Unquestionably, inventors of useful devices

Answer choices

1. A

   Wrong Role: practical vs. theoretical3% picked this

   It separates the practical and theoretical aspects of

   All this claim does it separate inventions into two categories: "the same person both invented it and did the engineering" vs. "one person invented it and another person did the engineering".

   3%
2. B

   Correct74% picked this

   It indicates that the problem identified in the argument does not arise

   Why this is right

   The Although claim was "qualifying the author's conclusion" (i.e. narrowing the scope of the author's conclusion). The author is saying that engineers who help develop an invention don't get enough recognition, because it's the inventor who gets all the glory. But then the author realizes, "Wait a sec -- sometimes the inventor and the engineer are the same person, so in those instances, the engineer gets enough credit (because people give them credit as the inventor)." Thus, she qualifies her argument by saying "Although in some instances this criticism is irrelevant, most of the time there is a separate person doing the important engineering work and they also deserve credit."

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

   74%
3. C

   Opposite10% picked this

   It supports an earlier statement regarding what is at issue in

   We were looking for Opposing, not Supporting. We know the claim we're being asked about isn't a conclusion or a supporting premise. It's a concession / caveat / qualification that carves out an exception to what is at issue in the argument.

   10%
4. D

   Out of Scope: unclear distinction11% picked this

   It concedes that a distinction on which the argument relies

   This is meant to be attractive because this claim we're asked about is a concession. But the author is conceding that her claim that "engineers get too little recognition" isn't always the case (if the inventor and the engineer are one and the same person). The argument is making a distinction between the inventor and engineer, but the author is never saying that the distinction between those two roles is unclear. The inventor has an ingenious idea, and the engineer translate's the inventor's insight into something workable and useful. The author is just showing she is aware that sometimes these two distinct roles are performed by the same person.

   11%
5. E

   Out of Scope: alternative solution2% picked this

   It introduces an alternative solution to the problem the argument

   The problem is that engineers get too little recognition, and the solution is that engineers should also get credit for their contribution to an invention. There isn't any alternative solution in the paragraph.

   2%