PrepTest 152, Section 4, Question 3
Consumer: A new law requires all cigarette packaging(43 more words not shown)
The conclusion of the consumer's(11 more words not shown)
- AIf implementing certain(22 more words not shown)
- BIf those who(19 more words not shown)
- CAlmost all people(16 more words not shown)
- DThe new packaging(22 more words not shown)
- EMost people who(21 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
At first, that sounds plausible. If regular smokers reach for a cigarette without paying much attention to the pack, changing the pack might not do much. The law could still matter to people who haven't started smoking, but the consumer's conclusion concerns people who already smoke regularly.
Now the question asks us to make that conclusion follow. That sends me back to the jump: most regular smokers rarely look at the packaging, so their habits won't change. Why does rarely looking guarantee no effect? Perhaps an occasional look could matter. The argument hasn't established that frequent viewing is required before the packaging can change someone's behavior.
What we’re looking for
That's the connection I'd look for. If the packaging can affect a regular smoker's habits only when that person frequently looks at it while taking out cigarettes, the people who rarely look won't be affected. Since the argument says most regular smokers rarely look, that would give us its conclusion about most of them.
Working the answers
- A
This tells us when the regulations should be implemented. The consumer isn't deciding whether the law is a good idea; the consumer predicts what effect it will have. A recommendation to implement effective regulations doesn't establish that these regulations will be ineffective for most regular smokers.
- B
This gives a possible effect of looking frequently. But most regular smokers rarely look, so we still need to know what happens to those people. Even if frequent viewing makes a change likely, occasional viewing might change habits too. B doesn't rule that out.
- C
Knowing the risks doesn't make someone immune to a new response. A smoker could already know smoking is dangerous and still react differently to a disturbing picture. Familiarity with the information doesn't establish that the new packaging won't change habits.
- DCorrect
Frequent viewing is now a requirement for the packaging to affect a regular smoker's habits. Most regular smokers fail that requirement because they rarely look at the pack when taking out cigarettes. The packaging therefore cannot affect the habits of most regular smokers, which is exactly the conclusion we needed to establish.
- E
Failing to describe a logo doesn't establish that packaging has no influence. Someone might have poor recall of the old logo and still respond to a health warning or disturbing image. E leaves the connection between looking at the pack and changing smoking habits unresolved.
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