PrepTest 116, Section 4, Question 21
Most scientists who study the physiological effects of(447 more words not shown)
In the first paragraph, the(16 more words not shown)
- Ademonstrate that discoveries(10 more words not shown)
- Bprovide evidence for(14 more words not shown)
- Cargue that traditional(12 more words not shown)
- Dsuggest that a(6 more words not shown)
- Erefute the argument(8 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
My first thought is that the old belief supplies context. People suspected something distinctive about wine long before these recent studies, while scientists generally treated wine as just another source of alcohol.
What we’re looking for
What job does that contrast do here? It helps set up the question the new research investigates.
Working the answers
- A
One example doesn't establish that science often confirms popular beliefs. That broader pattern isn't being argued for.
- B
The fact that people believed wine was healthful isn't itself evidence that it changes the physiological factors listed later. The research findings provide that evidence.
- C
We don't get a ranking of traditional belief and scientific evidence as equally important. The belief raises a possibility to investigate; it isn't granted the same authority as research.
- DCorrect
This sharpens the context prediction. The old belief suggests the scientists' alcohol-only assumption might overlook something about wine. It introduces a reason to question the assumption, before the author develops the case with research.
- E
No argument that science should follow popular beliefs is introduced and refuted. The belief is being used to raise a question, not to conduct that broader debate about scientific method.
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