PrepTest 140, Section 2, Question 16
Some heartburn-medication advertisements imply that unrelieved heartburn is(56 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(10 more words not shown)
- AOnly those people(13 more words not shown)
- BAn increase in(20 more words not shown)
- CUnrelieved heartburn is(6 more words not shown)
- DSome heartburn-medication advertisements(10 more words not shown)
- EThe dangers touted(14 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
The advertisements suggest that leaving heartburn unrelieved is likely to cause esophageal cancer. The author says that suggestion is false. That's the disagreement to follow.
At first, the description of Barrett's esophagus might seem like a detour. What do these unusual cells have to do with the claim about cancer? The last sentence supplies the connection: according to the passage, only people with that condition have an increased cancer risk because of heartburn, and they make up about 5 percent of people with severe heartburn.
That subgroup could still have a reason for concern. We might also wonder whether the advertisements target that subgroup. But an increased risk isn't a guarantee of cancer, and denying that cancer is likely isn't the same as denying any possibility. Keep the author's actual claim intact.
What we’re looking for
For the main conclusion, unpack “This is simply false.” What is supposedly false? The advertisements' suggestion that unrelieved heartburn is likely to cause esophageal cancer. The medical details are the author's reasons for rejecting that suggestion.
Working the answers
- A
This states the restriction used as support: only people with Barrett's esophagus have the increased risk from heartburn. The author combines that restriction with how uncommon the condition is to challenge the advertisements' implication. A gives a reason for the conclusion, not the overall conclusion itself.
- B
This focuses on the biological detail used in the explanation. The argument's overall point is about whether unrelieved heartburn is likely to cause cancer, not a standalone account of which cells produce increased risk.
- CCorrect
Unrelieved heartburn is not likely to cause esophageal cancer. That is the author's rejection of the implication described in the first sentence. The 5 percent figure and the restriction on increased risk are offered to support it. C preserves “not likely”; it doesn't turn the conclusion into “can never cause cancer.”
- D
This reports what the advertisements imply. It introduces the position the author opposes. The author's conclusion is the rejection of that position, so stopping with the first sentence leaves out the point the argument makes.
- E
The argument doesn't establish who sees the advertisements. They could reach a group different from people with severe heartburn generally. In any event, the stated conclusion rejects the claim that heartburn is likely to cause cancer; it isn't a separate prediction about how many viewers will be affected.
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