PrepTest 144, Section 2, Question 10
The Asian elephant walks with at least two,(33 more words not shown)
The conclusion drawn above follows(9 more words not shown)
- AIf an animal(6 more words not shown)
- BTo run, an(12 more words not shown)
- CThe Asian elephant(8 more words not shown)
- DIt is unusual(13 more words not shown)
- EAll four-legged animals(12 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
What counts as running: going fast, or moving in a particular way?
The elephant can speed up. The passage says it does that by taking quicker and longer steps while keeping at least two feet on the ground. Picture the contrast with an animal whose stride includes a moment when all its feet are in the air. The elephant's described movement never has that moment.
What we’re looking for
To make the conclusion follow, we need a rule that makes the difference matter: running requires all the feet to be off the ground at once. If that's a requirement, keeping feet on the ground rules out running, however fast the elephant goes.
Working the answers
- A
This rule concerns an animal that cannot accelerate. Our elephant can accelerate, so it doesn't meet that description. A rule excluding animals that cannot speed up doesn't establish anything about whether this animal runs.
- BCorrect
This makes a moment with all feet off the ground a requirement for running. The passage tells us that the elephant keeps at least two feet on the ground, even as it takes quicker and longer steps. It therefore fails the stated requirement, which establishes the conclusion.
- C
Matching another animal's speed doesn't settle whether the elephant uses the same kind of movement. A fast walk could be as quick as someone else's run. We need a rule defining what running requires, not a comparison of speeds.
- D
Unusual doesn't mean impossible, and it doesn't mean running or not running. Whether other four-legged animals commonly keep three feet on the ground gives us no rule for classifying the elephant's movement.
- E
This describes how four-legged animals walk. It doesn't say what they must do to run, so it leaves the missing connection unresolved. We need to connect the elephant's feet remaining on the ground to the conclusion that it is not running.
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