PrepTest 117, Section 4, Question 14
Scientists hypothesize that a particular type of fat(66 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(7 more words not shown)
- AAdults whose diets(15 more words not shown)
- BA fetus typically(16 more words not shown)
- CBabies whose mothers(11 more words not shown)
- DBabies generally prefer(7 more words not shown)
- EThe eyesight of(9 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Why pick P-fat out of all the differences between the babies? The formula group receives less P-fat and tends to have worse eyesight. But mother's milk could differ from formula in some other relevant ingredient. There could also be other differences between the groups. Seeing the two features together doesn't isolate P-fat as the cause.
Then the passage adds premature babies. What do they tell us about P-fat? Being born early could affect development in many ways. To use that observation as evidence for this particular fat, we would need a connection between prematurity and receiving less P-fat.
What we’re looking for
We're asked to strengthen the hypothesis. My first choice would be evidence that isolates P-fat: otherwise comparable babies receive different amounts, and the lower-P-fat group develops worse eyesight. That would help separate this explanation from the alternatives. We should also watch for evidence that makes the premature-birth observation relevant to the hypothesis.
Working the answers
- A
This offers some support for a connection between P-fat and eyesight, but the hypothesis specifically concerns developing eyesight. An association in adults doesn't directly establish the fat's role in that development. It is worth considering, but B makes a more direct connection to the infant evidence we're given.
- BCorrect
Babies born five or six weeks early miss the last four weeks of pregnancy, when a fetus typically receives high levels of P-fat. Now the observation about their poorer eyesight becomes relevant: that group also misses an important period of P-fat supply.
This isn't the controlled comparison I initially wanted, and other effects of prematurity could still matter. But B connects the previously unexplained evidence to the proposed cause. It strengthens the hypothesis without proving that P-fat is the only factor or that its absence always prevents eyesight from developing.
- C
This is about whether a mother's poor eyesight tends to be shared by her baby. It doesn't tell us that the compared feeding groups differed in their mothers' eyesight, or link P-fat with development. It doesn't explain the premature-birth observation the way B does.
- D
What the babies prefer doesn't tell us which ingredient helps their eyesight develop. They could prefer one food for its taste regardless of P-fat's effect. We need evidence about the proposed role of the fat, not preference for a type of feeding.
- E
The final trimester is a broader period than the final five or six weeks. Development could occur earlier in that trimester, before the premature births described. More fundamentally, E doesn't say anything about P-fat. It might suggest a general reason prematurity matters, but doesn't connect that reason to this particular hypothesis. B supplies that missing connection.
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