PrepTest 129, Section 1, Question 7
After being subjected to clinical tests like those(62 more words not shown)
The test results would provide(16 more words not shown)
- APeople are likely(24 more words not shown)
- BThe herbal remedy(11 more words not shown)
- CNone of the(21 more words not shown)
- DThe researchers who(24 more words not shown)
- EThe prescription drug(14 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Why does being herbal mean that chemical agents aren't doing the work?
The clinical tests give us evidence that this remedy treats painful joints as effectively as a prescription drug that has been used successfully for that condition.
But a plant-based remedy can contain chemical agents. The fact that a substance comes from an herb rather than a prescription bottle doesn't settle what produces its effect. If an active chemical in the herb relieves the joint pain, the test would establish that another treatment works, without establishing that chemical agents are unnecessary.
What we’re looking for
The question asks for an assumption that makes the manufacturer's claimed proof work. We need to close that gap: the herbal remedy's success must not depend on chemical agents effective in treating painful joints. Then we would have an effective treatment that demonstrates those agents aren't required.
Working the answers
- A
Whether patients are likely to switch treatments concerns their behavior. The manufacturer is making a claim about what successful treatment requires. Even if everyone switched to the herbal remedy, its effectiveness might still come from chemical agents it contains.
- BCorrect
This rules out effective chemical agents in the herbal remedy. Combine that with the test results: the remedy successfully treats painful joints, yet it contains no chemical agents effective in treating that condition. That supplies the example needed to show that such agents are unnecessary for successful treatment. Notice the precision: B needn't claim the herb contains no chemicals whatsoever. It excludes chemicals that do the relevant therapeutic work.
- C
A participant's earlier experience with herbal remedies doesn't establish what makes this remedy effective. People who had never tried herbs could still benefit from a chemical agent in an herbal treatment. C leaves the manufacturer's central gap open.
- D
Having the same researchers analyze both sets of results doesn't establish that the herbal remedy works without effective chemical agents. We already have the reported comparison of effectiveness. The missing information concerns the remedy's active agents, not the researchers' identities.
- E
Successful treatment can involve relieving discomfort without eliminating its underlying cause. The passage concerns treating painful joints, not necessarily curing their cause. More importantly, this fact about the prescription drug doesn't tell us whether the herbal remedy's effect depends on a chemical agent.
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