Instructions: Read the passage provided and answer the question below it. Explain why your answer is the best answer AND why the other answers are not. Submit your answer as a neatly handwritten paragraph on a single sheet of paper that has been scanned as a pdf file (no jpgs or photos, please).
Reasoning Warm Up Exercise Week #4
Consider the argument and question carefully. Answer the question by explaining why your selection is the correct one and the others are not correct.
Argument: “The archeological evidence at dig area T5 of this iron-age town in Turkey show how it met its end. The village was surrounded by a large, meter-wide, defensive wall. The findings also included a large number of clay canisters sunk into the ground, as though for long term storage of food during a siege. A number of iron arrowheads were found, and at least one of buildings seems to have suffered a fire. Therefore, this town was clearly destroyed in war, either with its neighbors or with foreign invaders.”
Question: Which one of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the argument?:
1. The argument is circular with the premises taking for granted the conclusion.
2. None of the pieces of evidence point directly to the conclusion, and all of them could lead to different conclusions.
3. The argument depends on intermediate conclusions, which make the final conclusion invalid.
4. The argument makes a historical conclusion, but does not give specific dates to support it.
5. The evidence is varied but the conclusion is unified and therefore suspect.
