M: It is almost impossible to find a person between the ages of 85 and 90 who primarily uses the left hand.Q: Seventy...
kearannMay 20, 2020
Answer Choice C
I am confused on this question because in the question stem Q states that children were punished for using their left hand. When I read this, answer choice C explains that forcing a person to switch hands is harmless -which I thought Q countered by explaining that children were punished for using their left hand. I know an earlier thread mentioned that we do no know long term if the switch is harmful or harmless, but the punishment itself seems like a great counter to the hypothesis in answer choice C. Help!
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This is an unusual question, because M never actually makes an argument. Q is responding to an argument that M could have made, based on the evidence. We have to identify what argument that might be. "Based on the evidence" is a key term here, and it reveals why C is incorrect.
Ask yourself if M would make this argument based on the evidence.
Evidence: Left handedness among people between 85 and 90 is very rare. Conclusion: Therefore, forcing a person to switch from a preferred hand is harmless.
It doesn't really make sense, and it seems to ignore the evidence at hand. The question specifically asks about "countering any use of the evidence about 85 to 90 year olds." By choosing C, you were focused on the conclusion and didn't incorporate the evidence. I would also argue that punishment does not necessarily equal harm, but we don't need to debate that.
Rather, I would think of this in terms of correlation vs. causation. As you see more examples, you will become more familiar with this concept. The evidence given to us is a correlation, or two related data points. A common error on the test is to make a causal argument based on only a correlation. We cannot say that getting old causes increased use of the right hand, nor can we say that lefties are being taken out by natural selection. This is somewhat implied here by Q's response. Rather than a survival advantage, Q is offering an alternate cause. This is a common way to weaken a causal argument.
This is why A is the correct answer.
kearannJune 6, 2020
That makes a lot more sense. Thank you for the clarification.
