PrepTest 117, Section 2, Question 6
Chai: The use of the word "tree" to(59 more words not shown)
The conversation provides the strongest(10 more words not shown)
- Ait is advisable(12 more words not shown)
- Busing the same(12 more words not shown)
- Cboth deciduous and(8 more words not shown)
- Dit is important(14 more words not shown)
- Ebiological forms with(6 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Why can't we call both kinds of plant trees and still acknowledge that they evolved separately? That's my reaction to Chai. Chai accepts 'tree' as an everyday word but thinks it's scientifically inadequate because it hides the plants' different lineages. I can see the concern about accuracy. Still, using one broad name needn't stop us from explaining differences within the group. We could talk about deciduous trees and coniferous trees.
What we’re looking for
Dodd gives a reason to keep the shared name: the plants are made of the same material and have very similar structures. The two speakers emphasize different features, but the question asks where their positions conflict. It isn't asking which speaker we prefer. Chai says this common term is scientifically inadequate; Dodd says it's scientifically acceptable. Look for that disagreement about using one term for these two types of plant.
Working the answers
- A
This broadens the dispute to ordinary terms in scientific discussion generally. Chai could approve of plenty of everyday terms while objecting to 'tree' for this particular reason. Dodd could defend 'tree' without approving every ordinary term. We can't turn a dispute over one shared name into a general disagreement about using ordinary vocabulary.
- BCorrect
The same term is 'tree'; the two biological forms are the deciduous and coniferous plants. Chai treats their different lineages as a reason that sharing this scientific term is unacceptable. Dodd thinks their common material and structure make the term acceptable despite that objection.
So each speaker has a different answer to this question. The wording is more abstract than our prediction, but it preserves the exact point at issue: can plants with different lineages appropriately share a scientific name?
- C
They aren't debating whether the plants evolved from simpler forms. Chai refers to different lineages, while Dodd argues for the shared word based on material and structure. Dodd doesn't deny evolution or take a position on what forms the plants evolved from.
- D
Chai expressly allows 'tree' as a lay term. The objection concerns its scientific use. Dodd likewise defends its scientific acceptability, not a general requirement that everyday words reflect current scientific theories. Neither the topic of the disagreement nor two opposing positions are captured here.
- E
Similar structures and different lineages could both be true. Dodd doesn't deny Chai's claim about lineage, and Chai doesn't deny Dodd's claim about structure. They disagree about what those facts mean for using a common term, not about whether the facts can coexist.
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