Unit 8 · Detecting Reasoning Errors

Territorial Birds — Nesting Reasoning Error

Lesson 27 of 34

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About this lesson

Birds often abandon disturbed nests. Lorenzo's dad disturbed a nest — so Lorenzo says there's a 'good chance it may be abandoned.' Katarina sees an abandoned nest and says it 'must have been disturbed.' One uses the rule correctly with a hedged claim; the other reverses the logic and uses 'must.'

Chapters

0:00Introduction
0:25Question
1:02Strategy
2:09Step 1: Understand the rule — "often" is not "always"
3:25Step 2: Evaluate Lorenzo — forward direction + hedged claim
4:17Step 3: Evaluate Katarina — two errors in one claim
5:41Correct answer

Question

Although many birds are fiercely territorial, they are typically very sensitive when nesting. If they feel their nest has been disturbed, they often abandon it altogether even if the female has already laid her eggs.

Lorenzo: "My dad accidentally disturbed a nest when he was cleaning the roof. So there’s a good chance it may now be abandoned."

Katarina: "There’s an abandoned nest in the pomegranate tree in our garden. That must have been disturbed too."

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?

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