Question

Pedigreed dogs, including those officially classified as working dogs, must conform to standards set by organizations that issue pedigrees. Those standards generally specify the physical appearance necessary for a dog to be recognized as belonging to a breed but stipulate nothing about other genetic traits, such as those that enable breeds originally developed as working dogs to perform the work for which they were developed. Since dog breeders try to maintain only those traits specified by pedigree organizations, and traits that breeders do not try to maintain risk being lost, certain traits like herding ability risk being lost among pedigreed dogs. Therefore, pedigree organizations should set standards requiring working ability in pedigreed dogs classified as working dogs.

The phrase "certain traits like herding ability risk being lost among pedigreed dogs" serves which one of the following functions in the argument?


(A) It is a claim on which the argument depends but for which no support is given.

(B) It is a subsidiary conclusion used in support of the main conclusion.

(C) It acknowledges a possible objection to the proposal put forth in the argument.

(D) It summarizes the position that the argument as a whole is directed toward discrediting.

(E) It provides evidence necessary to support a claim stated earlier in the argument.

Answer 1

The phrase serves as evidence necessary to support a previous claim in the argument, highlighting the risk of loss of functional traits like herding ability in pedigreed dogs.

Step-by-step explanation:

The phrase "certain traits like herding ability risk being lost among pedigreed dogs" functions as a claim within the argument that supports the idea that pedigree organizations should set standards requiring working ability in pedigreed dogs classified as working dogs. This claim operates as evidence necessary to support a claim stated earlier in the argument. It asserts the risk of losing important functional traits, like herding, due to the emphasis on physical appearance in pedigree standards, which neglects the working abilities these dogs were originally bred for. Breeders, driven by these standards, may not focus on maintaining these important working traits, thus posing a risk of losing them. This is used as a foundation for the argument that pedigree organizations need to revise their standards to include working ability.