Critical Reasoning

5. According to some sports historians, professional tennis players develop unique playing styles that result from a combination of the peculiarities of each player's physical attributes and the influence of coaches during their early adaptation to the game. But when the increase in strength and endurance of modem players is discounted, it becomes readily apparent that the playing styles of the current crop of professional tennis players are no different from the styles of players from previous generations. Clearly, there is a universally efficient tennis style to which all professional tennis players conform.
The argument above is most weakened by which of the following statements?
(A)The differences in physical attributes among tennis players are even more pronounced than the sports historians believe.
(B) Few current professional tennis players are familiar with the professional tennis players of fifty years ago.
(C)The increased strength of current tennis players contributes more to the development of individual playing styles than does increased endurance.
(D)All of the early coaches of today's professional tennis players were professional tennis players themselves earlier in their lives.
(E)Weight training and greater attention to diet are the primary factors in the increased strength and stamina of the current generation of professional tennis players.

Explanation: Tennis Styles
5. The author begins by describing the view of some sports historians, who subscribe to a basic formula: physical attributes + a coach's influence = a player's "unique" tennis style. After dismissing the relevance of modern players' greater strength and endurance, however, the author argues that current styles are really no different from previous styles, implying that the historians' claim of the existence of "unique" tennis styles is bogus. And this implication is stated outright in the last sentence, where the author posits the existence of a universally successful tennis style shared by all professionals. In other words, the author uses the fact that tennis styles haven't changed over the years to argue that there's simply one best way to play tennis; in contrast to the historians' theory of "unique," the author proposes the theory of "universality." But the author ignores a plausible alternative explanation; namely, the role of the tennis coach. If, as (D) has it, the early coaches of today's players were the professionals of yesteryear, then it's reasonable to believe that the style the author considers "universal" may simply be the style (one possible one among many) that was handed down from one generation to the next. Perhaps if the current crop of tennis stars don't go on to teach the next generation, whole new styles will develop. If the current style is learned, then it may not be universally inherent to the game. If (D) is true, the author's claim of "universality" is weakened. That makes (D) the winner.

Ok I still having difficulties why D is the right answer

First off,
There are 2 arguments (unique style and universality style) and when the question ask
"The argument above is most weakened by which of the following statements?"

which arguments should I weaken??? it didnt stated clearly.

Second,
Answer D weaken "universality".......how???

When teacher pass down skills from generation to generation, the skills will become a "universal skill" thus, there will be a universal way of playing tennis.

So, why does D weakens this arguments?? I see it as strengthen the argument of "universality" instead

Help

IMO, D is correct:

If the early coaches of current professional tennis players are players of earlier generations, it is likely that the current professional tennis players learned the techniques from their coaches, and thus these techniques are being practiced today not because they are "universally efficient tennis style", but because they are the only techniques that have been taught. There is a chance that if players were taught some newly developed techniques, those techniques might be more efficient than the current ones.

I apologize for my bad English.

Thanks, but that's pretty much rephrase the answer explanation above, nothing new.


let me put it this way.

There are 2 arguments "Unique" Vs "Universal"

By saying coaches passing down skills from generation to generation means that tennis is still played in a conservative way.

So it will strengthen "Universal" arguments instead of weakens it.

Please, points out what is wrong with my concept there.

D is correct.

First, there is only one argument for you to weaken and that would be the author's argument. In this specific case, it is "Clearly, there is a universally efficient tennis style to which all professional tennis players conform"


Secondly, let's breakdown the logical inferences here.

Topic here is "C. what determines playing style of professional tennis players"

Sports historians says
A. the peculiarities of each player's physical attributes
B. the influence of coaches during their early adaptation to the game
And A+B =>C

Author of this argument disagree with sports historians, and he quotes below fact D
D. playing styles of the current crop of professional tennis players are no different from the styles of players from previous generations.
So he get E
E. there is a universally efficient tennis style exists to which all professional tennis players conform
So his answer to the topic is "universal style" => C

So to weaken "universal style"=>C, you can privide an inference linking "universal style" back to A and B, so the author's "disagreement" and answer are wrong. (That is what answer D just did)

Hope this is clear enough.

fengjig wrote: B. the influence of coaches during their early adaptation to the game

therefore

fengjig wrote:D. playing styles of the current crop of professional tennis players are no different from the styles of players from previous generations.

i did not see the gap there, the two arguments pretty much support each other.

For a weaken question, you should always attack the conclusion. the premise says - if you ignore the strength, then playing style between new players and older players is almost similar. In this argument the conclusion is - there is universally efficient tennis style

Option 'D' clearly weakens the argument by pointing out that the coaches are the new players have been tennis players themselves.

So there is actually no universal style, the new players must have been taught the style by the coaches.

if the conclusion is

it becomes readily apparent that the playing styles of the current crop of professional tennis players are no different from the styles of players from previous generations

and the answer is

mehravikas wrote: the new players must have been taught the style by the coaches.

the author agreed that the new player must have been taught style by the coaches.

so answer D agrees with the author.

someone poke me in the head and show me how answer D says otherwise.

Re your post to mine.
B is one explaination of D, and hence

1. it weakened the author's argument that there is a universal style that determines the style of each players.
2. affirms the sports historians' argument.
Hence it weaken the argument

The key to solve this problem is that very fact the author quoted. Pls be noted that to support his conclusion, the author compared the style of previous generation with that of the current generation. And he use this similarity as supporting evidence to prove the existance of a universal style. This is problematic. This similarity can't get us the conclusion of there being a universal style.
If the fact he quoted was "All the existing players across globe now have the same style", this fact could be sufficient enough to support his conclusion that a universal style does exist.

Premise - But when the increase in strength and endurance of modem players is discounted, it becomes readily apparent that the playing styles of the current crop of professional tennis players are no different from the styles of players from previous generations.

The conclusion is - Clearly, there is a universally efficient tennis style to which all professional tennis players conform

How would you weaken this argument - The coaches to the current crop of players were players themselves, i.e. they must have taught the style which was used by older players.

That means, as such there is no universal style, new players know it because they must have learnt it from their coaches

chopper7726 wrote:if the conclusion is

it becomes readily apparent that the playing styles of the current crop of professional tennis players are no different from the styles of players from previous generations

and the answer is

mehravikas wrote: the new players must have been taught the style by the coaches.

the author agreed that the new player must have been taught style by the coaches.

so answer D agrees with the author.

someone poke me in the head and show me how answer D says otherwise.

I like mehravikas approach,

THANKS!

I will Go with option D in this case.