Logical Reasoning

PT102 · S2 · Q19 In all mammalian species, the period

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In all mammalian species, the period of a young mammal’s life in which it is most frequently playful coincides with the period of most rapid growth of the neural connections in the mammal’s brain that give rise to various complex patterns of movement, posture, and social response.

Statements

In Most Supported / Must Be True, we're primarily reading for Conditional, Causal, Quantified, or Pivot wording.

The first sentence gives a correlation:

most playful period | | most rapid growth of of young mammal's life neural connections

The second sentences gives a Conditional / Causal Difference-Maker type idea.

Without these neural connections created by frequent play, the mammal's survival and well-being as an adult would be threatened.

Goal

We're looking for an answer that goes against part of this causal story or at least fails to be derived from this causal story:

lots of play ⇢ lots of neural ⇢ ability to survive when young connections and be well

19.

The statements above, if true, serve LEAST well as evidence for which one of the following?

  1. Young mammals of species that

    Consistent

    Given the connection between play and survival as an adult, it makes sense that a species that depends on running away from predators as an adult would have forms of play that rehearse that action, even when no predators are actually around.

    10% picked this

  2. Correct

    The young of nonmammalian species

    Why this is right

    We aren't told anything about non-mammalian species. This answer doesn't conflict with anything we read (it's not a soft version of Must Be False), it's just not supported by anything we read. People who did think it was supported by this paragraph would be committing the flaw of thinking, "the only thing they talked about is the only thing for which this is true".

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

    74% picked this

  3. Adult mammals are more likely

    Consistent

    Given the connection between play and survival as an adult, it makes some sense that adults who played as a child and have potentially seen the utility of those skills as an adult would be inclined to play with their children. Given the connection between play and neural development, it also might make some sense to think of propensity to play as a genetic trait that would have a hereditary continuity from adult to child.

    10% picked this

  4. Mammals that cannot engage in

    Supported

    This one is most clearly supported by the paragraph, since we were told in conditional form that without this play, we wouldn't have the neural connections, and without those we wouldn't have survival and well-being.

    4% picked this

  5. Young mammals of predatory species

    Consistent, Same as (A)

    This has the same logical relationship as choice (A). Since play is connected to adult survival and well-being, adults who needs to hunt and kill in order to succeed as an adult would rehears less-harmful versions of those actions in their play.

    2% picked this

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