Essayist: Earth is a living

Answer choices

1. A

   Correct88% picked this

   a reason for not rejecting Earth’s status as an organism on the basis of

   Why this is right

   This gets at the "Shooting down an Anticipated Objection" vibe we were looking for. An opponent of the author might say, "Earth does not deserve the status of being considered a living organism. After all, it doesn't breathe." The author can say, "Just because something doesn't breathe doesn't prove that it isn't a living organism. After all, insects don't breathe (and they are clearly living organisms)."

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

   88%
2. B

   Opposite3% picked this

   a reason for rejecting as false the belief that Earth is

   The author's conclusion is that "Earth is a living organism". If we rejected as false the belief that "Earth is a living organism", we would be rejecting the author's conclusion as false. And this answer is saying that "the claim that insects can't breathe was meant to help reject the author's conclusion". We can tell that wasn't the role, since the author is the one volunteering the idea that insects can't breathe. Why would she volunteer a reason to reject her conclusion as false? We can also just evaluate the internal logic of this answer. If someone is rejecting as false the belief that Earth is a living organism, that person is arguing: Earth is not a living organism. Why should we believe them? Could they say, "One reason you should believe that Earth is not a living organism is that insects do not breathe." No, that sounds nonsensical.

   3%
3. C

   Unrelated to Metabolism3% picked this

   an illustration of the general claim that to be an organism, a creature must

   The final sentence about breathing has nothing to do with illustrating the claim that all organisms have metabolisms. It has to do with an incorrect assumption some people might have that "all organisms can breathe".

   3%
4. D

   Opposite3% picked this

   an example of a type of organism whose status, like Earth’s,

   The author is bringing up insects as an example of an organism whose status is clear. We all know that insects are living organisms, so the fact that insects can't breathe shows us that you don't need to be able to breathe to qualify as a living organism.

   3%
5. E

   Wrong Role3% picked this

   an illustration of a type of organism out of which Earth

   When the author says "insects can't breathe", she is involved in shooting down the objection that "Earth can't be considered a living organism, since Earth can't breathe." She is not trying to illustrate the types of organisms that comprise Earth.

   3%