Necessary AssumptionDiff: Hardest
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: We found old tools in a place with lots of canoe trees, and since those tools look like modern canoe-making tools, people must have been building canoes back then.
Conclusion: It is probable that Aboriginal people in Canada were constructing birchbark canoes as far back as 5,000 years ago.
Reasoning: Copper tools from that era were found near canoe-making trees, and these tools resemble modern tools used specifically for canoe construction.
Analysis: The argument assumes that the tools were actually used for the purpose they resemble. Just because a tool could be used for canoes doesn't mean it was used for them 5,000 years ago; they might have been used for something else entirely, like building shelters or processing food. The necessary assumption must confirm that these specific tools were indeed utilized for canoe construction.
Conclusion: It is probable that Aboriginal people in Canada were constructing birchbark canoes as far back as 5,000 years ago.
Reasoning: Copper tools from that era were found near canoe-making trees, and these tools resemble modern tools used specifically for canoe construction.
Analysis: The argument assumes that the tools were actually used for the purpose they resemble. Just because a tool could be used for canoes doesn't mean it was used for them 5,000 years ago; they might have been used for something else entirely, like building shelters or processing food. The necessary assumption must confirm that these specific tools were indeed utilized for canoe construction.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage21.The archaeologist's argument depends on the assumption that the copper tools that were found
Correct Answer
B
B is necessary because if the tools were not present in the region 5,000 years ago (e.g., they were transported there much later), then their discovery there would not support the claim that Aboriginal people in Canada built birchbark canoes 5,000 years ago. Negation test: If the tools were not present in the region 5,000 years ago, the argument collapses.
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