PrepTest 122, Section 4, Question 9
Executive: In order to add to our profits,(57 more words not shown)
The executive's reasoning most closely(8 more words not shown)
- ATo be reliable,(14 more words not shown)
- BIf a majority(19 more words not shown)
- CConsulting reliable publications(23 more words not shown)
- DIt would not(18 more words not shown)
- EThe promotion and(22 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
An ineffective product can still sell. The executive set out to make money, so why has the discussion turned entirely to whether the tinctures work medically?
I can see a possible connection. Selling something ineffective might damage the company's reputation, and customers might refuse to buy it. But neither result is guaranteed. Customers might believe the advertising, buy the product, and bring the company a profit even though reliable medical sources say it doesn't work. Medical effectiveness and profitability are different things.
What we’re looking for
The question asks for the generalization that best fits the executive's reasoning. We aren't being asked to repeat our objection. We need the rule the executive is relying on to move from these authorities' negative assessments to the conclusion about profits. I'd expect a rule saying that products judged ineffective won't be profitable.
Working the answers
- A
The reliability of the publications is already given. We don't need a rule explaining what evidence makes a publication reliable. Even if every publication satisfied this rule, we would still need a connection between its medical assessment and the company's profits.
- B
This stays entirely on the medical side. It would support believing that a substance really is ineffective when most reliable sources say so. But even an ineffective substance might be profitable. Also, a variety of publications isn't necessarily a majority of all reliable sources. Neither part supplies the needed move to a financial conclusion.
- C
This is closer to our criticism than to the executive's reasoning. It says consulting the publications isn't enough to decide profitability. The executive does use their assessments to conclude that the plan won't achieve its financial goal. A rule saying that basis is inadequate challenges the move we're asked to describe.
- D
Adverse medical effects are harmful effects. The publications say the tinctures are ineffective, which could mean they do nothing at all. A rule about products that hurt people doesn't cover products that merely fail to help them. D mentions profitability but connects it to the wrong medical condition.
- ECorrect
This supplies the rule the executive's reasoning needs: if reliable authorities declare a product ineffective, promoting and distributing it won't be profitable. The publications provide the first part, and the executive draws the second. Whether we agree with this generalization is separate from whether it accurately captures the argument's move.
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