PrepTest 134, Section 1, Question 1
Sometimes it is advisable for a medical patient(73 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(11 more words not shown)
- ABecause of the(17 more words not shown)
- BIn cases in(20 more words not shown)
- CThe process of(11 more words not shown)
- DPhysicians who are(15 more words not shown)
- EIn many cases(15 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
A second opinion might be awkward. That doesn't mean getting one is a bad idea.
Imagine receiving a serious diagnosis and wanting another physician to check it. That seems understandable: doctors can make mistakes, and getting the diagnosis right matters. So when the author raises the possibility of hurt feelings, my reaction is, “Sure, but what about the patient's health?”
Keep reading, though. The author never concludes that patients should avoid second opinions. The point is simply that the process can be uncomfortable. The patient worries about offending the first doctor. That doctor may feel that seeking another opinion questions their competence. A second opinion “tacitly highlights” fallibility: without explicitly saying the doctor made a mistake, it acknowledges that a mistake is possible.
The second doctor has a different problem. Along with assessing the patient, they are evaluating a colleague's work. “Does this patient have the condition?” may also become “Did my colleague get this wrong?” We now have reasons for each person's discomfort.
What we’re looking for
The question asks for the overall conclusion. Where do those reasons lead? To the claim that seeking a second opinion can be awkward for everyone involved. If the author then said, “Therefore, don't seek one,” awkwardness would support that further recommendation. But that extra step never appears. We need the conclusion actually made, not a policy we could imagine someone building on it.
Working the answers
- A
The author doesn't recommend avoiding second opinions unless they are absolutely necessary. Awkwardness might be a drawback while getting another opinion remains a good idea. A adds a judgment about what patients should do that the argument never makes.
- B
This captures the concern about the first physician's pride. But why bring up that concern? To explain why the process can be awkward. It is one supporting reason, limited to one participant, rather than the overall point about the people involved.
- CCorrect
Obtaining a second medical opinion can be awkward for those involved. The patient worries about offending someone, the first physician confronts possible fallibility, and the second physician evaluates a colleague. Each detail supports this broader claim.
- D
The second physician's discomfort supplies another reason for the conclusion. It doesn't capture the whole argument, which includes the patient and the first physician too. Also, “always uncomfortable” is stronger than the main claim that the process can be awkward.
- E
Patients' concern about offending the first physician explains their part of the awkwardness. That concern supports the conclusion; it isn't the conclusion itself. An answer can accurately describe something in the passage and still give the wrong statement's role.
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