Logical Reasoning

PT157 · S3 · Q8 Anthropologist: For early humans who

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Anthropologist: For early humans who moved from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to agriculture, the transition must have been traumatic.

Main Conclusion (Thus)

Groups that made the transition from hunter-gatherer to agricultural were likely motivated by certain benefits that accompany the settled life of the agriculturist, such as opportunities for the accumulation of wealth by those with specialized social roles.

Intermediate Conclusion

For early humans who moved from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to agriculture, the transition must have been traumatic.

Evidence

There would have been increased incidence of disease and injury and a more homogeneous diet lacking vital nutrients more easily obtainable from the richly varied diet of hunter-gatherers.

Evaluate

We know that Role + Main Conclusion questions usually offer us upside-down arguments, but here it looks like the Main Conclusion actually is the final idea.

The other two ideas help support why a group deciding to become agricultural must have been pretty motivated by the agricultural lifestyle.

why should we believe that? Because it's a pretty big / traumatic shift to go from hunter-gatherer to agricultural; you'll have more disease / a worse diet. There must have been something positive about agriculture that they felt outweighed these negatives or made them worth enduring.

Goal

They're asking us about the opening claim, so we know we want to hear that it was SUPPORT for the Main Conclusion.

8.

Which one of the following most accurately describes the role played in the anthropologist's overall argument by the statement that for early humans who moved from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to agriculture, the transition must have been traumatic?

  1. Correct

    It is a premise for

    Why this is right

    This describes an Intermediate Conclusion, a Subsidiary Conclusion, a Supported Premise (all the same thing). They're correctly calling this a premise (we knew it was SUPPORTING the main conclusion in the final sentence). Was there some premise offered as support for this opening claim? Let's ask ourselves, "Why should we believe that transitioning from HG to Agric must have been traumatic?" Is there any claim that helps to support/defend/explain that claim? Sure the 2nd sentence is saying, "It would be traumatic because you'd have more disease and a crappier diet".

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

    80% picked this

  2. It is background information that

    Background

    We wanted an answer describing SUPPORT, not NEUTRAL. Background information would be a neutral fact that sets the scene without participating in the argument's logic.

    3% picked this

  3. It is a premise for

    Premise

    We'll ultimately end up in a cage match between (A) and this answer, and the operative question is simply, "Is there any support provided for the first sentence? Any reason why we should believe it?" And yes, the second sentence is a reason to believe the first sentence, so support is offered.

    2% picked this

  4. It is the conclusion of

    Conclusion

    We were looking for SUPPORT for the Main Conclusion, not the main conclusion itself, which is the final sentence.

    14% picked this

  5. It is a claim that

    Opposing Idea

    We were looking for an answer saying that this claim SUPPORTS the main conclusion, not OPPOSES it. This argument was not a rebuttal. There isn't any attributed claim that the author is trying to reject.

    2% picked this

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