Logical Reasoning

PT118 · S3 · Q25 Helena: Extroversion, or sociability, is

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Helena: Extroversion, or sociability, is not biologically determined.

Helena's Conclusion

Social extroversion is not biologically determined.

Helena's Evidence

Kids whose biological parents are introverts but who are adopted by introverts tend to end up more socially extroverted than do children who live with their biological introverted parents.

Jay's Conclusion

That evidence does not show that social extroversion isn't biologically determined.

Jay's Evidence

Some of these children adopted by extroverts remain introverted forever, even when they basically lived with the extroverts their whole childhood.

Evaluate

This is an unusual question stem, of which there might be 10 total ever. When they ask how the 2nd person "interpreted" the 1st person, they always are implying that the 2nd person mis-interpreted the 1st person.

So we want to identify a moment where the 2nd person seems to have not listened to something the 1st person said or seems to be distorting the meaning of something the 1st person said.

We can also just consider,

Helena would probably say,

Goal

In other words, Helena's wording left plenty of room for some exceptions. By saying that "extroversion is not biologically determined", she's saying

Jay seems to think Helena is arguing that "biology has no influence on extroversion" or that she's saying, .

25.

Jay's response suggests that he interpreted Helena's remarks to mean that

  1. biological factors play only a

    Opposite: play a role

    Jay seems to be thinking that Helena was arguing "biological factors don't play a role", because he's rebutting by saying, "Of course they do ... some kids adopted by extroverts remain introverted (because of biology) no matter how exposed they are to that extroverted environment." If Jay thought Helena believed this answer, then Jay's objection wouldn't be an objection.

    3% picked this

  2. most but not all children

    Opposite

    This is what Helena is saying. We're looking for Jay's misinterpretation of what she's saying. He is objecting that "not all children whose biological parents are introverted become extroverted when adopted by extroverts ... after all, some children adopted by extroverts remain introverted no matter how young they are when adopted". If he thought that Helena thinks "not all of them become extroverted when adopted" then he wouldn't have said what he said, because it would be agreeing with her, not objecting to her.

    18% picked this

  3. children whose biological parents are

    Opposite

    This is literally Helena's 2nd sentence. This is what she believes. The question is asking what Jay misinterpreted her to be saying.

    9% picked this

  4. Correct

    biological factors do not play

    Why this is right

    Jay's example undermines this claim. Biological factors play no role in a child being extroverted, Helena? Well then --- why to some children adopted by extroverts remain introverted no matter how young they're adopted? Clearly, their biology is keeping them introverted, given that their environmental surroundings are extroverted. Helena, of course, did not make this claim. She is saying that extroversion isn't determined by biology. She isn't saying it isn't affected by biology. We might say, "One's political affiliation is not determined by one's religion", thinking that a Christian isn't necessarily going to be a Republican. An atheist isn't necessarily going to be a Democrat. But that's not the same as saying, "One's political affiliation is not influenced by one's religion". We might still think that one's religion can have a big impact on one's likely political affiliation.

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

    61% picked this

  5. environmental factors can sometimes be

    Opposite

    This is Helena's point. We don't want an answer that sounds like what Helena actually said. We want an answer that sounds like what Jay misinterpreted her to be saying.

    10% picked this

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