aileenann
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Atticus Finch
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PT48, S1, Q7 Enthusiasm for the use of calculators in the

by aileenann Wed Oct 07, 2009 1:56 pm

7. (C)
Question Type: Strengthen the Argument
One way to strengthen an argument is to provide a piece of information that closes a gap in the argument. In other words, we can strengthen an argument by making explicit one of its assumptions. This argument first shows that students are less likely to remember general principles when they use a calculator than when they don’t, although the students are able to focus more on general principles when they use a calculator. The argument concludes that teachers should not be enthusiastic about the use of calculators in learning mathematics. Should principles trump the benefits that calculators provide? (C) answers that question, providing a perfect bridge between the calculator’s effect on learning general principles and the ultimate conclusion that calculators are not necessarily a good tool for learning mathematics.

(A) weakens the argument. Also, it is not on the same level of generality as is the original argument (it speaks only of some students, but we care about all students.)
(B) is out of scope.
(D) is out of scope because we do not care about habits.
(E) is too broad. We care only about whether teachers’ enthusiasm for calculators is misplaced, and because (E) is only true most of the time"”"often""” it does not necessarily even apply to calculators. Furthermore, this statement would not even tell us whether teachers are overly enthusiastic or not enthusiastic enough.