Science teacher: An abstract knowledge

Answer choices

1. A

   Too Strong: only / most useful Contradicted5% picked this

   Secondary schools should teach only those skills that are the most useful for the decisions that adults typically

   Not only does extreme language like "only those skills / most useful" scare us on Necessary Assumption, but this is even contradicted in the conclusion. The conclusion is saying that schools can still teach abstract science, even though the argument established that abstract science is not most useful.

   5%
2. B

   Trap3% picked this

   Teaching secondary school students the more abstract aspects of science is at least as important as teaching them to evaluate

   Opposite, if anything Too Strong: at least as important The author's conclusion is allowing for the possibility of still teaching some abstract science, but it also suggests the possibility that secondary schools teach no abstract science. So there's no reason we would say the author thinks that teaching abstract science is at least as important as teaching them to evaluate science-based arguments. If I say, "We should do X instead of Y, or in addition to Y", then we're doing X either way. Y, on the other hand, is optional. So it seems like X is more important than Y.

   3%
3. C

   Too Strong: no better7% picked this

   Adults who have an abstract knowledge of science are no better at evaluating science-based arguments regarding practical issues than are adults who have

   The author says that abstract science knowledge is very seldom useful for adults, but she doesn't say that it's never useful. So she might think that adults with an abstract knowledge of science could be somewhat better at evaluating science-based arguments than are people with no knowledge of science at all. Negating this answer and saying that, "adults with an abstract knowledge of science are better at evaluating science-based arguments than are adults with no knowledge of science at all" isn't really damaging to the argument.

   7%
4. D

   Too Strong: no courses7% picked this

   No secondary school science courses currently teach students how to evaluate science-based arguments

   The author is recommending that secondary schools do X. That doesn't mean she's assuming that no secondary schools currently do X.

   7%
5. E

   Correct79% picked this

   The ability to evaluate science-based arguments regarding practical issues is sometimes useful in making the decisions that adults typically

   Why this is right

   This supplies the Missing Link we anticipated. It connects the New Concept in the Conclusion to the Evidence. The author is saying that "We should teach something useful. Abstract knowledge isn't useful, so instead we should do X". That is Assuming a Difference. That's assuming that X is useful. In this case, X is "evaluating science-based arguments regarding practical issues". If we negated this answer and said that the ability to evaluate science-based arguments is never useful in making typical adult decisions, then we would make the author's recommendation sound totally stupid.

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

   79%