CAT Critical Reasoning Practice question with Solution 57

According to the author, if a student’s understanding of a subject consisted only of knowing facts and rules, then computers might well eventually replace human teachers as drill masters and coaches. However, a student's understanding also consists of having a grasp of the general concepts underlying them. The author concludes that the computer will not eventually replace the teacher, obviously assuming that computers can’t teach these general concepts along with the facts and rules. (C) undermines the argument by attacking this assumption.

(A) asserts that computers are as good as teachers in drilling students on rules and facts, and (D) goes one step further and says that they’re better. The author freely admits that computers would be capable of replacing teachers if that’s all there is to it, but argues that computers fall short because learning requires a grasp of underlying concepts as well.

(B) Au-contraire; this actually supports the argument by stating that the teacher's essential task is to make students understand the general concepts behind specific facts and rules— exactly what the author claims computers are not able to do.

(E), if anything, supports the argument, because the author implies that drills and coaching are the computer’s strong point.

One of the most common ways to weaken an argument is to call the author’s central assumption into question.