PT21.S2.Q3

PrepTest 21 - Section 2 - Question 3

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A new medication for migraine seems effective, but there is concern that the medication might exacerbate heart disease. ██ ████████ ████ █████ ███████ ████ ███ ██████████ █████ ███████ ███████ ████████████ ████████ ███████ ████ ███████ ███ ██████████ ██ ████████ ███ ███████ █████ █████ ████ ███████ ██ ████ ██████████

Structure: Counter-Argument

The author starts by introducing some people's concern that this new migraine medication will exacerbate heart disease. He then argues against this concern by pointing out that if people with heart disease take the medication under careful medical supervision, "harmful side effects can definitely be avoided." On this basis, he claims that concern about those side effects is "unfounded."

Analysis: Identify Assumptions

The author claims that "The concern about those side effects is unfounded." To be "unfounded" is to have no basis in reality; he is saying that there is no reason to be concerned that people taking this medication will exacerbate their heart disease. But the only reason the author provides against this concern is a conditional one: if people take this medication under careful medical supervision, then harmful side effects can be averted.

In other words, the author's argument requires the assumption that the sufficient condition will be met: i.e., that people with heart disease will only take this migraine under careful medical supervision. If many people won't, or if that level of careful medical supervision isn't available to everyone taking the medication, this undermines the author's claim that the concern about this medication is "unfounded."

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3.

The argument depends on which ███ ██ ███ █████████ ████████████

a

The new medication ████████ ██ █████████ ████ █████ ██ ████████ ████ █████ ████████

b

No migraine sufferers ████ █████ ███████ ████ ████ ███ ███ ██████████ ██████ █████ ███████ ███████ ████████████

c

Most migraine sufferers ███ ████ █████ ███ ███ ██████████ ██ ██████ ████ ███ █████ ████████

d

The new medication ███ ███████ █████ ████ ████████ ███ ████ ██ ███████ ██ ████ ██ ████████████ █████ ████████

e

The new medication ████ ████████ ███ ████████ ███████████ █████████ █████ █████

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