WeakenDiff: Hard
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: When humans first moved to North America, a lot of animals died out shortly after. The author thinks it wasn't because the humans hunted them all—there weren't enough people for that—but because the humans brought new germs that killed the animals.
Conclusion: Foreign microorganisms brought by humans and their animals were the primary cause of prehistoric animal extinctions in North America.
Reasoning: The human groups were too small to hunt so many species to extinction, and the timing of the extinctions aligns with the arrival of humans and their non-native diseases.
Analysis: To weaken this, we need to find another explanation for the extinctions or show that the 'small bands' actually could have caused the extinctions. Alternatively, we could find evidence that the diseases weren't actually the culprit. Look for an answer that suggests a different cause, like a major climate shift, or provides evidence that hunting was more impactful than the author assumes. We are looking for anything that makes the 'microorganism' theory less likely.
Conclusion: Foreign microorganisms brought by humans and their animals were the primary cause of prehistoric animal extinctions in North America.
Reasoning: The human groups were too small to hunt so many species to extinction, and the timing of the extinctions aligns with the arrival of humans and their non-native diseases.
Analysis: To weaken this, we need to find another explanation for the extinctions or show that the 'small bands' actually could have caused the extinctions. Alternatively, we could find evidence that the diseases weren't actually the culprit. Look for an answer that suggests a different cause, like a major climate shift, or provides evidence that hunting was more impactful than the author assumes. We are looking for anything that makes the 'microorganism' theory less likely.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage21.Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the essayist's argument?
Correct Answer
C
If very few species not hunted by the new arrivals were extinct 2,000 years later, the extinctions were largely concentrated among hunted species. A broad disease introduction should impact hunted and non-hunted species; this selective pattern points away from disease and toward hunting or hunting-related pressures, undercutting the essayist’s conclusion.
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