PrepTest 120, Section 4, Question 6
Pain perception depends only partly on physiology.(61 more words not shown)
The claim that pain perception(16 more words not shown)
- AIt is an(6 more words not shown)
- BIt undermines the(3 more words not shown)
- CIt summarizes a(8 more words not shown)
- DIt is information(6 more words not shown)
- EIt is the(5 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Fewer soldiers asked for morphine. Does that mean their outlook changed how much pain they felt? Maybe. But we could also ask whether the soldiers and civilians had injuries of the same severity, or whether they differed in their willingness to request medication.
The author points us toward a difference in meaning. A wounded soldier could feel relieved simply to have survived. A civilian recovering from surgery might instead feel that something terrible had disrupted ordinary life. The same fact of being injured can fit very different expectations.
The cautious final sentence makes sense in that light: the meaning attached to a wound seems capable of affecting perceived pain. That supports the broader opening claim that pain perception depends only partly on the body. Something beyond physiology appears to matter too.
What we’re looking for
We're asked about the role of that opening claim. Don't automatically choose the last sentence as the main conclusion. Here, the example and the observation about meaning develop the point made at the start: physiology is only part of the explanation.
Working the answers
- A
An assumption would be something the argument relies on without supporting it. The author does offer support for this claim: the different responses of soldiers and civilians, followed by the explanation involving the meaning of the wound. The opening claim is what that discussion is meant to establish.
- B
It doesn't undermine the conclusion. It states the broad point the rest of the argument supports. If meaning can affect pain perception, then physiology alone doesn't account for that perception.
- C
The author isn't setting up this position to reject it. The soldiers-and-civilians example is presented in its favor. Nothing later says that pain perception depends entirely on physiology after all.
- D
The argument doesn't simply take this claim for granted. It gives evidence intended to support it. We can question whether that evidence rules out other explanations without changing the claim's role. Having imperfect support is different from having no support offered.
- ECorrect
This is the main conclusion: pain perception depends only partly on physiology. The comparison supplies evidence, and the closing statement explains how a person's interpretation of an injury could affect perceived pain. Together, they support the opening claim that the body isn't the whole story.
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