7-42 Drill. Q 8. Identify the premises and conclusion

[lathlee]

Hi. Isn't Q.8 even though I agree with everything, this is one small objection I have

"It is probably within the reach of human technology to make the climate of Mars inhabitable, " Isn't this portion is more like intermediate conclusion which also plays the role of a premise that supports the final conclusion of "Research efforts now are justified if there is even a chance of making another planet inhabitable. "

[Claire Horan]

Hi lathlee,

Are you thinking that the first sentence is an intermediate conclusion because you think the second sentence is a premise that supports it? If that is your understanding, look a little closer at Sentence 2:

"It might be several centuries before people could live there, even with breathing apparatuses, but some of the world's great temples and cathedrals took centuries to build..."

This is a premise, but it supports the main conclusion, that research efforts are justified now. It argues against the potential counterargument that living on Mars is centuries away, by giving examples of temples that took centuries to build. The above sentence does not lend support or help prove that it is probably within the reach of human technology to make Mars habitable—a sentence that supported Sentence One might include information about current technology for making Mars habitable, for example.

Thanks for the good question!