PT152 S4 Q11 ExplanationTo be considered for this year’s Gillespie Grant

Answer choices, explained

1. A

   Not Needed2% picked this

   does not establish that Mary is applying for the Gillespie Grant or mailing

   The author doesn't need to establish that Mary is doing anything for his hypothetical conclusion to still be true. When I say, "If we build a colony on Mars, it will have a sports bar", I'm not assuming we are going to build a colony on Mars. I'm making a hypothetical argument, that in a world in which we did build a colony on Mars, there would be a sports bar. You can never hurt a hypothetical conclusion by saying that the IF part of it is unlikely to happen. You can only hurt a hypothetical conclusion by playing along with the IF part and then disagreeing with the THEN part.

   2%
2. B

   Irrelevant4% picked this

   does not determine how long it takes express mail to reach Gillespie

   Since the conclusion is only evaluating a hypothetical about a piece of regular mail going from Greendale to Gillespie City, it's irrelevant how long it takes express mail to make that trip.

   4%
3. C

   Correct62% picked this

   does not consider the minimum amount of time it takes regular mail from Greendale to

   Why this is right

   The evidence says the maximum time it will take is 10 days (up to ten days). But given that the minimum time might be 2 or 3 days, the author's conclusion could easily be wrong. We could object to this argument by saying, "Yo, author, regular mail can get from G to GC in as little as 2 days". This blows up her conclusion, since she is arguing, "If it's sent 9 or fewer days before the due date, (it won't arrive by due date, so) the app will not be considered for the grant". If the minimum delivery time is 2 days, then there's no reason to accept the certain pessimism of her conclusion. There's plenty of room for hope that an application sent by regular mail, even 5 days before the due date, might still get there in time to be considered.

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

   62%
4. D

   Too Strong30% picked this

   presumes, without providing justification, that if Mary’s application is received in Gillespie City by October 1, she will satisfy all of the other

   Too Strong: satisfy all Out of Scope: other requirements The author never brings up other requirements, and the author never promises us that "if she mails it ten or more days out from the due date, she'll definitely be considered".

   30%
5. E

   Out of Scope: express mail2% picked this

   overlooks the possibility that Mary cannot be certain that her application will arrive in Gillespie City unless she

   The argument never brings up express mail, and we don't need to bring up express mail to tell this author what's wrong with her logic: she treats up to 10 days like it means definitely 10 days.

   2%