PrepTest 138, Section 2, Question 1
Technician: Laboratory mice that are used for research(43 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(8 more words not shown)
- AThe conditions under(14 more words not shown)
- BIf laboratory mice(19 more words not shown)
- CResearch using laboratory(19 more words not shown)
- DThose who conduct(11 more words not shown)
- ELaboratory mice that(19 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Small cages sound unpleasant for the mice. Is the technician about to make an animal-welfare argument? That would be one possible direction, but watch what the final sentence adds: these conditions also hurt the research.
Even someone focused entirely on improving human health has a reason to care about how the mice are housed. The technician says that research becomes less reliable when animals live in an environment that is not normal for them. Small cages are not normal for mice. Put those facts together, and the housing conditions undermine the reliability of the research using those mice.
What we’re looking for
We're asked what follows from the statements. We don't need to decide how much room a mouse should have or whether animal research should be allowed. We need the connection the technician has already supplied: abnormal conditions mean reduced reliability, and these mice are being kept in abnormal conditions. That supports a criticism of the research, though it doesn't mean every result is wrong or that nothing can be learned.
Working the answers
- A
The technician describes the current conditions and a problem with them. That doesn't tell us whether the conditions will change. The laboratories might improve the housing tomorrow, or they might keep using the same cages. Either possibility fits the statements.
- B
Fixing this problem wouldn't necessarily fix every problem with using mice. Perhaps some aspect of mouse biology makes a particular result difficult to apply to humans. Better housing would address the concern identified here, but the technician hasn't established that better housing alone makes the research appropriate.
- CCorrect
The conditions compromise the research because they make it less reliable. The mice are usually housed in an environment that is not normal for them, and the technician explicitly connects abnormal animal environments with diminished research reliability. C combines those statements without claiming that the research is completely worthless.
- D
Finding a problem doesn't establish what researchers will do about it. They might develop new techniques, change the housing, or make no changes. The technician hasn't predicted their response.
- E
We were told about mice used in research aimed at improving human health. Nothing compares their housing with the housing used in other kinds of research. Those other mice could also be kept in small cages.
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