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IR + CR two-part analysis: archaeologist and porcelain

One problem, two answers. Pick one answer in each column from the same list.
Expert replies
by nicktim » Mon Jun 24, 2013 11:18 pm
Can an expert please help with the question below? This is essentially a CR question.

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Archaeologist: There were several porcelain-producing centers in 18th-century Britain, among them Bristol, Plymouth, and New Hall. Each center developed a unique recipe for its porcelain that might include flint glass, soapstone, bone ash, clay, quartz, and so on. We will therefore be able to determine, on the basis of compositional analysis, where the next cup we recover from this archaeological site was made.

Indicate two different statements as follows: one statement identifies an assumption required by the archaeologist's argument and the other identifies a possible fact that, if true, would, provide significant logical support for the required assumption.

Answer choices:
A. Other cups have been recovered from the archaeological site, all of which were made of porcelain.
B. Some of the cups recovered from the archaeological site were not made of porcelain.
C. The next cup to be recovered from the site will likely be made of porcelain.
D. Porcelain makers often traveled between centers, experimenting with one another's recipes.
E. There was considerable overlap of materials in recipes used by the various centers.
F. Most porcelain in 18th-century Britain was made at one of the several centers.

----

The prompt asked us to identify assumption required and possible fact that would support the required assumption.

I understood the assumption part, but the "possible part" fact confused me.

Why is answer choice A a better choice than answer choice F? Both answer choices are good strengtheners, but why is one answer choice correct and the other is wrong?
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Source: — Two-Part Analysis |

by sahilchaudhary » Sun Oct 20, 2013 10:25 pm
The option 'A' is better than 'F' due to 2 reasons:

1. 'A' refers to "other cups" since the question also says "where the next cup we recover from". 'F' only refers to most porcelain.

2. 'A' says that all of which were made of porcelain. 'F' says most porcelain was made at one of the several centers.

Hope that helps!
Sahil Chaudhary
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What we see: a Critical Reasoning question in Two-Part form. We pick one statement that the archaeologist's argument must assume, and one fact that would support that assumption.

Step 1. Break the argument into its parts.
What we see: premise: each porcelain center had its own recipe. Conclusion: compositional analysis will tell us where the next cup from this site was made.
What it means: the recipes only tell us about porcelain. The argument jumps from "porcelain recipes are unique" to "we can place the next cup." That jump only works if the next cup is porcelain.
What we do and why: we look for the choice that fills that gap.

Step 2. Find the required assumption.
What we see: (C) "The next cup to be recovered from the site will likely be made of porcelain."
What it means: if the next cup were clay or glass, the porcelain recipes would tell us nothing, and the conclusion would fail. So the argument needs C.
What we do and why: we check the others. (D) and (E), makers sharing recipes and overlapping materials, would make the recipes less unique, so they hurt the argument. (B), some cups were not porcelain, hurts it too. (F) is helpful but not required (see the trap). C is the assumption.

Step 3. Find the fact that supports C.
What we see: (A) "Other cups have been recovered from the archaeological site, all of which were made of porcelain."
What it means: if every cup found at this site so far is porcelain, the next cup from the same site is likely porcelain too. A gives evidence for C.
What we do and why: we pick A for the second column.

The trap: (F) "Most porcelain in 18th-century Britain was made at one of the several centers." It sounds supportive, but it is about porcelain in general, not about whether the next cup from this site is porcelain at all. It also says "most," not "all," so it does not prove the cup came from a center with a known recipe. A talks about cups from this exact site, and says "all," so it connects straight to C.
Faster way: in "assumption plus support" pairs, find the assumption first. Then the support is the choice that gives a reason to believe that exact assumption, often using the same nouns (here "cups," "site," "porcelain").
Takeaway: a conclusion about one object needs that object to belong to the group the premise describes; look for the choice that says it does.

Answer: Assumption C, Support A
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