Logical Reasoning Problem Set #1, Question #41

[ronnieronnie]

Hi Guys,

I'm having trouble understanding how the stimulus leads to answer choice D for this one. I selected answer A, could you please explain.

Thanks,
Ronnie

[Steve Stein]

Hi Ronnie,

Thanks for your question. It would be helpful to know how you responded to the question. Were you able to break down the stimulus at all? How did you arrive at answer choice A?

Let me know--thanks!

~Steve

[ronnieronnie]

Hi Steve,

Well I attacked the stimulus first by identifying the question as a Principle Method question, so I tried to prephrase it generally so that I could narrow down the answer choices. My prephrase was something like "if a patient has one of two possible diseases, it's better to treat the possible disease than to not treat any disease". Answer choice A most closely reflected that for me.


Thanks,
Ronnie

[Steve Stein]

Thanks for your response--that one is sort of tough to prephrase, because you're looking for a principle that would dictate the outcome described in the stimulus--that when only one treatment is known for one of two indistinguishable diseases, you should use the treatment and hope for the best.

Answer choice A has a couple of problems: first, it says that it is more important to treat the diseases than distinguish them. In this case it's not about what is more important, so much as whether or not the remedy should be attempted. Second, this choice refers to treating the diseases. That's not a possibility in this case, because only one of the diseases has a known cure.

Answer choice D, on the other hand, provides, in basic terms, that when there are two possibilities beyond your control, and success is only possible if one of the diseases is present, the strategy should be based on the assumption that the treatable disease is the one that is indeed present.

Tricky question! Let me know whether this makes sense--thanks!

~Steve