PT146.S1.Q5

PrepTest 146 - Section 1 - Question 5

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Researchers asked 100 fifty-year-olds and 100 twenty-year-olds whether they gave blood. Because nearly twice as many fifty-year-olds as twenty-year-olds reported that they sometimes gave blood, the researchers concluded that, on average, fifty-year-olds are more altruistic than twenty-year-olds. But there is reason for skepticism. Many people hesitate to admit that their behavior does not conform to societal expectations.

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5.

The reasoning above calls into question a conclusion drawn from statistical data by

a

showing that the data are based on an unrepresentative sample

There’s no comment about the background/features of people who were part of the study. What the author’s suggesting is that we can’t trust the “reports.” This doesn’t mean the samples were unrepresentative.

4%
b

offering an alternative explanation of some of the data

The author suggests that one reason the 50-year-olds might have reported donating blood at a higher rate than the 20-year-olds reported doing so is that many 50-year-olds might not have wanted to admit that they didn’t donate.

87%
c

showing that one cannot directly observe altruism

The author could believe that it’s possible to directly observe altruism (for ex., we see someone give away a ton of money for free). The author doesn’t show that this is impossible to observe. What she suggeests is that some 50-year-olds might be lying about donating blood.

8%
d

criticizing the motives of the researchers

The author doesn’t say anything about the motives of the researchers. She simply comments on an alternative explanation for the results of the study.

0%
e

offering a specific counterexample

The author doesn’t bring up a 50-year-old who didn’t donate, or a 20-year-old who did. (These aren’t “counterexamples” anyway, since you can’t have a counterexample to an average or a general tendency, which already allow for exceptions.)

1%

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