Self-study
Computers perform actions that are closer to thinking than anything nonhuman animals do. ███ █████████ ██ ███ ████ ██████████ ███████ ████████ ████ ████████ ███████ ███
The Core Logic
Here’s a hindsight translation of the logic underlying the correct answer:
Premise: Computers get closer to thinking than animals do.
(Inference: Nonhuman animals don’t think.)
Premise: Nonhuman animals have volitional powers.
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Conclusion: Volitional powers don’t count as thinking.
The inference is probably the crux. If computers’ actions are closer to thinking than anything animals do, animals must not do anything that counts 100% as thinking.
I’d say anticipating that precise conclusion is moderately reasonable. There’s certainly no shame in relying on process of elimination here, though.
7.
Which one of the following ██ ████ ████████ █████████ ██ ███ ███████████ ██████
a
Having volitional powers ████ ███ ███████ █████████
You can see the logic underlying (A) in the stimulus’ analysis, but here’s another way of looking at it (incidentally, this argument form is called reductio ad absurdum):
Let’s assume having volitional powers does require thinking. Well, nonhuman animals have volitional powers, so that means they think! But nonhuman animals don’t think (because computers get closer to thinking than they do). So our initial assumption must not be correct – having volitional powers must not require thinking.
b
Things that are ███ ███████ ██ ███ ████ ██████████ ███████
Here’s a translation of (B), taking the contrapositive to make it a bit easier to understand:
Everything with volitional powers is an animal.
The stimulus tells us some animals have volitional powers, but it doesn’t say animals are the only things with volitional powers.
c
Computers possess none ██ ███ ██████████ ██ ██████ ███████
In addition to lacking support in the stimulus, (C) fails a basic sanity check because “attributes” is a really broad category. Existence is an attribute. Being made of atoms is an attribute.
d
It is necessary ██ ████ ██████████ ██████ ██ █████ ██ ██████
(D) says “all thinkers have volitional powers,” or “if you don’t have volitional powers, you can’t be a thinker.” That’s quite a strong claim – it’s a categorical rule.
The stimulus only gives us two individual examples: computers (which don’t think and don’t have volitional powers) and nonhuman animals (which don’t think and do have volitional powers). Two individual examples – regardless of what they say – can’t establish a general rule.
e
Computers will never ██ ████ ██ █████ ██ █████ ██████ ███
(E) is wrong because it makes a prediction about the future, which isn’t supported by the stimulus’ claims about the present. Time-based shifts like this are quite common on the test.