#20 - Global Reference, Must Be True

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

(See the complete passage discussion here: lsat/viewtopic.php?t=14270)

GR, Must. The correct answer choice is (C)

The answer to this question cannot really be prephrased, but it must pass the Fact Test and be
confirmed by the information presented in the passage.

Answer choice (A): There is no basis in the passage for a broad statement about most clinical trials,
and the author does not comment on whether or not appropriate standards are generally met. This
choice fails the Fact Test and cannot be the right answer to this Must Be True question.

Answer choice (B): Although the author does argue for a less restrictive ethical standard, there is
no discussion in the passage about whether or not trials would be held more often under a different
standard.

Answer choice (C): This is the correct answer choice. At the end of the second paragraph, the
author asserts, “...if the standard of theoretical equipoise is adhered to, few comparative clinical trials
could commence and even fewer could proceed to completion.”

Answer choice (D): Although there has been a traditional standard, that does not mean that most
doctors and ethicists agree that it is the proper standard, so this choice fails the Fact Test and should
be eliminated from contention.

Answer choice (E): The author does not say that the majority of comparative trials are undertaken to
help resolve conflicts in opinion—they might be intended simply to test various new treatments, for
example. Since the author does not make this claim, this choice cannot be the right answer choice.

[LustingFor!L]

My support for answer choice C came from Line 20, "an ideal hardly attainable in practice". Is that thinking equally correct as the explanation for C above?

Thank you!

[Jonathan Evans]

Yes, Lusting, actually, upon my independent analysis of this passage and question, I used exactly the same evidence to come to this answer, so I certainly hope we're correct!

Clearly, there are multiple sources of evidence in the passage to support answer choice (C).

Good job!

[smm]

I'm having a difficulty seeing how B is not also right. The passage discusses how theoretical equipoise, with its strict standards, greatly limits the number of comparative clinical trials that can commence. The passage considers this limiting factor to be an issue and suggests adhering to clinical equipoise, which has less strict standards, implying that clinical equipoise would allow more comparative clinical trials. No?

[Francis O'Rourke]

The author says that the strict standards make it difficult to conduct many trials that follow theoretical equipose. Line 29 says "if the standard is adhered to, few comparative trials could commence..." This does not tell us how often the standard is actually adhered to.

According to the author, this is an "ideal hardly attainable in practice." The author does not say that when researchers are unable to attain the ideal, they shut down trials. Rather, it is possible that there are a great number of trials that fail to lie up to the ideals.