Question

read the claim.

animal testing is unnecessary in this century and should be banned.

read the counterclaim.

animal testing has led to important medical breakthroughs.

which is the best rebuttal to address the counterclaim?

with modern technology, scientists can make advances without involving the one hundred million animals now used each year for animal testing.
with over one hundred years of successful animal testing, it is obvious that the scientific community must go on using animals to continue to be successful.
while it is true that there have been successes in the past with animal testing, that is not necessarily an indicator of what will happen in the future.
while animals have been used for testing throughout history, this does not mean that people should just keep doing that because they are used to it.

Explanation:

Analyze the claim and counterclaim

Using the Claim and Counterclaim knowledge point

• Claim: Animal testing is unnecessary in this century and should be banned.
• Counterclaim: Animal testing has led to important medical breakthroughs.

Evaluate the requirements of a strong rebuttal

Using the Writing Rebuttals knowledge point

• A strong rebuttal must directly address the counterclaim's premise (medical breakthroughs) while supporting the original claim (unnecessary in this century/should be banned).
• It should acknowledge the past success but explain why it is no longer valid or necessary today.

Assess the given options

• Option 1: Focuses on modern technology replacing animal testing. While supportive of the claim, it does not directly address the "medical breakthroughs" point of the counterclaim.
• Option 2: Supports the counterclaim rather than rebutting it.
• Option 3: Directly addresses the counterclaim ("While it is true that there have been successes in the past...") and rebuts it by stating past success does not dictate future necessity, aligning with the "unnecessary in this century" claim.
• Option 4: Dismisses the history as just a habit ("because they are used to it"), which oversimplifies and fails to address the substance of "medical breakthroughs."

Select the best rebuttal

• Option 3 is the strongest because it directly concedes the historical truth of the counterclaim while logically dismantling its relevance to future practices.

Answer:

• (A) With modern technology, scientists can make advances without involving the one hundred million animals now used each year for animal testing.
• (B) With over one hundred years of successful animal testing, it is obvious that the scientific community must go on using animals to continue to be successful.
• (C) While it is true that there have been successes in the past with animal testing, that is not necessarily an indicator of what will happen in the future. (Correct answer)
• (D) While animals have been used for testing throughout history, this does not mean that people should just keep doing that because they are used to it.