Logical Reasoning

PT102 · S4 · Q25 The dwarf masked owl, a rare

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The dwarf masked owl, a rare migratory bird of prey, normally makes its winter home on the Baja peninsula, where it nests in the spiny cactus.

Conclusion (so)

If we don't take steps to reestablish the spiny cactus population, the dwarf masked owl will not make its home on the Baja peninsula this winter.

Evidence

Last spring, a blight destroyed all the spiny cacti on the peninsula, and that's the only suitable nesting site for the dwarf masked owl on the peninsula.

Evaluate

Because the conclusion is Conditional, we might want to think about a Missing Link assumption. The conclusion is trying to achieve this logic path:

Don't try to no owl reestablish ------------------------> on BP this SC population winter

The evidence told us that, no SC ----> no suitable nesting site

So the argument the author is trying to make seems to be this:

Don't try to no no suitable no owl reestablish --> SC ---> nesting ---> on BP this SC population site winter

The author is assuming a link from 1 to 2, and assuming a link from 3 to 4:

(1 to 2): . Maybe that's wrong. Maybe the spiny cactus will grow back on its own even if we don't take any steps to reestablish it.

(3 to 4): Maybe that's wrong. Maybe the owl will still make its home on the Baja peninsula this winter and just skip laying eggs. Or maybe it will make its home on the BP but find a suitable nesting site a short fly away.

Goal

Look for an answer establishing either of the missing links, or look for an answer defending against a potential objection (an objection should allow us to argue that even if we don't do anything to reestablish the spiny cactus population, the dwarf masked owl might still make its home on the Baja peninsula this winter).

25.

The argument depends on assuming which one of the following?

  1. No birds of prey other

    Too Strong

    Too Strong: no other Only Mentioned ≠ Only Thing Just because the dwarf owl is the only bird of prey that nests in spiny cactus who is mentioned in the paragraph doesn't mean the author is assuming that the dwarf owl is the only bird of prey that nests in spiny cactus.

    1% picked this

  2. If the Baja peninsula contains

    Negation

    The author is assuming that, If the Baja peninsula → the owl will not make doesn't have spiny cacti its winter home there This answer is just taking that assumption and showing us an illegal negation of it (the left and right sides have been flipped from negative to positive).

    16% picked this

  3. On occasion the dwarf masked

    Out of Scope

    Out of Scope: far from normal route This has absolutely nothing to do with the Conclusion, so we should be very dubious. The author says that the owl normally migrates to the Baja peninsula in the winter. That "normally" leaves room for exceptional occasions. But we have no idea (nor do we care) whether those exceptional occasions are ones in which the owl makes its winter home far from the Baja peninsula or near to it.

    2% picked this

  4. The dwarf masked owl will

    Reversal

    The author is assuming that, If the Baja peninsula → the owl will not make doesn't have spiny cacti its winter home there This answer is just taking that assumption and showing us an illegal reversal of it. The term "only if" always introduces the Necessary (right side) idea. So the answer is saying: The owl will not make → BP contains no its winter home on BP spiny cacti

    21% picked this

  5. Correct

    Suitable nesting sites must be

    Why this is right

    This is saying, if there aren't suitable owl won't make its nesting sites → winter home there That seems to be what the author is thinking. This is providing that link from 3 to 4. Don't try to no no suitable no owl reestablish --> SC ---> nesting ---> on BP this SC population site winter

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

    61% picked this

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