PrepTest 130, Section 3, Question 21
Doctor: Medication to reduce blood pressure often has(41 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(8 more words not shown)
- AOther than medication,(20 more words not shown)
- BIf it is(28 more words not shown)
- CThe side effects,(27 more words not shown)
- DIf an alternative(30 more words not shown)
- EIf two different(21 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Unhealthy side effects don't automatically make a treatment a bad choice. If medication controls a serious blood-pressure problem, its benefits could outweigh those side effects. The doctor then gives us a relevant comparison: exercising more and avoiding fatty foods reduce blood pressure just as effectively.
That takes care of the intended benefit. What about the other effects of the lifestyle changes? Imagine an exercise routine that leaves someone exhausted or a dietary change that cuts out needed nutrition. We need information about their downsides before declaring the habits healthier overall.
What we’re looking for
I might also wonder whether people will actually follow the recommendations. But the conclusion is about which method is healthier, not whether everyone will adopt it. For the required assumption, the more direct question is how the side effects compare when the two methods are used. The medication's bad side effects cannot settle that comparison all by themselves.
Working the answers
- A
A third method could exist without changing the comparison between these two. The doctor doesn't claim that lifestyle changes are the only alternative to medication or the healthiest possible treatment. The argument concerns whether they are healthier than medication.
- B
This is a general rule taking greater healthiness to at least equal effectiveness. But equal effectiveness is already given for the methods in this argument. The doctor doesn't need a rule saying every healthier lifestyle alternative must be equally effective. In another situation, an alternative might be healthier overall despite a smaller effect on blood pressure because it avoided severe side effects. B's broad requirement is not needed here.
- CCorrect
The intended benefit is equal, so the argument depends on the lifestyle changes having less unhealthy side effects. If their side effects were equally unhealthy or worse, the doctor's stated reason would no longer establish that they are the healthier choice. Notice that C does not require the habits to have no side effects at all. It supplies the comparative advantage the reasoning needs.
- D
This says that every equally effective alternative to medication is always healthier, across medical conditions. The doctor only needs a claim about these lifestyle changes and this medication comparison. A rule covering every alternative for every condition could fail elsewhere while the argument about blood pressure still worked.
- E
This concerns methods with similar side effects and different effectiveness. Here the argument gives equal effectiveness and needs a comparison of side effects. E doesn't establish that comparison and therefore doesn't supply the needed assumption.
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