Logical Reasoning

PT139 · S4 · Q12 Historian: The early Egyptian pharaohs

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Historian: The early Egyptian pharaohs spent as much wealth on largely ceremonial and hugely impressive architecture as they did on roads and irrigation systems.

Conclusion

This was not mere frivolousness.

rephrase: It wasn't frivolous for early Egyptian pharaohs to spend as much on ceremonial/impressive architecture as they did on roads and irrigation.

Evidence (for)

If people could be made to realize the pharaoh's mastery of the physical world, their loyalty could be maintained without military coercion.

Evaluate

Whenever we do Role or Main Conclusion, we remind ourselves that 90% of the time the conclusion is the First Sentence or it's some Rebutal/Pivot claim.

This one is the latter, signified by however, and then confirmed by the fact that the following claim is prefaced by the Support Indicator ''for'. (F.A.B.S. = for, after all, because, since).

Goal

We're being asked about the role of the 2nd claim, which is our main conclusion. So let's go looking for Main Conclusion.

12.

The claim that early Egyptian expenditure on largely ceremonial architecture was not frivolous plays which one of the following roles in the historian's argument?

Correct
It is a conclusion purportedly
Why this is right
We're definitely on board with "It is a conclusion". Is it purportedly justified by an appeal to psychological effects? Well it's purportedly justified by the final claim. Is the final claim talking about the psychological effects of these impressive structures on the Egyptian population? Sure! It's suggesting that people would see these dope temples and pyramids and such and think, "Whoa -- my pharaoh has such mastery over the physical world, I must be lucky to be ruled by him. No need to force me to obey. I like having this masterful person in charge of us."
Skill tested: Role · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.
78% picked this
It is offered in support
Wrong Role: support
This identifies our claim as Supporting, but we know it's the Main Conclusion. It gets supported; it doesn't provide support.
4% picked this
It is a premise given
Wrong Role: premise
This identifies our claim as Supporting, but we know it's the Main Conclusion. It gets supported; it doesn't provide support.
14% picked this
It is offered as an
Wrong Role: illustration
This identifies our claim as an illustration. Illustrations perform a supporting or clarifying role. This answer is acting like the main conclusion was that "social and political stability do not depend ultimately on force", which is not our conclusion and more importantly is not even a claim that ever gets made.
3% picked this
It is a premise used
Wrong Role: premise
This identifies our claim as Supporting, but we know it's the Main Conclusion. It gets supported; it doesn't provide support.
1% picked this

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