Logical Reasoning

PT107 · S3 · Q1 Braille is a method of producing

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Braille is a method of producing text by means of raised dots that can be read by touch.

Conclusion (it follows that)

Anyone who is accustomed to reading braille can easily adapt to the use of the new thermal electronic screen.

Evidence

Braille uses raised dots that are read by touch.

The new technology allows flat computer screens to be heated in patterns identical to braille symbols.

Evaluate

This argument follows a comparative reasoning pattern. The key idea is that because the thermal device uses the same braille symbol system, the tactile ability required for reading braille should carry over to reading a heated, flat surface.

In other words, the argument assumes that someone who can discriminate braille’s raised-dot patterns will be equally skilled at interpreting similar patterns produced by heat.

To fight the conclusion, we'd have to say that even though someone might be good at reading raised-dot Braille, they wouldn't find it easy to read on a heated flat surface.

That seems plausible! I mean, feeling for a shape via raised dots seems pretty different than feeling for a shape via its heat imprint on a flat surface. Someone might be good at the former but struggle at the latter.

Goal

Look for an answer choice that articulates the required connection: namely, that the tactile ability to interpret braille’s raised dots applies to interpreting similar patterns on a flat, heated surface.

1.

Which one of the following is an assumption on which the conclusion depends?

  1. Braille is the only symbol

    Too Strong: only

    This is the famous style of trap answer on Nec Assump (and Must Be True) where they take the only thing mentioned and act like it's therefore the only thing. Braille was the only symbol system mentioned that can be adapted to the thermal screen, but that doesn't mean it's the only system than can be adapted.

    2% picked this

  2. Only people who currently use

    Too Strong: only

    Just like (A), this tries to turn the only thing mentioned into the only thing. The only people we mentioned using the thermal screen are people who currently use raised-dot braille, but that doesn't mean the author was assuming they're the only people who will use the thermal screen.

    6% picked this

  3. Correct

    People with the tactile ability

    Why this is right

    This is just affirming that people who know the raised dot system will similarly be able to handle the thermal screen system. If we negated it, it would badly weaken the argument. The people in the conclusion, who have the tactile ability to read braille letters with raised dots, would not be able to sense the same patterns on a flat heated surface. That would basically ruin the conclusion.

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

    90% picked this

  4. Some symbol systems encode a

    Irrelevant Quality

    It doesn't matter whether any symbol system replicate the shape of the letters of the alphabet. Maybe the Braile equivalent of "R" is a bunch of dots in the shape of an R, but maybe it's just a bunch of dots like this: :: It doesn't matter whether it's in the shape of an R or not. A braille reader would recognize that "::" means R. The only question is whether a braille reader would recognize the heated thermal screen equivalent of "::" as R.

    1% picked this

  5. Eventually it will be possible

    Out of Scope: initial training

    The argument is only about whether people who currently read the raised dots can also read the thermal screen. The author didn't need to assume anything about how we will train braille readers in the future.

    1% picked this

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