Unit 8 · Detecting Reasoning Errors
Berruga and Indora Lizards — Diagnostic Error
Lesson 30 of 34
About this lesson
Two lizard species, one key difference: Indoras never eat ants. Keira says termites are useless as a test. Jun says ants are the only way you COULD know for certain. The word 'could' makes all the difference — and both turn out to be right.
Chapters
Question
The Berruga lizard and Indora lizard are very similar. The only major difference between the two species is their diet.
Berrugas mostly eat termites and ants, but they will occasionally eat other insects, and even things like snails.
Indoras will eat almost anything if they are hungry, and they especially like termites, but they never eat ants (and in fact, ants are poisonous to Indoras).
Keira and Jun have rescued an injured lizard, and they want to find out which species it is.
Keira said: “If we only feed it termites, we’ll be no closer to knowing whether it’s a Berruga or an Indora.”
Jun said: “The only way that we could know for certain would be to give it some ants.”
If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is correct?
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