Logical Reasoning

PT145 · S2 · Q7 Amber—fossilized tree resin

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Amber—fossilized tree resin sold as a gemstone—is particularly valuable when it contains fossilized life forms.

Conclusion (Therefore)

If a piece of so-called amber contains a normal-appearing insect, it's more likely to be fake (than would be a piece of so-called amber containing no insect or a not-normal appearing insect).

Evidence

Forgers create fake amber and often embed small, normal-appearing insects in it.

Evaluate

The conclusion is saying that a normal-appearing insect inside a supposed piece of amber is a sign that it's probably fake amber.

After all, forgers often put normal-appearing insects in their fake amber.

If we were trying to object to this argument, we would have to argue that there are way more legitimate pieces of amber with normal-appearing insects in them out there on the market than there are fake pieces with normal-appearing insects in them.

Say that in any given year, forgers produce about 1,000 pieces of fake amber with a normal-appearing insect in them. Meanwhile, in any given year, 10,000 pieces of real amber with a normal-appearing insect in them are found.

In that marketplace, finding a piece of supposed amber that has a normal-appearing insect in it would not be a sign that it's likely a fake. It could be a fake, but it's 10 times more likely that it's real.

Goal

We need to rule out this objection. We need the marketplace to contain more examples of fake amber with normal-appearing insects than real amber with normal-appearing insects in it.

Or we just need to be more convinced that seeing a normal-appearing insect is a sign that the amber is probably fake.

Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?

Amber is often sold by
Weak Impact
The fact that shops that sell amber aren't good at ensuring authenticity definitely increases the plausibility that we might buy fake amber. But this answer has nothing to do with convincing us that seeing a "normal-appearing insect" is a sign that the amber is probably fake. This answer applies to any type of supposed-amber. So while it has some strengthening effect, it's mild.
9% picked this
Pieces of amber that contain
No Impact
The size of the pieces of supposed-amber is not useful or relevant to us. This is just saying that if there's an insect in the amber (whether normal-appearing or abnormal-appearing), the piece will be bigger than if there isn't an insect. But it doesn't help us argue that seeing a "normal-appearing insect" makes it more likely that it's fake.
2% picked this
Amber that contains insects usually
No Impact
This reinforces something that was already implied. We know that forgers often add an insect to improve the value of their piece of fake amber, so the fact that amber w/ insects sells better than amber w/ plants matches that same gist. But we didn't need to be convinced that adding an insect improves the value. We need to be convinced that seeing a piece of supposed-amber with a normal-appearing insect in it is a sign that the amber is fake.
5% picked this
It is very difficult to
No Impact
We're not concerned with what it takes to figure out whether the amber is real or fake, whether that process is destructive or not. We're only concerned with why seeing a normal-appearing insect suggests that the amber is fake.
2% picked this
Correct
Insects struggling to free themselves
Why this is right
This helps us argue that seeing a normal-appearing insect means that the amber is probably fake. After all, when insects get trapped in amber in nature, they aren't normal-appearing. They appear in awkward and grotesque positions. Most of the real amber that contains insects has awkward-appearing insects. Thus, seeing a normal-appearing insect suggests that the amber isn't real.
Skill tested: Strengthen · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.
81% picked this

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