English and the Austronesian language

Answer choices

1. A

   Too Strong: no other words5% picked this

   English and Mbarbaram share no words other

   The argument never worries about whether they share other words, so this is unnecessary. If they did share other words, it wouldn’t weaken the conclusion. Just because "dog" is the only shared word mentioned, doesn't mean the author is saying that "dog" is the only shared word.

   5%
2. B

   Opposite (if anything)2% picked this

   Several languages besides English and Mbarbaram use “dog” as the word

   If anything, this answer would weaken the argument, because the more languages that use "dog", the more likely we could explain the English / Mbarbaram similarity by saying they're both borrowing from one of these other languages.

   2%
3. C

   Too Strong: usually9% picked this

   Usually when two languages share a word, those languages are related

   The concept of "most / usually / typically / generally" is famously wrong on Necessary Assumption 98% of the time. Who cares whether shared words are due to related languages 49% of the time vs. 51% of the time? That higher number isn't necessary to this argument.

   9%
4. D

   Correct78% picked this

   There is no third language from which both English and Mbarbaram borrowed

   Why this is right

   This has a lovable Defender ruling-out "no". If we negate this answer, does it weaken the argument? Yes, if there IS a third language from which English and Mbarbaram borrowed "dog", then dog is a case where languages share a word due to borrowing. But the argument hinged on "dog" being an example of a similar word that had nothing to do with language relatedness and nothing to do with borrowing.

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

   78%
5. E

   Too Strong: must6% picked this

   If two unrelated languages share a word, speakers of those two languages must have come in contact with

   We separately know that English and Mbarbaram are unrelated languages, share a word, and have come into contact with each other. But the argument never assigned any permanent connections between these concepts. If we hear, "Lisa is a poet and grew up in Kansas", that doesn't allow us to say "If someone grew up in Kansas, they must be a poet".

   6%