Role in ArgumentDiff: Hardest

Logic Breakdown

Passage Summary: If the atmosphere gets hotter, we will likely see more heavy rain because heat creates more evaporation and bigger clouds, which are more likely to dump huge amounts of water.

Conclusion: Increased atmospheric temperatures are likely to lead to more frequent heavy rainstorms.

Reasoning: Warmer air causes faster ocean evaporation and holds more moisture, creating larger clouds that produce heavier downpours when they condense.

Analysis: The claim in question acts as a premise that bridges the gap between the size of clouds and the intensity of rain. It provides the final link in a causal chain starting with atmospheric warming and ending with the frequency of heavy downpours. Notice how the argument builds step-by-step: heat creates moisture, moisture creates big clouds, and this specific claim explains why those big clouds lead to the predicted outcome.

Passage Stimulus

Passage Redacted

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17.

Which one of the following most accurately describes the role played in the meteorologist's argument by the claim that, in general, as water vapor in larger clouds condenses, heavier downpours are more likely to result?

Correct Answer
D
It is a premise that supports the argument’s only conclusion (that warming will make heavy downpours more frequent) by connecting larger, moisture-laden clouds to heavier downpours.
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