Logical Reasoning

PT106 · S2 · Q23 Garbage dumps do not harm wildlife

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Garbage dumps do not harm wildlife.

Conclusion

Garbage dumps do not harm wildlife.

Evidence

On the Masai-Mara reserve in Kenya, baboons that use garbage dumps mature faster and have more offspring than baboons that do not scavenge on garbage.

Evaluate

The author is arguing that garbage dumps aren't harmful to wildlife, but her evidence is only about baboons.

The evidence is a correlation between scavenging on garbage dumps and certain benefits (faster maturity and more offspring) for baboons. The author seems to implicitly assume that garbage dumps are either helping the baboons to mature faster and have more babies, or at least assumes that faster maturity and more babies is a sign that they're NOT being harmed.

Goal

Let's get rid of the four answers that hurt the argument, either by making the author's evidence seem sketchy or by giving us a way to argue that anti-conclusion, that garbage dumps DO harm wildlife.

23.

Each of the following statements, if true, casts doubt on the argument EXCEPT:

  1. The baboons that feed on

    Weakens

    If the baboons that feed on the garbage dump are of a different species from those that do not, it undermines the comparison made in the evidence between the two groups of baboons, suggesting that any observed differences may be inherent species differences rather than effects of garbage feeding.

    16% picked this

  2. The life expectancy of baboons

    Weakens

    A lower life expectancy for garbage-eating baboons suggests that although they mature faster and have more offspring, the overall long-term impact on their health is negative, indicating harm from garbage dumps.

    4% picked this

  3. The cholesterol level of garbage-eating

    Weakens

    A dangerously higher cholesterol level in garbage-eating baboons implies a health risk associated with eating garbage, thereby indicating potential harm to wildlife.

    1% picked this

  4. Correct

    The population of hyenas that

    Why this is right

    This more or less corroborates the evidence the author presented. "It's not just baboons. Hyenas are also 'thriving' near garbage. Their population has doubled!" If anything, this strengthens.

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

    75% picked this

  5. The rate of birth defects

    Weakens

    If the rate of birth defects for the baboon population has doubled since landfills opened, it directly suggests that the introduction of garbage dumps has had a harmful impact on the overall health of the baboon population.

    4% picked this

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