Edgar: Nurses who have been specially trained in administering anesthetics should be allowed to anesthetize patients without having to do so under a doctor’s supervision. After all, anesthesia has gotten remarkably safe in recent decades.

Janet: Although it’s true that nurse anesthetists receive excellent training, only doctors have the broader medical training to handle the rare emergencies that can arise.

Speaker 1 Summary
Nurses trained in administering anesthetics should be allowed to anesthetize patients without doctor supervision. Why? Because anesthesia has gotten remarkably safe in recent decades.

Speaker 2 Summary
Even though nurse anesthetists receive excellent training, only doctors have the broader training to handle rare emergencies that can arise.

Objective
We need a statement that Edgar and Janet disagree on. They disagree whether nurse anesthetists should have doctor supervision. Edgar disagrees because anesthesia has gotten safer. Janet agrees because only doctors have the necessary training to handle rare emergencies.

A
nurses should ever be allowed to anesthetize patients
Both speakers agree with this statement. Edgar thinks that nurses should be able to anesthetize patients without doctor supervision. Janet thinks that nurses should be able to anesthetize patients with doctor supervision.
B
emergencies that can develop from anesthesia are rare
Edgar does not express an opinion on this statement. Edgar thinks that anesthesia has gotten safer, but this is not necessarily equivalent to expressing that emergencies are rare.
C
nurses should be given more training in administering anesthetics
Neither speaker expresses an opinion on this statement. In fact, the speakers may disagree, since both acknowledge that nurse anesthetists are specially trained.
D
the safety of anesthesia has improved in recent decades
Janet does not express an opinion on this statement. Janet only expresses that only doctors are capable of handling rare emergencies.
E
the administration of anesthetics by a nurse should always be supervised by a doctor
Edgar and Janet disagree on this statement. Edgar disagrees and thinks nurse anesthetists should be able to anesthetize patients without doctor supervision. Janet agrees because only doctors are capable of handling a rare emergency.

2 comments

Researcher: It is widely believed that, given its northerly latitude, England’s mild winters must be due to the Gulf Stream, which brings warm water flowing northeastward across the Atlantic Ocean. But this belief is mistaken. While it is true that the Gulf Stream brings tropical water to England, in the Pacific Ocean the analogous Kuroshio Current brings tropical water only as far north as Oregon. Yet North America’s west coast has mild winters well north of that point.

Summarize Argument: Counter-Position
The author concludes that England’s mild winters are not due to the Gulf Stream, which brings warm water to England. The author bases this conclusion on the fact that parts of the west coast of North America have mild winters, even though those parts don’t get currents that bring warm water to them.

Identify Conclusion
The conclusion is the author’s rejection of the wide belief regarding the cause of England’s mild winters: “[T]his belief is mistaken.”

A
It is widely believed that England’s mild winters must be due to the Gulf Stream.
This is other people’s position. The author rejects this.
B
The belief that England’s mild winters must be due to the Gulf Stream is mistaken.
This restates the author’s conclusion.
C
It is true that the Gulf Stream brings tropical water to England.
This is a concession. Despite this point, however, the author concludes that the Gulf Stream does not cause England’s mild winters.
D
In the Pacific Ocean, the Kuroshio Current brings tropical water only as far north as Oregon.
This is part of the author’s support for the conclusion.
E
North America’s west coast has mild winters well north of Oregon.
This is part of the author’s support for the conclusion.

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