WeakenDiff: Medium
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: Since college students today can learn to make 'caveman tools' just by watching, the anthropologist thinks Neanderthals didn't need to talk to pass on those skills.
Conclusion: Neanderthals did not necessarily need language to create their sophisticated stone tools.
Reasoning: In an experiment, modern undergraduates learned to make similar tools just as effectively through silent observation as they did with verbal instruction.
Analysis: To weaken this argument, we need to undermine the comparison between modern undergraduates and Neanderthals. Perhaps the undergraduates have 'pre-loaded' cognitive abilities or a general understanding of tools that Neanderthals lacked, making silent learning easier for them. Alternatively, maybe the specific tools used in the experiment don't fully capture the complexity of the most advanced Neanderthal tools. Look for an answer that suggests the experiment's results don't accurately reflect the learning requirements of prehistoric Neanderthals.
Conclusion: Neanderthals did not necessarily need language to create their sophisticated stone tools.
Reasoning: In an experiment, modern undergraduates learned to make similar tools just as effectively through silent observation as they did with verbal instruction.
Analysis: To weaken this argument, we need to undermine the comparison between modern undergraduates and Neanderthals. Perhaps the undergraduates have 'pre-loaded' cognitive abilities or a general understanding of tools that Neanderthals lacked, making silent learning easier for them. Alternatively, maybe the specific tools used in the experiment don't fully capture the complexity of the most advanced Neanderthal tools. Look for an answer that suggests the experiment's results don't accurately reflect the learning requirements of prehistoric Neanderthals.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage10.Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the anthropologist's argument?
Correct Answer
C
C undercuts the comparison: if the students learned a tool that was much simpler than most Neanderthal tools, equal performance without verbal instruction doesn’t tell us whether language would have been necessary for Neanderthals’ more sophisticated techniques. This directly weakens the argument’s causal interpretation.
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