M: The Greek alphabet must have been invented

Answer choices

1. A

   Bad Description3% picked this

   attacking M’s understanding of the literary value of

   P never says anything about whether oral poetry has literary value or whether M misunderstands its value. P's attack is on the practical sense of M's scenario (no audience for the writing), not on M's appreciation of the poetry.

   3%
2. B

   Bad Description1% picked this

   disagreeing with M’s thesis without attempting to

   P clearly does attempt to refute M — calling the hypothesis "laughable" and giving reasons. The whole reply is a refutation. This answer wrongly says P is just disagreeing without attempting to refute.

   1%
3. C

   Bad Description1% picked this

   challenging M’s knowledge of the Phoenician

   P never challenges M's knowledge of the Phoenician writing system or any other historical fact M cited. P attacks the implications of M's theory, not M's qualifications or background knowledge.

   1%
4. D

   Correct89% picked this

   attempting to undermine M’s hypothesis by making it

   Why this is right

   This is exactly P's strategy. P takes M's hypothesis at face value and then derives absurd consequences from it: the inventor wouldn't need to read the epics they'd already memorized to write down, and per M, no one else could read them. So the writing-down has no audience — which is absurd. P calls the hypothesis "laughable" and supports that label by exposing an internal absurdity.

   Skill tested: Method · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

   89%
5. E

   Bad Description6% picked this

   providing an alternative interpretation of evidence put forward

   P doesn't offer an alternative interpretation of any evidence — P doesn't reinterpret M's data, doesn't propose a different inventor or motive, doesn't suggest a different timeline. P just attacks M's scenario as absurd. No alternative is offered.

   6%