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06 May 2022, 13:07
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VishakhaBharti
The word "but" here might be causing the confusion.
(C) rules out the existence of a set of birdlike dinosaur fossils. These particular fossils fit both of the following criteria:
- 1) They are older than bird fossils.
2) They have not yet been unearthed.
If these fossils DO exist, the author's argument is in big trouble. So, we need to assume that they DON'T exist.
That's why (C) is the assumption on which the argument relies.
I hope that helps!
13 Jun 2024, 05:41
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Birds have been said to be descended from certain birdlike dinosaur species with which they share distinctive structural features. The fossil record, however, shows that this cannot be so, since there are bird fossils much older than the earliest birdlike dinosaur fossils that have been found.
Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument relies?
You must first understand what the examiner wants out of you. The examiner wants you to choose an answer option that happens to be an assumption of the author who has made the argument. Assumptions are thoughts that are unstated. You can call them unstated pieces of evidence or unstated premises. Now that you have figured out the question type, you need to deconstruct the argument. In other words, find out the claim/conclusion of the author along with the evidence(s)/premise(s) that substantiate the argument. The conclusion is this: Birds cannot have descended from certain birdlike dinosaur species (with which they share distinctive structural features). And why so? The answer to this why becomes the premise: Because bird fossils are much older than the earliest birdlike dinosaur fossils that have been found. Now that the argument deconstruction is done, what should your right answer be doing? Clearly, it should be bridging the gap between the claim and the evidence. When you look at the evidence, you understand that it is dealing only with birdlike dinosaur fossils that have been found. What about those fossils that could potentially be there without being found? For the author to say that 'this cannot be so', he must be assuming that the each existing bird fossil is older than the birdlike dinosaur fossils (including the ones that are not found). Otherwise, his argument will fall flat, right? Now, let us eliminate the incorrect answer options.
A) The birdlike dinosaurs have no descendants. - OUT OF SCOPE - Not worried about whether they have descendants or not - ELIMINATE
B) There are no flightless dinosaur species that have the distinctive structural features shared by birds and birdlike dinosaurs. - OUT OF SCOPE - Not worried about flightless dinosaur species since the argument does not deal with them - ELIMINATE
C) There are no birdlike dinosaur fossils that are older than the bird fossils but have not yet been unearthed. - IF THIS WAS NOT AN ASSUMPTION, THE AUTHOR WOULD NOT HAVE MADE THE CLAIM HE MADE - KEEP (If there were unearthed birdlike dinosaur fossils older than the bird fossils, birds could have descended from birdlike dinosaur species, and this would go against the claim of the author.)
D) It could not have been the case that some birds were descendant from one of the bird like dinosaur species and other birds from another. - OUT OF SCOPE - Not worried about SOME birds - ELIMINATE
E) Birds cannot have been descended from dinosaur species with which the birds do not share the distinctive structural features. - OUT OF SCOPE - Not worried about birds that do not share distinctive structural features - ELIMINATE
Hence, C is the right answer.
Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument relies?
You must first understand what the examiner wants out of you. The examiner wants you to choose an answer option that happens to be an assumption of the author who has made the argument. Assumptions are thoughts that are unstated. You can call them unstated pieces of evidence or unstated premises. Now that you have figured out the question type, you need to deconstruct the argument. In other words, find out the claim/conclusion of the author along with the evidence(s)/premise(s) that substantiate the argument. The conclusion is this: Birds cannot have descended from certain birdlike dinosaur species (with which they share distinctive structural features). And why so? The answer to this why becomes the premise: Because bird fossils are much older than the earliest birdlike dinosaur fossils that have been found. Now that the argument deconstruction is done, what should your right answer be doing? Clearly, it should be bridging the gap between the claim and the evidence. When you look at the evidence, you understand that it is dealing only with birdlike dinosaur fossils that have been found. What about those fossils that could potentially be there without being found? For the author to say that 'this cannot be so', he must be assuming that the each existing bird fossil is older than the birdlike dinosaur fossils (including the ones that are not found). Otherwise, his argument will fall flat, right? Now, let us eliminate the incorrect answer options.
A) The birdlike dinosaurs have no descendants. - OUT OF SCOPE - Not worried about whether they have descendants or not - ELIMINATE
B) There are no flightless dinosaur species that have the distinctive structural features shared by birds and birdlike dinosaurs. - OUT OF SCOPE - Not worried about flightless dinosaur species since the argument does not deal with them - ELIMINATE
C) There are no birdlike dinosaur fossils that are older than the bird fossils but have not yet been unearthed. - IF THIS WAS NOT AN ASSUMPTION, THE AUTHOR WOULD NOT HAVE MADE THE CLAIM HE MADE - KEEP (If there were unearthed birdlike dinosaur fossils older than the bird fossils, birds could have descended from birdlike dinosaur species, and this would go against the claim of the author.)
D) It could not have been the case that some birds were descendant from one of the bird like dinosaur species and other birds from another. - OUT OF SCOPE - Not worried about SOME birds - ELIMINATE
E) Birds cannot have been descended from dinosaur species with which the birds do not share the distinctive structural features. - OUT OF SCOPE - Not worried about birds that do not share distinctive structural features - ELIMINATE
Hence, C is the right answer.
14 Nov 2024, 22:35
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AbdurRakib
Premises:
It is said that birds descended from certain birdlike Dinos with similar structural features
Bird fossils are much older than birdlike Dino fossils found.
Conclusion: Birds did not descend from certain birdlike Dinos with similar structural features
What is the gap between the premises and conclusion? We are assuming that there are no birdlike Dino fossils that have not yet been found. The premises talks about "Dino fossils found" and the conclusion concludes about that birds did not descend from Dinos. We know this is a gap. 'Not found' does not mean 'did not exist'.
(C) There are no birdlike dinosaur fossils that are older than the bird fossils but have not yet been unearthed.
(C) is correct.
(A) The birdlike dinosaurs have no living descendants.
Descendants of birdlike Dinos are irrelevant. We are discussing the descendants of birds.
(B) There are no flightless dinosaur species that have the distinctive structural features shared by birds and birdlike dinosaurs.
Again, out of scope. The author is not assuming anything about flightless dinosaurs. He is only discussing birdlike Dinos that share structural features with birds and whether birds descended from them.
Take a simpler parallel example : The author is discussing whether the red letter came from the red envelope. This option says that the author is assuming that there is no red box. Is it relevant? No.
(D) It could not have been the case that some birds were descended from one of the birdlike dinosaur species and other birds from another.
Given for the purpose of confusing you. The argument does not discuss whether all birds descended from the same birdlike Dino or from different birdlike Dino species. It treats both, birds and birdlike Dinos, as single groups. It is certainly possible that different birds descended from diff species of birdlike Dinos. The argument does not question or assume that this is not possible. The question is whether birds descended from birdlike Dinos at all. Focus is on the whole group, not species within the group. Irrelevant.
(E) Birds cannot have been descended from dinosaur species with which the birds do not share the distinctive structural features.
The question is whether birds descended from birdlike Dinos or not. The author is not assuming that birds did not descend from Non-birdlike Dinos or from reptiles or something else. In fact, by saying that they did not descend from birdlike Dinos, he is pretty much implying that they descended from someone else. Hence (E) is not author's assumption.
Answer (C)
