Although the earliest surviving Greek inscriptions written

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Although the earliest surviving Greek inscriptions written in an alphabet date from the eighth century B.C., the fact that the text of these Greek inscriptions sometimes runs from right to left and sometimes from left to right indicates that the Greeks adopted alphabetic writing at least two centuries before these inscriptions were produced. After all, the Greeks learned alphabetic writing from the Phoenicians, and presumably, along with the alphabet, they also adopted the then-current Phoenician practice with respect to the direction of text. And although Phoenician writing was originally inconsistent in direction, by the eighth century B.C. Phoenician was consistently written from right to left and had been for about two centuries.

In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?

(A) The first and the second each describe evidence that has been used to challenge the position that the argument seeks to establish.

(B) The first is evidence that forms the basis for an objection to the position that the argument seeks to establish; the second is that position.

(C) The first is evidence that forms the basis for an objection to the position that the argument seeks to establish; the second is a consideration that is introduced to counter the force of that evidence.

(D) The first and the second each provide evidence in support of the position that the argument seeks to establish.

(E) The first provides evidence in support of the position that the argument seeks to establish; the second is that position.

OA D

Source: Official Guide

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by ceilidh.erickson » Tue Oct 23, 2018 10:18 am

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With BOLDFACE questions in CR, break down the argument according to the following roles:
- author's conclusion
- supporting premises
- counterpoint / someone else's conclusion
- support for the counterpoint
- general phenomena / neutral facts

We can break down this argument as follows:

Premises:
- Greek inscriptions from 8th cent BCE sometimes runs from right to left and sometimes from left to right
- Greeks learned alphabetic writing from the Phoenicians
- Phoenician writing was originally inconsistent in direction, but by the eighth century B.C. Phoenician was consistently written from right to left and had been for about two centuries.

Conclusion: the Greeks adopted alphabetic writing at least two centuries before these inscriptions were produced (i.e. 10th cent BCE)

(There is no significant counterpoint given or implied).

Now we want to state what each piece in bold is doing: whether it's a fact or opinion, whether it supports or goes against the author's argument.
Both Bold #1 and Bold #2 are facts that support the author's conclusion.

(A) The first and the second each describe evidence that has been used to challenge the position that the argument seeks to establish.
No, they are not challenging the conclusion. They are supporting it.

(B) The first is evidence that forms the basis for an objection to the position that the argument seeks to establish; the second is that position.
The first supports the author's position; it does not support an objection to it. The second is not a position (an opinion); it's a fact.

(C) The first is evidence that forms the basis for an objection to the position that the argument seeks to establish; the second is a consideration that is introduced to counter the force of that evidence.
The 1st part is the same as B, so we can eliminate this one.

(D) The first and the second each provide evidence in support of the position that the argument seeks to establish.
Yes - they both support. Correct.

(E) The first provides evidence in support of the position that the argument seeks to establish; the second is that position.
The first part does support the author's position... but the 2nd part isn't the position itself; it's more support.

The answer is D.
Ceilidh Erickson
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education

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by ceilidh.erickson » Tue Oct 23, 2018 10:40 am

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