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jyshopper
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* Tennis Style Help!!

by jyshopper Wed Jun 24, 2009 5:19 am

5. According to some sports historians, professional tennis players develop unique playing styles that result from a combination of the peculiarities of each player's physical attributes and the influence of coaches during their early adaptation to the game. But when the increase in strength and endurance of modem players is discounted, it becomes readily apparent that the playing styles of the current crop of professional tennis players are no different from the styles of players from previous generations. Clearly, there is a universally efficient tennis style to which all professional tennis players conform.
The argument above is most weakened by which of the following statements?
(A)The differences in physical attributes among tennis players are even more pronounced than the sports historians believe.
(B) Few current professional tennis players are familiar with the professional tennis players of fifty years ago.
(C)The increased strength of current tennis players contributes more to the development of individual playing styles than does increased endurance.
(D)All of the early coaches of today's professional tennis players were professional tennis players themselves earlier in their lives.
(E)Weight training and greater attention to diet are the primary factors in the increased strength and stamina of the current generation of professional tennis players.

Explanation: Tennis Styles
5. The author begins by describing the view of some sports historians, who subscribe to a basic formula: physical attributes + a coach's influence = a player's "unique" tennis style. After dismissing the relevance of modern players' greater strength and endurance, however, the author argues that current styles are really no different from previous styles, implying that the historians' claim of the existence of "unique" tennis styles is bogus. And this implication is stated outright in the last sentence, where the author posits the existence of a universally successful tennis style shared by all professionals. In other words, the author uses the fact that tennis styles haven't changed over the years to argue that there's simply one best way to play tennis; in contrast to the historians' theory of "unique," the author proposes the theory of "universality." But the author ignores a plausible alternative explanation; namely, the role of the tennis coach. If, as (D) has it, the early coaches of today's players were the professionals of yesteryear, then it's reasonable to believe that the style the author considers "universal" may simply be the style (one possible one among many) that was handed down from one generation to the next. Perhaps if the current crop of tennis stars don't go on to teach the next generation, whole new styles will develop. If the current style is learned, then it may not be universally inherent to the game. If (D) is true, the author's claim of "universality" is weakened. That makes (D) the winner.


Ok I still having difficulties why D is the right answer

First off,
There are 2 arguments (unique style and universality style) and when the question ask
"The argument above is most weakened by which of the following statements?"

which arguments should I weaken??? it didnt stated clearly.

Second,
Answer D weaken "universality".......how???

When teacher pass down skills from generation to generation, the skills will become a "universal skill" thus, there will be a universal way of playing tennis.

So, why does D weakens this arguments?? I see it as strengthen the argument of "universality" instead

Help
Viswanathan.harsha
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Re: Tennis Style Help!!

by Viswanathan.harsha Tue Jun 30, 2009 6:02 pm

I honestly thought B would be the correct answer since that is the only explanation that differentiates the new styles with the old styles;hence weaking the arguements.

I agree with you on D that it supports the argument more than "weakening" it.
JonathanSchneider
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Re: Tennis Style Help!!

by JonathanSchneider Sun Jul 05, 2009 1:48 pm

please cite the source of any questions that you post here. questions without a posted source must be deleted.