Self-study
Medical researcher: Scientists compared a large group of joggers who habitually stretch before jogging to an equal number of joggers who do not stretch before jogging. ████ ██████ ██ ███████ ████████ ███████ ███ ████ ██████ ██ █████████ ████ █████████ ████ ██████████ ██████ ███████ ████ ███ ████ ██ ███████ █████████
Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
In a study, joggers who habitually stretch before jogging experienced about the same number of injuries as joggers who didn’t stretch before jogging. The author believes this statistic shows stretching before jogging doesn’t help prevent injuries.
Notable Assumptions
The author assumes that there isn’t another explanation for why joggers who stretch get injuries at the same rate as joggers who don’t stretch. For example, the author’s overlooking the possibility that joggers who stretch start off with a higher chance of injury than joggers who don’t stretch. (Maybe joggers who stretch tend to be older and weaker?)
13.
Which one of the following, ██ █████ █████ ████ ██████ ███ ███████ ████████████ █████████
a
For both groups ██ ███████ ████████ ██ ███ ███████████ ███ ████ ██ ███████ ████████ ██████ ███ █████ ███ █████ ████ ███ ███████ ████ ██ ███████ █████████
Regardless of how the groups compared to the average joggers outside of the study, we still know that, within the study, the stretching group and non-stretching group had the same number of injuries. That still needs to be explained.
b
Among the joggers ██ ███ ██████ ████████ ██ ███ ███████████ ████ ██ █████ ██████████ ███████ █████ ███████ ███████████ ██████████ ██ █████ ███████ ██ ███████ ██████████
We still know the stretching group and non-stretching group had the same number of injuries. Regardless of difficulty during stretching, we still know the stretching group stretched before jogging. (B) doesn’t suggest that the stretching group didn’t actually stretch.
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.
c
Most jogging injuries ██████ ████ ██████ ███████████ ███ █████ ███████ ██ █████ ███ ███████████ █████████ ████ ██████████ █████ ████ ██████ ██ ███ ███████
This supports the hypothesis that stretching doesn’t help prevent jogging injuries.
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
The more prone █ ██████ ██ ██ ███████ █████████ ███ ████ ██████ ██ ██ ███ ██ ██ ███████ ███ █████ ██ ██████████ █████████ ██████ ████████
This raises the possibility that stretching might reduce jogging injuries, but the two groups had the same number of injuries because the stretching group began with a higher chance of injury than the non-stretching group.
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
Studies have found █████ ███ ███████ █████ ██ █████████ ██████████ ██████████ ███ ██████ ███ ████████ ██ ████████ █████████ ████ ████ █████████
The conclusion is about stretching before jogging, and it’s based on a study about stretching before jogging. Other studies about other kinds of exercise don’t affect how we should interpret the results of the jogging study described by the stimulus.