- PowerScore Staff
- Posts: 8950
- Joined: Feb 02, 2011
- Tue May 31, 2016 5:30 pm
#25840
Complete Question Explanation
Strengthen—PR, SN. The correct answer choice is (E)
This stimulus talks about MacArthur’s new diet book. MacArthur is a physician who published a diet book that recommended such small portions of fruits and vegetables that it undoubtedly damaged the health of many who followed it. Because MacArthur is a physician, the stimulus author states that he either knew or should have known that diets low in fruits and vegetables are unhealthful. Based on MacArthur’s imputed knowledge that the diet was unhealthful, the author concludes MacArthur should not have published the book.
A weakness in this argument is that it provides no support for the idea that just because MacArthur knew or should have known that the diet recommended in his book was unhealthful, he should not have published the book. The question stem identifies this as a Strengthen—Principle question, meaning the correct answer choice will provide a principle, or a rule, that ties the facts to the conclusion.
Here, the rule applied by the stimulus author essentially states that if you know a certain behavior is unhealthful, then you should not publish a book recommending that people engage in that unhealthful behavior. The unhealthful behavior in this case being the consumption of only small portions of fruits and vegetables. Your prephrase is that the correct answer will provide the rule described above to support the conclusion.
Answer choice (A): This choice is incorrect because it does not align with the facts in the stimulus. In this choice, it is the action itself that causes serious damage to the health of many people. The action taken by MacArthur was publishing the diet book. The author did not allege the publishing of the book damaged the health of many people. Rather it was the readers’ adherence to the diet that was unhealthful. Also, the person in this choice knows the action will have the damaging effect. However, it is not clear in the stimulus that MacArthur actually knew the diet he recommended was unhealthful, though at very least he should have known.
Answer choice (B): Unlike the argument in the stimulus, this choice provides a rule governing an individual’s action concerning their own health. In the stimulus, this rule would be applicable to the readers of MacArthur’s book, rather than to MacArthur.
Answer choice (C): This choice states when a person should publish a book. By contrast, the conclusion in the stimulus was that MacArthur should not have published the book.
Answer choice (D): This choice has no effect on the conclusion because you are given no information regarding whether MacArthur knew his recommended diet could bring about the goal of the dieters, which presumably was to lose weight.
Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice, because it precisely fits the facts provided in the stimulus, making the rule applicable to MacArthur’s situation and supporting the conclusion. Inserting the facts from the stimulus into the words of the answer choice yields: MacArthur should not have published a book recommending such small portions of fruits and vegetables because he knew or ought to have known that following such a diet would be unhealthful.
Strengthen—PR, SN. The correct answer choice is (E)
This stimulus talks about MacArthur’s new diet book. MacArthur is a physician who published a diet book that recommended such small portions of fruits and vegetables that it undoubtedly damaged the health of many who followed it. Because MacArthur is a physician, the stimulus author states that he either knew or should have known that diets low in fruits and vegetables are unhealthful. Based on MacArthur’s imputed knowledge that the diet was unhealthful, the author concludes MacArthur should not have published the book.
A weakness in this argument is that it provides no support for the idea that just because MacArthur knew or should have known that the diet recommended in his book was unhealthful, he should not have published the book. The question stem identifies this as a Strengthen—Principle question, meaning the correct answer choice will provide a principle, or a rule, that ties the facts to the conclusion.
Here, the rule applied by the stimulus author essentially states that if you know a certain behavior is unhealthful, then you should not publish a book recommending that people engage in that unhealthful behavior. The unhealthful behavior in this case being the consumption of only small portions of fruits and vegetables. Your prephrase is that the correct answer will provide the rule described above to support the conclusion.
Answer choice (A): This choice is incorrect because it does not align with the facts in the stimulus. In this choice, it is the action itself that causes serious damage to the health of many people. The action taken by MacArthur was publishing the diet book. The author did not allege the publishing of the book damaged the health of many people. Rather it was the readers’ adherence to the diet that was unhealthful. Also, the person in this choice knows the action will have the damaging effect. However, it is not clear in the stimulus that MacArthur actually knew the diet he recommended was unhealthful, though at very least he should have known.
Answer choice (B): Unlike the argument in the stimulus, this choice provides a rule governing an individual’s action concerning their own health. In the stimulus, this rule would be applicable to the readers of MacArthur’s book, rather than to MacArthur.
Answer choice (C): This choice states when a person should publish a book. By contrast, the conclusion in the stimulus was that MacArthur should not have published the book.
Answer choice (D): This choice has no effect on the conclusion because you are given no information regarding whether MacArthur knew his recommended diet could bring about the goal of the dieters, which presumably was to lose weight.
Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice, because it precisely fits the facts provided in the stimulus, making the rule applicable to MacArthur’s situation and supporting the conclusion. Inserting the facts from the stimulus into the words of the answer choice yields: MacArthur should not have published a book recommending such small portions of fruits and vegetables because he knew or ought to have known that following such a diet would be unhealthful.