████ ██ ███ ██████ ████ ████ ██ ███ █████ █████ ████ ██ ██ █████ ████ ████ ██████ ███ ███ █████████ ███ ████ ██ ███ ████
Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
The author starts by highlighting a phenomenon: though there are millions of mother bats living in Bracken Cave, and though they all leave the cave every night, the mothers are quickly reunited with their own pups when they return. Then, because bats can only find each other through their calls, and because pups cannot recognize their mothers' calls, the author hypothesizes that mother bats must be able to recognize their pups' calls to be reunited with them so quickly.
Describe Method of Reasoning
After highlighting the initial phenomenon, the author offers two premises that narrow down potential explanations for that phenomenon. Bats' calls are the only means they have of finding each other, which rules out the possibility that the bats find each other by smell or some other means. And pups cannot recognize their mothers' calls, which rules out the possibility that pups find their mothers rather than the other way around. By this process of elimination, the author concludes that the mother bats of Bracken Cave must be able to recognize their pups' calls.
8.
The argument seeks to do █████ ███ ██ ███ ██████████
a
derive a general ██████████ █████ ███ ███████ ██ █ █████ ████ █████ █████ █████ ██████████████ ███████ ██ ████ █████
The author does not provide facts about representative members of a group. Throughout the argument, the author talks about the mother bats of Bracken Cave in general, and doesn't highlight any specific members of that larger group.
b
establish the validity ██ ███ ███████████ ███ █ ██████████ ██ █████████ ███████████ ████████████
This is accurate. The author's reasoning relies on a process of elimination to get rid of alternative explanations. By eliminating the possibility that bats find each other by other means than hearing, and the possibility that the pups recognize their mothers' calls, the author concludes that the remaining possibility — that the mother bats recognize their pups' calls — is a valid explanation for the phenomenon in the stimulus.
c
support, by describing █ ████████ ██████████ ███ ██████████ ████ █ ███████ ██████████ ███ █████
The author does not describe a mechanism for how mother bats are able to recognize their pups' call. He simply hypothesizes that this can happen, based on eliminating other possibilities.
d
conclude that members ██ ███ ██████ ███ ██████ ██ █████ █ ███████ ███████ ███████ ██ █████ ███████████████ ████ █████
The only two groups mentioned in the stimulus are mother bats and their pups, and the author clearly states that they do not share the ability the stimulus is focused on: the ability to recognize each other's calls. Mother bats can recognize their pups' calls, not the other way around.
e
demonstrate that a ███████ ████ ███████ ██ █ ██████████ ████
The author does not provide a general rule that is then applied to a particular case. Throughout the argument, the author is focused on the specific case of the bats in Bracken Cave. Starting with the facts of their situation, the author derives a conclusion about those specific bats.