Logic Breakdown

Passage Summary: Back in the day, when crops were good, babies were heavier, which suggests that how much a mother eats affects her baby's health.

Conclusion: A newborn's health is significantly influenced by the mother's food intake during pregnancy.

Reasoning: Historical data shows a correlation between the success of crops (food supply) and the birth weights of babies.

Analysis: This argument uses a correlation to establish a causal relationship. The author observes that two things happened together—better crops and heavier babies—and concludes that the first thing (food availability) caused the second (healthier babies). When identifying the method, focus on how the author moves from a specific historical observation to a general causal principle. The structure is essentially: 'A and B happened together, therefore A caused B.'

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9.

The argument proceeds by

Correct Answer
A
The argument uses a correlation (crop success and birth weight) to infer a causal connection between two other phenomena (maternal food availability during pregnancy and newborn health).
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