PT152 S1 Q14 ExplanationPratt: Almost all cases of rabies in humans

Answer choices, explained

1. A

   Strengthens6% picked this

   A rabid bat is much more likely to infect another bat than to infect any

   This continues to downplay the threat of the bats ... Relax, they're more likely to give another bat rabies than to give a human rabies.

   6%
2. B

   Correct63% picked this

   Rabid bats are less mobile than other bats but are much

   Why this is right

   This is an annoyingly mixed message correct answer, but it gives us a way to make the bat situation sound worse than the author was presenting. She was saying, "relax, they rarely bite, they're mostly shy", but this is saying, yes but when they have rabies, precisely when we'd need them to be shy, they are much more aggressive. It also waters down the threat a bit by saying they're less mobile than other bats, but this is still the best available answer because it makes the bats seem somewhat riskier to have around.

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

   63%
3. C

   Strengthens, if Anything24% picked this

   Most animals that carry rabies are animals of species that, under normal conditions, very

   A generalization about most animals that carry rabies isn't going to be specific enough to give us a compelling objection about why we should get rid of bats. Plus, this says that this class of animals very rarely bites people, so it strengthens the author's case, if anything.

   24%
4. D

   Out of Scope3% picked this

   The bat species with the highest incidence of rabies do not

   Out of Scope: bats not in buildings We're only here to assess whether we should get rid of the bats that are in the buildings, so we're only interested in learning more about them. Also, this makes bats that do live in buildings seem like less of a rabies risk, so it helps the author.

   3%
5. E

   Out of Scope: aware of bite4% picked this

   People are more likely to be aware of having been bitten by a bat if they were bitten by

   Bizarrely, this would also strengthen the argument, if anything. We certainly aren't focused on awareness of whether you've been bit, but common sense would tell us it's better if you're aware (so that you can get your rabies shots before the rabies sets in). So all other things being equal, you'd rather keep the bats in the building and get an inside-bite them kick them out of the building and get an outside-bite. But this conversation is insane. Awareness of whether you were bit is super far removed from whether or not bats should be removed from buildings where humans live/work.

   4%