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.

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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.

Answer 1

Well, for one thing, no one can predict earthquakes! So B is out.

D may very well be true, but still -- humans haven't learned how to predict earthquakes.

So ... you get to figure out which of A or C is the answer. Think. And then let us know what you come up with.

Answer 2

The argument made in the passage suggests that people could have known about the earthquake if they had paid attention to the unusual animal behavior. To find a weakness in this argument, we need to look for a statement that undermines this claim.

A) A wide variety of phenomena can cause animals to behave strangely.
This statement actually supports the argument, as it suggests that unusual animal behavior can be a sign of an impending earthquake. Therefore, it is not a weakness in the argument.

B) Scientists use a variety of sophisticated tools to monitor and predict earthquakes.
This statement does not weaken the argument, as it implies that scientists have methods and tools to predict earthquakes. It does not address the role of animal behavior in earthquake prediction.

C) Many domestic as well as wild animals behaved strangely the day before the Tangshan earthquake.
This statement supports the argument, as it suggests that there was unusual animal behavior before the earthquake. Therefore, it is not a weakness in the argument.

D) The city of Tangshan is near a major fault line that makes it particularly susceptible to earthquakes.
This statement does not weaken the argument either, as it explains why Tangshan is susceptible to earthquakes but does not address the role of animal behavior in predicting earthquakes.

Based on the options provided, none of them suggest a weakness in the argument. However, if there had been an option stating that animal behavior is not a reliable predictor of earthquakes, that would be a weakness in the argument.