Bunuel wrote:
Our architecture schools must be doing something wrong. Almost monthly we hear of domes and walkways collapsing in public places, causing serious injuries. In their pursuit of some dubious aesthetic, architects design buildings that sway, crumble, and even shed windows into our cities’ streets. This kind of incompetence will disappear only when the curricula of our architecture schools devote less time to so-called artistic considerations and more time to the basics of good design.
Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the argument above?
A. All architecture students are given training in basic physics and mechanics.
B. Most of the problems with modern buildings stem from poor construction rather than poor design.
C. Less than 50 percent of the curriculum at most architecture schools is devoted to aesthetics.
D. Most buildings manage to stay in place well past their projected life expectancies.
E. Architects study as long and as intensively as most other professionals.
KAPLAN OFFICIAL EXPLANATION
STEP 1: IDENTIFY THE QUESTION TYPEThe phrase “most seriously weaken” in the question stem tells you that you have a Weaken question.
STEP 2: UNTANGLE THE STIMULUSThe stimulus will contain an argument; you need to pick out the conclusion, evidence, and assumption. The conclusion is the last sentence, which states that a shift away from aesthetics in architecture schools’ curricula is necessary for buildings to be more soundly constructed. The evidence is the frequency with which parts of buildings collapse. Note that this is a causal argument: the author assumes that architecture schools’ artistic considerations, rather than something else,
are directly responsible for the crumbling buildings because the time devoted to them prevents architects from learning good design principles.
STEP 3: PREDICT THE ANSWERThe correct answer for this Weaken question will contradict the assumption that aesthetic considerations are causing buildings to be poorly designed and thus to crumble. Simply scan the choices for one that provides an alternate cause for the decay of the city’s buildings.
STEP 4: EVALUATE THE CHOICES(B) provides an alternate cause, poor building construction, and is thus the correct answer. (A) is irrelevant. Even if students are currently instructed in basic physics and mechanics, they may not be spending enough time learning good design principles. (C) is incorrect because you have no information to indicate how great a percentage of time spent studying aesthetics the author of this argument would consider too much. Perhaps “less than 50 percent” is still too much. (D) is incorrect because it fails to provide any new and relevant information. The author merely complains that some buildings are collapsing. The fact that “most” are not collapsing does not take away the fact that some are falling down. Finally, (E) is an irrelevant comparison between architects and other professionals.
close
25 Aug 2023, 01:30
20%
(01:56)
wrong 
