PrepTest 154, Section 2, Question 8
Editorial: If current trends continue, obesity will soon(44 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(10 more words not shown)
- ADoctors should not(14 more words not shown)
- BChanges in the(16 more words not shown)
- CDoctors do more(16 more words not shown)
- DDoctors should focus(14 more words not shown)
- EDoctors should be(10 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
If almost half the doctors don't feel qualified to advise patients about an important source of illness, more training sounds sensible. But let's be clear about what would justify that recommendation.
The first sentence says obesity could soon become the leading cause of preventable illness. That doesn't necessarily mean obesity itself is increasing. Other causes could be declining faster. A cause can move to the top of a list because the other entries shrink. Either way, the editorial presents obesity as an important cause doctors will encounter.
Then comes the survey: 45 percent don't feel qualified to advise on weight-related issues. Is that because they lack knowledge, lack confidence, or something else? We aren't told. The editorial responds by recommending additional training.
What we’re looking for
For the principle question, I want a rule saying doctors should be equipped to advise on this kind of problem. The evidence identifies the problem and the apparent shortfall; the principle needs to explain why addressing that shortfall belongs in doctors' training. We don't have to manufacture an elaborate objection to see the connection the recommendation needs.
Working the answers
- A
This restricts training to conditions with effective treatments. Even if obesity satisfies that restriction, satisfying it doesn't tell us doctors should receive more training. And the passage doesn't discuss which treatments exist. A gives us a possible barrier to training, not the reason for providing it that the argument needs.
- B
This permits a change in training only when treatment options change. We aren't told that treatment options have changed, so B introduces a requirement the editorial hasn't met. The argument recommends more training because of an important cause of illness and doctors' reported lack of qualification, not because a new treatment has appeared.
- C
A comparison favoring treatment of unpreventable illnesses doesn't support additional training about a cause of preventable illness. The editorial doesn't compare the good doctors do in those two areas. It focuses on whether doctors are equipped to deal with obesity.
- D
We would need to know that obesity is among the conditions doctors can treat most effectively. The passage never gives us that comparison. Being a leading cause of illness isn't the same as being especially easy or effective to treat.
- ECorrect
Obesity is presented as an underlying cause of preventable illness, and this principle says doctors should be adequately trained to treat such causes. The survey then supplies reason to think their preparation falls short. Together, those points support the recommendation for more training. E connects what doctors should be prepared for with the problem the editorial identifies.
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