argument37【FF小组】 by duyuan3377 第7次模考

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TOPIC: ARGUMENT37 - Woven baskets characterized by a particular distinctive pattern have previously been found only in the immediate vicinity of the prehistoric village of Palea and therefore were believed to have been unique to the Palean people. Recently, however, archaeologists discovered such a "Palean" basket in Lithos, an ancient village across the Brim River from Palea. The Brim River is very deep and broad, and so the ancient Paleans could only have crossed it by boat, but there is no evidence that the Paleans had boats. And boats capable of carrying groups of people and cargo were not developed until thousands of years after the Palean people disappeared. Moreover, Paleans would have had no need to cross the river-the woods around Palea are full of nuts, berries, and small game. It follows that the so-called Palean baskets were not unique to Palea.
WORDS: 437          TIME: 00:29:53          DATE: 2008-12-12 12:01:31

In the argument the arguer draws a conclusion that the so-called Palean baskets were not unique to Palea. To support the argument, the arguer points out that recently such a Palean basket has been discovered in Lithos, an ancient village across Brim River from Palea, which makes impossible for Palean baskets to be brought to Lithos from Palea without boats. Although the argument sounds quite reasonable at first thought, yet a series of logical flaws might undermine the reliability of the argument.

First of all, the arguer unfairly assumes that the Brim River was very deep and broad enough to prevent Paleans to go across it at that time. However, there is no guarantee that this is the case, nor he does provide any evidence to substantiate the assumption. It is entirely possible that the Brim River might be very low and narrow when Palean people lived beside it thousands of years ago. As a result, it is not difficult for Palean people to swim across it or just depend on some simple log. Without considering and ruling out the possibility, the arguer cannot draw a firm conclusion.

In addition, the arguer also groundlessly assumes that the boat is the only way for Paleans to go across the Brim River and to bring their baskets to Lithos. But he fails to rule out other ways to go across the river. Maybe, the boad is not necessarily in need because the Palean people might be talented in swimming, or because they can go across it by some logs or pieces of timber. Besides, the arguer only emphasizes the boats capable of carrying groups of people and cargo might not be developed until thousands of years after the Palean people disappeared. However, perhaps although this kind of boat was indeed out of hand, some simpler and smaller boats might exist at that time. Above mentioned possibilities also undermine the argument.

Last but not the least, the arguer make an unwarranted assumption again that there is no need for Paleans to go across the Brim River to get to Lithos because of adequate nuts, berries and small game. It is entirely possible that the Paleans are curious about what the opposite is like, and that there might be an unknown resource attracting their desire to go across the Brim River.

In sum, the argument lacks credibility because the evidence cited in the analysis does not lend strong support to what the arguer maintains. To solidify the argument, the arguer would have to provide more information about the history of the river and the time when basket began to appear in Lathos.