Logic Breakdown

Passage Summary: We survived because our ancestors were willing to sacrifice for their families; since that sacrifice is a form of altruism, our ancestors must have been altruistic.

Conclusion: Human ancestors possessed at least some degree of altruistic motivation.

Reasoning: Human survival depended on ancestors sacrificing themselves for the sake of their relatives, and such sacrifice is defined as a type of altruism.

Analysis: This argument uses a valid deductive structure: it identifies a specific behavior (kin sacrifice) as a necessary condition for an outcome (survival), then notes that this behavior belongs to a broader category (altruism). To find a parallel, look for an argument that concludes a general trait must have existed because a specific sub-type of that trait was necessary for a known result.

Passage Stimulus

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17.

Which one of the following arguments is most similar in its reasoning to the argument above?

Correct Answer
A
Choice A matches the form: If not (increased study time), then not (raise grades). Some students did raise grades (Y), so they must have increased study time (X). Increased study time requires good time management (X -> Z). Therefore, some students manage time well (Z). That mirrors the contrapositive step plus a definitional link used in the stimulus.
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