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- Posts: 8950
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- Fri Jan 21, 2011 12:00 am
#23938
Complete Question Explanation
Method of Reasoning-CE. The correct answer choice is (B)
Whenever the stimulus begins by describing a widely held belief, you can be sure that the author’s conclusion will counter it. In this case, the author challenges the view that eating chocolate can cause acne by suggesting an alternate cause for both eating chocolate and having acne – stress. This method of argumentation is best illustrated in Answer choice (B).
Answer choice (A): The recent scientific studies provide counterevidence that call into question the position itself (i.e. that chocolate can cause acne), not the accuracy of the evidence advanced in its support. The author never suggested that people are mistaken in their belief that eating large amounts of chocolate is followed by an outbreak of acne.
Counterarguments rarely challenge the accuracy of the evidence supporting the opposing position. Usually, they seek to establish that this evidence is inconclusive, not that it’s inaccurate.
Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice. The recent scientific studies point to an alternative interpretation of the evidence that eating large amounts of chocolate is followed by an outbreak of acne.
Answer choice (C): Even though the author’s argument is based on scientific evidence, she does not invoke the superior authority of science in order to dismiss out of hand the position being challenged. The author’s counterargument is well-reasoned. This answer choice is incorrect.
Answer choice (D): Given that the author cites scientific studies that are recent, it would be premature to conclude that the widely held belief is inconsistent with well-established facts. This answer choice is incorrect.
Answer choice (E): This may seem like an attractive answer choice at first, since the author does provide a counterexample challenging an implicit assumption (i.e. that eating chocolate must be the only cause for the outbreaks of acne). However, the author never concluded that effects sometime precede their causes: this would be both illogical and inconsistent with her argument, which made no statement regarding the temporal sequence between the cause and the effect in question.
Method of Reasoning-CE. The correct answer choice is (B)
Whenever the stimulus begins by describing a widely held belief, you can be sure that the author’s conclusion will counter it. In this case, the author challenges the view that eating chocolate can cause acne by suggesting an alternate cause for both eating chocolate and having acne – stress. This method of argumentation is best illustrated in Answer choice (B).
Answer choice (A): The recent scientific studies provide counterevidence that call into question the position itself (i.e. that chocolate can cause acne), not the accuracy of the evidence advanced in its support. The author never suggested that people are mistaken in their belief that eating large amounts of chocolate is followed by an outbreak of acne.
Counterarguments rarely challenge the accuracy of the evidence supporting the opposing position. Usually, they seek to establish that this evidence is inconclusive, not that it’s inaccurate.
Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice. The recent scientific studies point to an alternative interpretation of the evidence that eating large amounts of chocolate is followed by an outbreak of acne.
Answer choice (C): Even though the author’s argument is based on scientific evidence, she does not invoke the superior authority of science in order to dismiss out of hand the position being challenged. The author’s counterargument is well-reasoned. This answer choice is incorrect.
Answer choice (D): Given that the author cites scientific studies that are recent, it would be premature to conclude that the widely held belief is inconsistent with well-established facts. This answer choice is incorrect.
Answer choice (E): This may seem like an attractive answer choice at first, since the author does provide a counterexample challenging an implicit assumption (i.e. that eating chocolate must be the only cause for the outbreaks of acne). However, the author never concluded that effects sometime precede their causes: this would be both illogical and inconsistent with her argument, which made no statement regarding the temporal sequence between the cause and the effect in question.
