LR Question 16 Explanation
QUESTION TEXT: We can learn about the living conditions of a vanished…
QUESTION TYPE: Weaken
CONCLUSION: It is likely that the people who spoke Proto-Indo-European lived in a cold climate and were isolated from ocean or sea.
REASONING: We can learn about the living conditions of a vanished culture by examining their language. The Proto-Indo-Europeans had no word for sea but had words for winter, snow and wolf.
ANALYSIS: Languages sometimes lack words for important concepts. English doesn’t have a word for “Schadenfreude.” We had to borrow it from the Germans. But everyone recognizes the feeling when the word is explained.
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- This is tempting but it could just mean that the Proto-Indo-Europeans lived near a lake or river but not a sea or ocean.
- CORRECT. They could have lived by the sea but simply lacked a word for it even though it was prominent.
- We’re talking about an ancient language and not modern languages. Also, if no languages lack a word for sea then it’s even more unusual that the Proto-Indo-Europeans didn’t have one.
- This could just mean that they knew how to make fires. It doesn’t mean they didn’t live in a cold climate.
- Nomads can move around entirely within the same region. If the nomads occasionally lived by the sea they would probably have a word for it.
More Resources for Weaken Questions
- Intro Course lesson: This intro course lesson covers Weaken questions.
- Mastery Seminar lesson: This LR Mastery seminar lesson covers weaken questions.
I do not understand why D is incorrect. The stimulus says the way we can figure out that they lived in a child climatic because it has words like “cold.” Answer choice D says they also had words like “hot,” meaning that there is no longer more of a reason to jump to the conclusion that they lived in a cold climate than a hot one, thereby weakening the argument.
Perhaps you’ve never lived in a cold climate, but it is essential to have heat if you live in a cold area. Otherwise you die! Humans had fire from a very early period and used it to cook food, keep warm, etc. Further, even cold climates have summer, and warm days during this period. Even humans get hot, for example if we have a fever.
These are basics facts about reality that you can assume. Anyone with scientific or historical literacy would agree with them. You actually have to add a lot of assumptions to argue that D contradicts the argument, for example you have to believe “there is nothing hot in a cold climate” which is an outside assumption of its own. Except it is an incorrect outside assumption that no well informed person would agree with.
Note: This is an old comment but I wanted to clarify the point.