In 1976 a powerful earthquake hit the city of Tangshan, China. Scientists had failed to predict the earthquake. If people had paid attention to the unusual animal behavior that preceded the earthquake, however, they would have known it was coming. Animals can often sense an impending earthquake when scientists cannot.

Question

In 1976 a powerful earthquake hit the city of Tangshan, China. Scientists had failed to predict the earthquake. If people had paid attention to the unusual animal behavior that preceded the earthquake, however, they would have known it was coming. Animals can often sense an impending earthquake when scientists cannot.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

9) Which of the following statements, if true, would suggest a weakness in the argument above?
A) A wide variety of phenomena can cause animals to behave strangely.
B) Scientists use a variety of sophisticated tools to monitor and predict earthquakes.
C) Many domestic as well as wild animals behaved strangely the day before the Tangshan earthquake.
D) The city of Tangshan is near a major fault line that makes it particularly susceptible to earthquakes.

My answer is A

Answer 1

Right! :-)

Answer 2

Your answer of A) A wide variety of phenomena can cause animals to behave strangely is correct. This statement suggests a weakness in the argument because it indicates that unusual animal behavior may not always be a reliable indicator of an impending earthquake. While it is true that animals can sometimes sense earthquakes before humans, there could be other factors at play that cause animals to behave strangely, unrelated to seismic activity. Therefore, relying solely on animal behavior as a reliable predictor of earthquakes may not always be accurate.