Argument:
"Introducing mandatory coding courses in schools will significantly improve students' problem-solving abilities."
Question:
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
Argument:
"Introducing mandatory coding courses in schools will significantly improve students' problem-solving abilities."
Question:
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
Show Hint
Solution and Explanation
The argument assumes that coding directly leads to improved problem-solving ability. To weaken it, we must show either that:
1. Coding does *not* improve problem-solving skills, or
2. Any observed improvement is due to some *other* factor, not coding itself.
A strong weakening statement would be:
"Studies show that students who take coding classes do not perform better on general problem-solving assessments than students who take traditional math or logic courses."
This undermines the argument by showing that coding does not uniquely or significantly enhance problem-solving skills.
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