LR Drill Set 7, Question 6
Ethicist: Recently, a student working on the research(54 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(8 more words not shown)
- AIf a research(17 more words not shown)
- BA student should(15 more words not shown)
- CAllowing the dissemination(19 more words not shown)
- DA person who(15 more words not shown)
- EFinal responsibility for(15 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
The student fabricated the data. Does that leave the project leader off the hook?
Dr. Langley wants the student to shoulder the blame. That's understandable as an initial reaction: the student produced the fraudulent results. But the ethicist blames Langley for a different failure—letting the results circulate without preventive checks or repeated experiments.
How much checking was his responsibility?
We could imagine expecting a leader to trust competent people rather than personally verify everything. Or we could make the leader ultimately responsible for the project's accuracy, even when a subordinate generates the data. The passage needs a standard that explains why Langley's failure to check deserves criticism.
What we’re looking for
For the principle question, I'd look for that responsibility rule. The useful connection is from being the research leader to being accountable for the accuracy of the work released. That can justify criticizing Langley's supervision without pretending the student did nothing wrong.
Working the answers
- A
This rule applies when a leader suspects fraud. We aren't told that Langley suspected anything before the data were released. The results appeared promising and later turned out to be fraudulent. A might justify repeating experiments in a suspected-fraud case, but it doesn't establish the preventive duty the ethicist invokes here.
- B
The ethicist isn't arguing that the student should escape responsibility because of unfamiliar research principles. The student produced fraudulent data, and the argument adds a reason to criticize the supervisor. Relieving the student of some duty wouldn't establish Langley's responsibility for checking the results.
- C
This concerns knowingly allowing fraudulent data to be released. Langley may have failed to discover the fraud precisely because he didn't check; that is different from already knowing the data were false. C's serious comparison doesn't help unless its knowledge condition is met, and the passage doesn't establish that condition.
- D
Langley does try to place blame on the student, so this is tempting. But D would justify chastising him for diverting responsibility. The ethicist criticizes his earlier failure to conduct preventive checks and repeat experiments before dissemination. Blaming someone for a later attempt to shift responsibility is not the same rationale as holding that person responsible for inadequate supervision.
- ECorrect
Final responsibility for data accuracy belongs to the project leader. Langley led the project, so the student's role in producing the data doesn't eliminate his responsibility for what the project released. That supports the ethicist's claim that he should have taken preventive steps, including having the experiments repeated. The principle assigns ultimate responsibility without saying that the student is blameless or that Langley must have known about the fraud.
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