PrepTest 151, Section 4, Question 11
A new treatment for muscle pain that looked(32 more words not shown)
The flawed nature of the(17 more words not shown)
- Asince the judges(22 more words not shown)
- Bsince some people(17 more words not shown)
- Csince some foods(16 more words not shown)
- Dsince all scarves(18 more words not shown)
- Esince all members(25 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Bad studies don't necessarily mean a bad treatment.
The studies produced positive results, but their methods had critical flaws. That gives us a reason to question the results. It doesn't tell us that a properly conducted study would find the treatment ineffective. We may simply be left uncertain about whether it works.
What we’re looking for
To demonstrate the mistake with a parallel, look for something receiving a favorable evaluation, followed by a problem with the evaluation process. The flawed conclusion will turn that problem into a negative judgment about the thing evaluated: the test was bad, so the thing is probably bad too.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
The cake's victory corresponds to the treatment's positive results. The judges are the evaluators, and their inconsistent criteria correspond to the studies' flawed methods. We therefore have a reason to question how confidently the result establishes the cake's quality.
But the cake could still be delicious. A problem with the judging doesn't establish that it is probably bad, just as flawed studies don't establish that the treatment probably fails. The details of the testing differ, but the important move is the same: discredit the favorable evaluation, then treat that as evidence against the thing evaluated.
- B
This infers a motive from people's continuing to fish despite rarely catching anything. Perhaps they enjoy the setting or the activity itself. Whether that conclusion is warranted or not, there is no favorable evaluation being discredited and no negative verdict about an evaluated object. Unsuccessful fishing isn't playing the role of a flawed study of a promising treatment.
- C
A diet can include foods with little nutritional value alongside other foods that provide needed nutrients. C moves from the nutritional weakness of some foods to a judgment about the people eating them, without considering the rest of their diets. That's a part-versus-whole problem. It doesn't identify flawed testing and then infer that the tested item is bad.
- D
Being somewhat decorative now doesn't show that scarves originally served only a decorative purpose. They might also have served another purpose. This changes both the degree of decoration and the time being discussed. There is no unreliable evaluation being used to reach an unfavorable conclusion about something.
- E
Having a financial stake gives council members a possible self-interested motive. It doesn't establish that every proposal has only that motive; they could also want to improve the city. E turns one possible motive into the exclusive motive. Unlike the original, it doesn't reject a favorable test result and conclude that the tested thing lacks the favorable quality.
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