Essayist: People once believed that Earth

Answer choices

1. A

   Opposite Logic11% picked this

   presumes, without providing justification, that only true statements can have good reasons

   The conditional word "only" shows that this would look like Good reason to believe ? True statement This is somewhat close to the author's logic about the statement "Earth is important", but it's opposite logic. Our author was saying, "Since their reason for believing Earth is important was a bad one, it must be false to say that Earth is important." So her logic looks like, Not good reason to believe ? Not true statement

   11%
2. B

   Correct77% picked this

   neglects to consider that a statement that was believed for questionable reasons may nevertheless

   Why this is right

   The statement "Earth and its peeps are important" was believed for a questionable reason ("Earth is at the center of the universe!"), but it may still be a true statement.

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

   77%
3. C

   Not an Objection2% picked this

   fails to consider that there can be no reason for disbelieving

   Does it hurt the author's argument if we say "there's no way to disbelieve a true statement"? Not really. The only statement our author considered true was that "Earth is not at the center of the universe". Would she think that that statement is impossible to disbelieve? No, because she knows that humans used to believe otherwise. So it's fair to say that our author thinks there can be reason to disbelieve a true statement. When we say "there can be no reason to disbelieve a true statement", that would clash with her worldview, but it would have nothing to do with the logic of her argument. Also, her worldview is much more sensible. It's not a very persuasive objection for us to claim "it's impossible to doubt a true statement". An apt, nearby description that would accurately describe this argument is that "the author fails to consider that there can be bad reasons for believing a true statement". That's what correct choice (B) is essentially saying.

   2%
4. D

   Not an Objection7% picked this

   overlooks the fact that people’s perception of their importance changed from

   It doesn't hurt the author to suggest that perception of importance changes. She would happily agree to that idea. After all, humans used to perceive Earthlings as important, and now our author does not perceive us as important. So she would clearly accept the possibility that perception of importance can change from century to century.

   7%
5. E

   Out of Scope: culture2% picked this

   neglects the fact that people’s perception of their importance varies from

   Culture really had nothing to do with the conversation. We certainly couldn't weaken the author's argument by pointing out that different cultures perceive their importance differently. She is making an argument about whether or not Earthlings are important, not about how cultures perceive their own importance. And our author probably agrees that her culture perceives Earthlings as insignificant in the cosmic context, whereas earlier cultures perceived Earthlings as significant.

   2%