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.
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THE ANSWER IS "A"
To evaluate the argument presented, let's examine each of the answer choices and determine if any of them suggest a weakness in the argument:
A) A wide variety of phenomena can cause animals to behave strangely.
This statement does not directly weaken the argument, as it acknowledges that various factors can cause animals to behave strangely. It does not specifically address the ability of animals to sense an impending earthquake.
B) Scientists use a variety of sophisticated tools to monitor and predict earthquakes.
This statement is unrelated to the argument and does not provide any information about animal behavior preceding earthquakes. Therefore, it does not weaken or strengthen the argument.
C) Many domestic as well as wild animals behaved strangely the day before the Tangshan earthquake.
This statement supports the argument by providing evidence of animal behavior preceding the earthquake. It suggests that the unusual animal behavior observed was not an isolated incident, increasing the credibility of the claim that animals can sense an impending earthquake.
D) The city of Tangshan is near a major fault line that makes it particularly susceptible to earthquakes.
While this statement provides context about the city's vulnerability to earthquakes, it does not directly address the argument's claim that animals can sense earthquakes when scientists cannot. Therefore, it does not weaken or strengthen the argument.
In conclusion, option C is the answer that suggests a weakness in the argument, as it supports the idea that animal behavior can predict earthquakes, thus weakening the argument's suggestion that scientists could have predicted the earthquake if they had paid attention to animal behavior.