Logical Reasoning

PT139 · S1 · Q11 Editor: When asked to name

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Editor: When asked to name a poet contemporaneous with Shakespeare, 60 percent of high school students picked a twentieth-century poet.

When asked to name a poet contemporaneous with Shakespeare, 60 percent of high school students picked a twentieth-century poet.

It might show that most high school students do not know any poets of Shakespeare’s era.

It might show that most high school students do not know what “contemporaneous” means.

However, either way, there is clearly something deeply wrong with the educational system.

The statement that the majority of students picked a twentieth-century poet is a premise in the argument.

11.

The statement that the majority of students picked a twentieth-century poet functions primarily in the argument

as evidence that the educational
Too Strong
The conclusion is not that the educational system is producing students who are ignorant of the history of poetry, but rather that something is deeply wrong with the educational system.
3% picked this
as evidence of the ambiguity
Contradiction
The argument does not assert that some questions are ambiguous. It concludes that something is deeply wrong with the educational system.
4% picked this
to illustrate that research results
Too Strong
The argument never asserts that research results are difficult to interpret. The author only suggests that this particular result is admittedly hard to interpret.
6% picked this
as evidence that the ambiguity
Contradiction
This correctly describes the role of the claim as evidence, but incorrectly describes the conclusion for which the claim is offered in support.
4% picked this
Correct
as evidence that something is
Why this is right
This correctly describes the role of the statement as evidence and also correctly describes the conclusion for which the statement is offered in support.
Skill tested: Role · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.
83% picked this

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