Logical Reasoning

PT121 · S1 · Q26 Reza: Language requires the use

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Reza: Language requires the use of verbal signs for objects as well as for feelings.

Statements

conditionals (requires / only = right side)

Language → Use verbal signs for object/feelings

Ask for object by name → humans

Use verbal signs → ability to distinguish one for objects object from another

Ability to distinguish → Conceptual thought one object from others

Evaluate

Whenever we come across a conditional statement in an Inference question, we ask ourselves: 1. are there any other conditionals I could chain this up with? 2. are there any specific facts I could apply this conditional to (esp. in contrapositive form)

In this paragraph, there were four conditionals, signified by requires / only / requires / requires.

The "only" in the 2nd sentence seems designed as a distraction, because it's a very limited thought about asking for an egg or an apple by its name.

If we removed the 2nd sentence, we would see a pretty clear chain:

use of able to concept. Language → verb signs → disting. → thought for objects from others

The contrapositive of that chain (which they love to test), would say, 1. if you don't have conceptual thought 2. you aren't able to distinguish one object from another 3. so you can't use verbal signs for objects 4. so you can't have language

Goal

Look for something probably being derived from that rad conditional chain. In particular, we'd guess they want to reward us for seeing the contrapositive of the chain, so something like, .

26.

If all of Reza's statements are true, then which one of the following must also be true?

  1. Correct

    Conceptual thought is required for

    Why this is right

    This reflects the 1st --> 4th move from our chain: use of able to concept. Language ? verb signs ? disting. ? thought for objects from others When we write A ? B ? C, we can say that A requires B and C. Here we see that language requires the use of verbal signs for objects; it requires the ability to distinguish some objects from other objects; and it requires conceptual thought.

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

    71% picked this

  2. Conceptual thought requires the use

    Illegal Reversal

    This answer choice is saying conceptual ? use of verbal thought signs for objects The paragraph gave us these relationships. use of able to concept. Language ? verb signs ? disting. ? thought for objects from others So we can see that this answer is making an illegal backwards move from the 4th thing to the 2nd thing.

    8% picked this

  3. It is not possible to

    Too Strong: impossible

    This is a strongly worded idea that we have no support for. They never issued any statements about what's required for conceptual thinking. So we have no means of proving that there's a situation where you can't conceptually think about something.

    1% picked this

  4. All humans are capable of

    Too Strong: all

    Are newborn babies capable of conceptual thought? Of course not. Are humans in a coma capable of conceptual thought? Not so long as they're in a coma. These examples demonstrate how this answer is too strong. If we knew that all humans are capable of language, then we would know that all humans are capable of conceptual thought (because our conditional chain shows that language implies conceptual thought). But we don't know that all humans are capable of language, so we have no way to prove anything about "all humans".

    8% picked this

  5. The vocal expressions of animals

    Illegal Negation

    We know that if language, then conceptual thought This answer seems to be trying to bait us into an illegal negation. It wants us to think "animals don't have language", and then to think if not language, then not conceptual thought

    13% picked this

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