4. Written out below is an argument in which bracketing,underlining and lettering have been done for you. Display theargument in revised standard form, using the letters provided. Inyour display, do not write out the argument in full, but merely usethe assigned letters as abbreviations to indicate which statementsgo where.
The most common argument offered by creationists against thetheory of evolution is an attempt to discredit the fossil evidencefor evolution by pointing to the relative scarcity of transitionalforms. However, (a)<this is a poor argument>, for at leastthree reasons. First, (b)<in order to embarrass the theory ofevolution, it would be required that it predicts that there shouldbe numerous transitional fossils>. In fact, however,(c)<major evolutionary change occurs when a small populationbecomes reproductively isolated>, and, further, (d)<such amajor change occurs over a relatively short period of geologicaltime>. Thus, (e)<on this view, there should be a relativescarcity of transitional fossils>. The second point is that,nonetheless, (f)<there are transitional fossils>, for(g)<the therapsids provide numerous links between reptiles andmammals>, and, in addition, (h)<Archaeopteryx is a clearintermediary between dinosaurs and birds>. Finally, whatever theproblems associated with the fossil record, (i)<what we finddoes not look at all as it would be expected to if God created allvarieties of life at the same time>. (j)<If creationism weretrue, we would expect the fossil record to have the structure of awell-stirred stew, with trilobites and tigers, dinosaurs anddonkeys all side by side>. (k)<This is anything but what wedo find>.
4. Written out below is an argument in which bracketing,underlining and lettering have been done for you. Display theargument in revised standard form, using the letters provided. Inyour display, do not write out the argument in full, but merely usethe assigned letters as abbreviations to indicate which statementsgo where.
The most common argument offered by creationists against thetheory of evolution is an attempt to discredit the fossil evidencefor evolution by pointing to the relative scarcity of transitionalforms. However, (a)<this is a poor argument>, for at leastthree reasons. First, (b)<in order to embarrass the theory ofevolution, it would be required that it predicts that there shouldbe numerous transitional fossils>. In fact, however,(c)<major evolutionary change occurs when a small populationbecomes reproductively isolated>, and, further, (d)<such amajor change occurs over a relatively short period of geologicaltime>. Thus, (e)<on this view, there should be a relativescarcity of transitional fossils>. The second point is that,nonetheless, (f)<there are transitional fossils>, for(g)<the therapsids provide numerous links between reptiles andmammals>, and, in addition, (h)<Archaeopteryx is a clearintermediary between dinosaurs and birds>. Finally, whatever theproblems associated with the fossil record, (i)<what we finddoes not look at all as it would be expected to if God created allvarieties of life at the same time>. (j)<If creationism weretrue, we would expect the fossil record to have the structure of awell-stirred stew, with trilobites and tigers, dinosaurs anddonkeys all side by side>. (k)<This is anything but what wedo find>.
