Self-study
Support Medications with an unpleasant taste are generally produced only in tablet, capsule, or soft-gel form. ███ ██████ ██████████ ██ ██████████ █ ██ █ ████ █████████ ████ ██████ ████████ ███ ████ ████ ██ ███████████ ███████ ███████ ██ ███ █ ███ ███████ ██████ ███ █████ ███ ███████ ██████████ █ ████ ███ ████ ████████ █████████████ ██████████ ███ ████████████ ███ ███ ███████████ ███████ █ ████ ████ ██████ ██ ████████ ██ ███████ █████
Summarize Argument
This argument proceeds by eliminating options. We are given a general rule: medicines with an unpleasant taste are generally produced only as tablets, capsules, or soft-gels. After explaining why medication M can't be produced as a tablet or a soft-gel, the author concludes that medication M will be produced as a capsule.
Notable Assumptions
Besides assuming that it is possible to turn medicine M into a capsule, and that the company has the means to do so, the author also assumes that the rule about being produced as a capsule, tablet, or soft-gel applies to medication M. This suggests that the author assumes medication M has an unpleasant taste.
3.
The conclusion is most strongly █████████ ██ ███ █████████ ██ ███ ████████ ██ █████ ███ ██ ███ █████████ ██ ████████
a
Medication M can ██ ████████ ██ ██████ █████
This just tells us one other way medication M can be produced. If anything, this could potentially weaken the argument by giving us another option besides capsules for medication M. But this information really doesn't tell us anything either way about the likelihood of medication M being produced as a capsule.
b
Medication M has ██ ██████████ ██████
This strengthens the argument. It justifies the author's application of the rule about capsules, tablets, or soft-gels to medication M. That rule applies to medications with an unpleasant taste, and now we know M is one of those medications.
c
No medication is ████████ ██ ████ ███████ ███ ████████ █████
This doesn't help the argument. We already know M won’t be produced as a soft-gel, because the company developing M can’t create soft-gels. Knowing that no medications at all are produced both as capsules and as soft-gels adds nothing to the author’s argument.
d
Most medications with █ ███ ███████ █████ ███ ████████ ██ ████████ █████
This doesn't help the argument. We already know M, despite its low melting point, can’t be produced as a soft-gel because the company developing M lacks the necessary technology.
e
Medications in capsule ████ █████ ████ ██████████ ████ █████ ██ ██████ ██ ████████ █████
It would be useful to know if M tastes unpleasant to begin with, because then we would know if the author is right to apply the rule to M. But knowing about differences in taste between capsules, tablets, and soft-gels doesn't add anything to the argument.