Self-study
The level of triglycerides in the blood rises when triglycerides are inadequately metabolized. ████████ █████ ████ ████████ ████ █████ ████████████ ██████ █████ █ █████████ ███ ██████████ ███ █████ ██ █████ ██ █████ ███████ ██ ███████ █████ ██ ██ ██████ ████ █████████ █████ ███████ ██ ████ █████████ ██████ ██ ████████ ████ █████ ██ ████████ ████████████ ██████ ██ ███ ██████ ██ █ ██████ ███████ █████ ████████
Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
The author concludes that eating lots of fat, processed sugar, or alcohol, can contribute to heart disease. This is based on the fact that these things increase blood triglyceride levels, and the hypothesis that higher blood triglyceride increases the risk of heart disease. This hypothesis is based on research that shows a correlation between blood triglyceride levels above 1 milligram per millileter and higher likelihood of heart attacks.
Notable Assumptions
The author assumes that there’s no other explanation for the correlation observed betwen blood triglyceride levels and heart attacks. The author also assumes that there aren’t other things in fat, processed sugar, and alcohol that tend to decrease the risk of heart attacks.
20.
Which one of the following, ██ █████ ████ ███████ ███ █████████
a
People with a ████████ ████ ███ ██████ ██ ████████ ████████ ████████ ████████ ███ ████ ████ ██████ ██ ███████ █████ ███████ ████ ███ █████████ ██████ ████ █ ███████ █████
This suggests physical activity is also a causal factor in heart disease. But this doesn’t suggest high fat consumption isn’t also a causal factor. (A) could have been correct if we knew that people with high blood triglyceride on average exercise a less than others.
Failed alternate explanation
Failed alternate explanation
Weaken Qs: Answers that try to introduce an alternate explanation, but fall short, or try to explain a different phenomenon.
Strengthen Qs: Answers that try to eliminate an alternate explanation, but fall short, or try to eliminate an explanation for a different phenomenon.
Illusory inconsistency
Illusory inconsistency
Answer is attractive because it seems to (but doesn't actually) contradict the premises or conclusion.
b
Triglyceride levels above █ ██████████ ███ ██████████ ████████ ███ ████ ██ ████ ███████ █████████ ███ ███████ ██ █████ ████████
Other diseases aren’t relevant to whether triglyceride levels are a causal factor in heart disease.
c
Shortly after a ██████ ██████ ██ █████████ ███████ ███████ ███ █████████ ██████ ████ ████████ ████████████ ██████ ████ █████████████
This strengthens the connection between consumption of alcohol/sugar and triglyceride. This is consistent with the author’s reasoning.
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).
d
Heart disease interferes ████ ███ ██████ ███████ ██ ██████████ ██████████████
This suggests an alternate explanation for the correlation between higher blood triglyceride levels and heart attacks. If heart disease interferes with triglyceride metabolization, it would lead to higher blood triglyceride. This suggests the cause and effect could be reversed.
Alternate explanation
Alternate explanation
Weaken: Introduce or support an alternate explanation for a phenomenon.
Strengthen: Helps to eliminate an alternate explanation for a phenomenon.
e
People who maintain ██████ ████████ ███ █████ ██████ ████ ██ █████ ███████ █████ ███ ██ █████ ███████ ███ █████████ ██████
This has no impact, because we don’t know whether the people on these low-fat and low-sugar diets are more or less likely than others to have heart attacks.
Failed alternate explanation
Failed alternate explanation
Weaken Qs: Answers that try to introduce an alternate explanation, but fall short, or try to explain a different phenomenon.
Strengthen Qs: Answers that try to eliminate an alternate explanation, but fall short, or try to eliminate an explanation for a different phenomenon.