Logical Reasoning

PT153 · S2 · Q11 Unlike other mechanical devices

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Unlike other mechanical devices, the clock did not evolve from the simple to the complex.

Statements

Clocks are sort of unique, in that they started out more complex and got simple over time.

This is because (causal difference-maker language), clocks were originally made to predict astronomical stuff, and time-keeping was just an afterthought.

Over time, clocks were mainly about time-keeping and less about astronomical stuff.

Evaluate

When we see Contrasts and Causal Difference-Maker language, we're usually trying to spell out some sense of, "This difference causes that difference".

We have two parallel timelines here:

Earlier Later

clocks primarily clocks primarily for astronomy for time-keeping

clocks more clocks simpler complex

Goal

We'll probably see an an answer that connects or "Keeping time is simpler than predicting astronomical phenomena"

11.

Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the information above?

  1. Present-day clocks are of no

    Too Strong: no use

    The last sentence only says that "astronomical functions have diminished in importance", not totally disappeared.

    4% picked this

  2. The mechanisms used to predict

    Unknown Comparison

    We can't compare "astronomical mechanisms" before to astronomical mechanisms now. We can compare clocks then to clocks now, but to the extent that clocks have preserved any of the astronomical mechanisms, those individual mechanisms might be the same. The clocks today might be simpler by just containing fewer mechanisms used to predict astronomical phenomena.

    5% picked this

  3. Clocks used only for keeping

    Unknown Comparison

    We can compare clocks from before to clocks now, but we can't say something as strong as "clocks used only to keep time are pretty much all equally complex".

    4% picked this

  4. Correct

    The mechanisms that the earliest

    Why this is right

    This seems to reinforce the story we told, that as clocks went from primarily predicting astronomical phenomena to primarily keeping time, they went from more complex to more simple. The internal logic of that progression is that it's simpler to keep time than to predict astronomical functions.

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

    83% picked this

  5. Interest in predicting astronomical phenomena

    Out of Scope: interest in predicting

    We're only learning about the evolving functions of clocks. We might be able to say that interest in having a clock predict astronomical phenomena has declined, but we can't say that overall societal/scientific interest in predicting astronomical phenomena has steadily declined.

    5% picked this

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