#16 - Numerous paintings and engravings representing warfare can be found in remains of all

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Assumption. Cause and Effect. The correct answer choice is (C).

Answer choice (A):

Answer choice (B):

Answer choice (C): This is the correct answer choice.

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E):

This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[PwrScrVooDoo]

Hi Admin,
Let me know if this is the correct assessment of this question.
P1. Numerous paintings/engravings of warfare including the Neolithic period before agriculture was developed.
P2. No paintings/engravings of warfare before the Neolithic period.
Conc. Warfare developed because society transitioned to agriculture.
Correct Ans. C
Ans Choice A. Nothing to do with stimulus, “artistic expressions.”
Ans Choice B. Troubling language “was always motivated”
Ans Choice D. “Inevitable result” too strong language
Ans Choice E. Paintings/engravings of warfare was made at the same time when agricultural life began. This is the opposite of what has been described in the stimulus.

[Dana D]

Hey PwrScrVooDoo,

You have the conclusion and premesis identified correctly, but I want to challenge your reasoning for the incorrect answer choices. Your reasoning for answer choice (E) being incorrect is spot on - it directly contradicts the stimulus and therefore cannot be an assumption the argument is relying on.

It's your reasoning against answer choices (A), (B), and (D) that I would think through more - we don't want to rely on language indicators alone to elminate answer choices. For example, I wouldn't say "artistic expression" in answer choice (A) has nothing to do with the stimulus. It's talking abotu paintings and engravings specifically. This answer choice could be worded to say something like "Had warfare existed, it would have been depicted in any form of artistic expression during a given time period." Written this way, answer choice (A) could be correct.

Instead of looking at language alone, focus on the underlying logic of the stimulus. There is a cause and effect relationship described here - the author argues that warfare developed because of the transition to an agricultural society. We know for cause and effect arguments, the effect cannot occur before the cause. Therefore, answer choice (C) is correct because it ensures that the effect (warfare) did not occur before the transition to an agricultural society.

Thinking about the problem this way, answers (A), (B) and (D) are better explained as incorrect because they have no bearing on this cause and effect relationship. Any of the facts in these 3 answer choices could be true or not true without challenging the author's cause and effect argument. Even though you got to the right answer, you want to practice not just getting the correct answer, but using the correct approach. Tricks that help you guess the right answer for an easier question might not always serve you, especially on harder questions, and the more you practice and strengthen your reasoning skills the better equipped you'll be for those hard ones!

Hope this helps!
Dana