WeakenDiff: Hard
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: Researchers think they've solved an ancient mystery: an epidemic in Athens was actually Ebola because historical records mention hiccups and other symptoms that match the virus.
Conclusion: The epidemic that hit Athens in 430 B.C. can be identified as the Ebola virus.
Reasoning: Historical accounts mention hiccups, which supposedly only occur with Ebola, and other symptoms in the accounts also match the virus.
Analysis: The argument rests on the idea that hiccups are a 'unique' identifier for Ebola and that the ancient accounts are accurate. To weaken this, an answer could show that other diseases cause hiccups, that the accounts are unreliable, or that Ebola couldn't have existed in that region. Since this is an 'EXCEPT' question, the correct answer will either support the conclusion, be irrelevant, or at the very least, fail to undermine the link between the symptoms and the virus identification.
Conclusion: The epidemic that hit Athens in 430 B.C. can be identified as the Ebola virus.
Reasoning: Historical accounts mention hiccups, which supposedly only occur with Ebola, and other symptoms in the accounts also match the virus.
Analysis: The argument rests on the idea that hiccups are a 'unique' identifier for Ebola and that the ancient accounts are accurate. To weaken this, an answer could show that other diseases cause hiccups, that the accounts are unreliable, or that Ebola couldn't have existed in that region. Since this is an 'EXCEPT' question, the correct answer will either support the conclusion, be irrelevant, or at the very least, fail to undermine the link between the symptoms and the virus identification.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage7.Each of the following, if true, weakens the argument EXCEPT:
Correct Answer
B
B does not weaken. The argument never claimed all Ebola victims have hiccups; it said many Athenian victims did and treated hiccups as uniquely indicative of Ebola. Saying not all Ebola victims get hiccups is consistent with the accounts and leaves the core inference intact.
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