Self-study
Researchers examined 100 people suffering from herniated disks in their backs. ████ ██ ████ ████ █████ ██ ████ █ ██████ ██ █ ██████████ █████ ███ ███████████ ████ ████████ ███ ██████ ███ ███ ██ ████████ ████ ███ █████ ██ █████ ██████ ████ ███ ███ ███████ ███████ ████ █████████ ████ ███ ███████ ██████ █████████ ███ ██████████ ██ █████████ ██████
Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
The researchers hypothesize a person with the genetic defect is more likely to have a herniated disk. Why? Because 5 of 100 people with herniated disks had the defect, while 0 of 100 people without herniated disks had the defect.
Notable Assumptions
The researchers assume the correlation they found is explained by a causal relationship—that the genetic defect causes an increased likelihood of suffering a herniated disk. This means assuming no other causal relationship explains the phenomenon. It also means assuming their samples were representative of the general population.
5.
Which one of the following, ██ █████ ████ ███████████ ███ ████████████ ██████████
a
The researchers also ████████ █ █████ ██ ███ ██████ ███ ███ ███ ████ ███ █████████ █████ ██ ████ █████ ██ ████ █████████ █████ ██ █████ ██████
If anything, this weakens the researchers’ argument. It suggests lacking the genetic defect—rather than having it—makes suffering a herniated disk more likely.
b
When the researchers ████████ █ █████ ██ ███ ██████ ████ ███ █████████ █████ ████ █████ ████ █ ██ ████ ███ █████████ █████ ██ █████ ██████
If anything, this weakens the researchers’ argument. It implies having the genetic defect doesn’t make the likelihood of suffering a herniated disk all that high.
c
When the researchers ████████ ███ ████████ ██ ███ █ ████████ ███ ███ ███ █████████ █████ ████ █████ ████ ██ ██████ ███████ ████ ███ ███ █████████ █████ ███ ████ ██ ████ ████████ ████ █████████ ██████
This implies a stronger correlation between the genetic defect and herniated disks. It’s more evidence that people with the defective gene tend to suffer herniated disks.
Plausibility
Plausibility
Presenting evidence that corroborates (in Strengthen) or conflicts (in Weaken) with the author's hypothesized explanation or the predictions that follow from that explanation.
d
Another team of ███████████ ████████ █ █████████ █████ ██ ███ ██████ ███ ████████ ████ █████████ ██████ ███ ████ █████ ████ ████ ██ ████ ███ ███ █████████ █████
This weakens the researchers’ argument. It suggests the findings were not replicable, raising the possibility the researchers’ study was anomalous or poorly designed.
Directionally wrong
Directionally wrong
Answers that, if they have any effect, do the opposite of what we want (weaken when we're trying to strengthen, or strengthen when we're trying to weaken).
e
When the researchers ████████ ███ ██████ ██ ███ ██ ███ ████████ ███ ███ ███ ██████ ████ █████████ ██████ ████ █████ ██ ██████ ███████ ███ ███ ███ ████ ███ █████████ █████ ███ ██ ██ ████ ████████ ████ █████████ ██████
This weakens the researchers’ argument. It implies a different genetic or behavioral factor, other than the genetic defect in question, is likely responsible for the increased likelihood of herniated disks.