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- Tue May 17, 2016 10:47 am
#24962
Complete Question Explanation
Weaken—CE. The correct answer choice is (A)
This stimulus about dog behavior presents a causal argument. The author tells us that since dog owners who frequently discipline their dogs report a higher rate of doggy misbehavior than those owners who rarely or never discipline their dogs, disciplining dogs causes the increased rate of poor behavior.
Before we move forward, we need to understand the question stem. On first glance, it appears like it might be a Flaw in the Reasoning question. However, it is actually a Weaken question. Flaw in the Reasoning questions ask you to describe the mistake in the reasoning, while weaken questions as you to point out a possible weakness in the argument. Weaken questions will have answer choices that are facts that, when added to those in the stimulus, will hurt the conclusion. It is very important that you are stopping to identify the question stem prior to looking at the answer choices.
Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice. One way to weaken a causal argument is to state that the cause and the effect are reversed. That is exactly what the author does here. By stating that it is the dog’s behavior that causes the frequent need for discipline, rather than vice versa, the author weakens the conclusion. Since casual reasoning implies a temporal relationship, the cause always must come before the effect. An answer choice that reverses the relationship will always weaken it.
Answer choice (B): This answer choice does not address the discrepancy in discipline rates between owners with good dogs, and owners with bad. Just because the dogs might expect the discipline, does not mean that the dogs are more or less likely to behave.
Answer choice (C): This answer choice does not address argument in the stimulus. Other animal’s reaction to discipline does not help us understand how dogs respond. It does not provide an alternate cause, show the cause without the effect, the effect without the cause, or show the relationship is reversed. This answer choice is not specific enough to impact the argument, and thus is wrong.
Answer choice (D): Since the only dogs in the stimulus are kennel club dogs, this answer choice does not impact the causal relationship. Some kennel club members discipline their dogs, and some do not. Their objective skill at raising dogs does not impact the relationship between discipline and behavior.
Answer choice (E): Just like in answer choice (D), this answer is incorrect as the entire argument is focused on dogs of kennel club members. It does not matter if they discipline more or less frequently than other dog owners. As long as the answer choice does not challenge the relationship between behavior and discipline in dogs, it cannot be correct.
Weaken—CE. The correct answer choice is (A)
This stimulus about dog behavior presents a causal argument. The author tells us that since dog owners who frequently discipline their dogs report a higher rate of doggy misbehavior than those owners who rarely or never discipline their dogs, disciplining dogs causes the increased rate of poor behavior.
Before we move forward, we need to understand the question stem. On first glance, it appears like it might be a Flaw in the Reasoning question. However, it is actually a Weaken question. Flaw in the Reasoning questions ask you to describe the mistake in the reasoning, while weaken questions as you to point out a possible weakness in the argument. Weaken questions will have answer choices that are facts that, when added to those in the stimulus, will hurt the conclusion. It is very important that you are stopping to identify the question stem prior to looking at the answer choices.
Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice. One way to weaken a causal argument is to state that the cause and the effect are reversed. That is exactly what the author does here. By stating that it is the dog’s behavior that causes the frequent need for discipline, rather than vice versa, the author weakens the conclusion. Since casual reasoning implies a temporal relationship, the cause always must come before the effect. An answer choice that reverses the relationship will always weaken it.
Answer choice (B): This answer choice does not address the discrepancy in discipline rates between owners with good dogs, and owners with bad. Just because the dogs might expect the discipline, does not mean that the dogs are more or less likely to behave.
Answer choice (C): This answer choice does not address argument in the stimulus. Other animal’s reaction to discipline does not help us understand how dogs respond. It does not provide an alternate cause, show the cause without the effect, the effect without the cause, or show the relationship is reversed. This answer choice is not specific enough to impact the argument, and thus is wrong.
Answer choice (D): Since the only dogs in the stimulus are kennel club dogs, this answer choice does not impact the causal relationship. Some kennel club members discipline their dogs, and some do not. Their objective skill at raising dogs does not impact the relationship between discipline and behavior.
Answer choice (E): Just like in answer choice (D), this answer is incorrect as the entire argument is focused on dogs of kennel club members. It does not matter if they discipline more or less frequently than other dog owners. As long as the answer choice does not challenge the relationship between behavior and discipline in dogs, it cannot be correct.