#18 - For several centuries there have been hairless dogs

[Relaxo]

Hi Adam,

here is my take:

extremely difficult is not equivalent to impossible, but if it's extremely difficult, it is likely that it is highly unlikely. Also, it is not necessary for the boat rides to be easy, they could be difficult too, but less difficult than overland.

Sorry, I still can't see that this makes it complete

[Relaxo]

Sorry, I can't edit my last reply, so here I go again:

Hi Adam,

here is how I argue to myself when thinking about this:

extremely difficult is not equivalent to impossible, but if it's extremely difficult, it is likely that it is highly unlikely. Also, it is not necessary for the boat rides to be easy, they could be difficult too, but less difficult than overland. But just because something is easier than something that is extremely difficult, it doesn't mean the the extremely difficult part is impossible, and thereby, it musn't be that it was through boat, but rather, it highly likely was.

For example, if the overland path was completely blocked, then yes, the dogs must have come through boat.

So given the above, I don't see how (E) is a perfect answer, but rather the best out of the choices.

Would appreciate if you could point out where I went astray

Thanks,
Relaxo

[Robert Carroll]

Relaxo,

You have to consider what the argument already did in order to see what the argument is relying on. The argument already tries to establish that the boat route must have been taken by pointing out that overland travel would be "extremely difficult". That's intended to set a baseline - anything "extremely difficult" wouldn't have been done, so the argument goes. So the argument is committed to the idea that things that are extremely difficult or worse wouldn't have been done. It then concludes, out of nowhere, that travel by boat was used. But the argument is already relying on the idea that "extremely difficult" methods of travel aren't used. How difficult was travel by boat? If it were at the level of "extremely difficult", then the argument's attempt to show that "extremely difficult" travel methods aren't used would completely fall apart.

The author was never trying to say that "extremely difficult" travel methods are impossible. The author was bringing that level of difficulty up to say "anything this difficult won't be used." If something that difficult could have been used, the author's argument is complete nonsense. So of course the author must assume that the conclusion's travel method was less difficult than that.

Robert Carroll

[Relaxo]

Hi,

thanks, it is more clear now to me, also, because I saw that taking the question stems argument and assuming not E makes it nearly impossible to conclude that it happened by boat -> (E) is the answer

[jdavidwik]

I just wanted to contribute something that almost made me not choose E after seeing it as the most likely correct answer choice. It seems like what is stated in E is already mentioned in the stimulus, but maybe that's because in reading it, one seems to naturally assume what E is stating. In referring back to the stimulus, one notes that this is not explicitly stated, and negating E destroys the argument. It looks like many test takers got this question wrong, and I'm thinking maybe it's because they had a similar experience of seeing E as already being stated in the stimulus. I've come across LR answer choices which restate a premise in a slightly different way, so are incorrect for Strengthen or NA questions, and I sometimes mistakenly choose those.

[Chandler H]

I just wanted to contribute something that almost made me not choose E after seeing it as the most likely correct answer choice. It seems like what is stated in E is already mentioned in the stimulus, but maybe that's because in reading it, one seems to naturally assume what E is stating. In referring back to the stimulus, one notes that this is not explicitly stated, and negating E destroys the argument. It looks like many test takers got this question wrong, and I'm thinking maybe it's because they had a similar experience of seeing E as already being stated in the stimulus. I've come across LR answer choices which restate a premise in a slightly different way, so are incorrect for Strengthen or NA questions, and I sometimes mistakenly choose those.

Hi jdavidwik,

That's an interesting thought. For one, we DO want to "naturally assume" what answer choice (E) says, since this is a required assumption question. So, if the passage does not literally, explicitly say what answer choice (E) says (that is, that it was easier to travel by boat) but it still seems very obvious, that is likely the right answer!

Strengthen questions, etc., are a different beast; the correct answers there want us to introduce new information that is NOT said in the stimulus, in order to strengthen what we already have.