Q10 - Charlene: Environmental cleanup increasingly

[htesra]

Can you give an explanation for this question I chose answer E but the correct answer was B?

[giladedelman]

Thanks for your question!

Charlene's point is that the effectiveness of using microbes to clean up the environment is limited because the "microbes become less active when a region's temperature drops below normal."

In other words, if the normal temperature in Springfield is 65 degrees, we would expect microbes to become less active, and therefore less effective, on a day when the temperature drops to 40 degrees.

Olaf tries to counter Charlene's argument by mentioning a study that found that microbes in Arctic and subtropical regions (i.e., really cold and really warm places) were equally active when it came to eating oil. But Charlene's argument is about when the temperature of a region drops below normal for that region. It's not about places that are generally cold vs. places that are generally warm. So Olaf's mistake is that he mistakenly interprets "normal" to refer to some absolute standard, when in fact Charlene uses the word to refer to the standard temperature of a given region. The Arctic/subtropical comparison, therefore, is irrelevant to her point.

Does that answer your question?

[richietrentie]

I understand why (B) is correct after having reviewed the question and read giladedelman's explanation, but I still don't understand why answer choice (E) is incorrect.

That is, in retrospect I see why (B) is the most, and so only, correct answer, but under the time constraints of the test I couldn't see myself realistically not choosing (E). Even while reading the prompt, I thought the term shift between "active" in the first prompt and "at nearly the same rate" in the second prompt was so liberal as to warrant criticism.

Further, does anyone have an idea as to what type of question this is?

Thanks in advance.

[maryadkins]

I would call this question a variety of Identify the Disagreement question, since it's about how two arguments relate to each other, even though it's not asking you for what they disagree about.

Thanks for your question. Let me break down all these answers.

(A) is wrong because Olaf isn't countering Charlene's point that the microorganisms are relied on for cleanup, but her point about how they become less active.

(B) is correct (see Gilad's explanation above)

(C) is like (A)"”this isn't the issue.

(D) and (E) are interesting. I can see why they'd be tempting. But Olaf isn't attacking these terms"”as far as we can tell, he's using them in the same way Charlene does. He isn't challenging her view of the term "active" or how she defines "limitation" but her argument that the organisms act differently in unusually cold weather. In other words, he's challenging her argument by assuming by "normal" she means globally, not regionally.

I hope this clarifies.

[daijob]

So...although Charlene means "normal" is how normal in a specific region, but Olaf thought it means in general (globally, in any region)?
Why did Olaf bring up subtropical regions? It is not below normal even in other regions, isn't it??

[maryadkins]

So...although Charlene means "normal" is how normal in a specific region, but Olaf thought it means in general (globally, in any region)?

Yes.

Why did Olaf bring up subtropical regions? It is not below normal even in other regions, isn't it??

He brought up subtropical regions because he is trying to make a general point about microbes' activity levels and cold temperature. I'm not sure what you're asking about whether it is below normal in other regions.

[roflcoptersoisoi]

Olaf takes issue with Charlen's assertion that microbes become less active when a region's temperature drops below normal. She doesn't think this is the case. Her reasoning is that Arctic and subtropical microbes were active at the same rate. She presumes that there is one one absolute "normal temperature" and that the temperature in the arctic is below normal. She fails to consider that what constitutes as "normal" temperature may be relative. Perhaps the temperature was normal for both climates.

(A) She doesn't even address environmental cleanup or what is relies on.
(B) Bingo.
(C) Same as (A)
(D) She doesn't take issue with the limitations of microbes eating pollutants, but rather the conditions under which they are able to do so.
(E) She doesn't take issue with the activity of the microbes, but rather the conditions under which they are the most active.

[roflcoptersoisoi]

So...although Charlene means "normal" is how normal in a specific region, but Olaf thought it means in general (globally, in any region)?
Why did Olaf bring up subtropical regions? It is not below normal even in other regions, isn't it??

A little late here, but Olaf brought up Subtropical regions because he presumes that the climate is at least at normal temperature, he contrasts this with arctic temperature because he presumes that the climate there is below normal. What he fails to realize is that what constitutes "normal" temperature is not necessarily absolute but can be relative. So if the temperatures were at "normal" temperatures for their respective regions then that could explain the why the activity of the microbes were the same, in which case Charlene's assertion still stands.

[snoopy]

I understand why (B) is correct after having reviewed the question and read giladedelman's explanation, but I still don't understand why answer choice (E) is incorrect.

That is, in retrospect I see why (B) is the most, and so only, correct answer, but under the time constraints of the test I couldn't see myself realistically not choosing (E). Even while reading the prompt, I thought the term shift between "active" in the first prompt and "at nearly the same rate" in the second prompt was so liberal as to warrant criticism.

Further, does anyone have an idea as to what type of question this is?

Thanks in advance.

I made the same mistake in timed and untimed review. I see why B is the right answer, but I'm just not satisfied. Is there a takeaway/pattern for Identify the Disagreement questions with term shifts? Or, maybe it's an issue of me not understanding the argument itself...