答案解析
Prep2012-Pack1-CR-046 VCR005617 Medium
Reasoning
What additional information would cast the most doubt on the value of the study as evidence for the argument's conclusion? The argument‘s conclusion is that the meditation treatment tends to be more effective than the drug treatment for people with high blood pressure. The study found that, although both the drugs and the meditation techniques lower high blood pressure over the long run, the patients studied were more to stick with the meditation techniques than the drugs over the long run. The argument then concludes that this must be true for most people treated for high blood pressure. But this assumes that the patients studied were typical of people treated for high blood pressure. If the patients studied were unusually likely to stick with the meditation or unusually unlikely to keep taking the drugs, then the study's conclusions might not hold for most people treated for high blood pressure.
A. Whether dietary changes also lower high blood pressure is irrelevant to whether meditation tends to be more
effective than drugs.
B. Correct. If the study chose patients who were especially willing to meditate, then the patients in the study were probably more likely to continue meditating over the long run than most people treated for high blood pressure would be. Thus the revelation that the sample used in the study was biased in this manner indicates that the study provides poor support for generalizations about people treated for high blood pressure.
C. This answer option neither claims nor anything about the study. Therefore, it does not weaken the value of the study as evidence for the argument's conclusion.
D. It is not surprising that some of those in the study sample whose blood pressure was controlled successfully through meditation were physicians. Many physicians in the population at large almost certainly are treated for high blood pressure. Therefore, neither the information that the study sample included physicians treated for high blood pressure nor the more specific information given in this answer option would indicate that the study sample was unrepresentative of people in general treated for high blood pressure.
E. People unaware of their high blood pressure generally do not start any treatment for it. That means that no such people participated in the study. But the study and the conclusions drawn from it are about people who start treatment for high blood pressure. The information provided here about people not treated for high blood pressure is irrelevant to what occurs with people who are treated for high blood pressure.
The correct answer is B.
Prep2012-Pack1-CR-047 VCR005663 Medium
Reasoning
What would provide the strongest evidence that the town council’s plan will work despite the problem noted by the birdwatcher? By doubling the beach area for the horseshoe crabs to nest in, the town council hopes to get more crabs and hence more crab eggs for birds to eat, thus attracting more birds and hopefully more bird-loving tourists.
The birdwatcher points out that if the crabs spread out more on the larger beach, fewer of their eggs will get uncovered for the birds to eat. Consequently, the town might actually end up with fewer birds and fewer tourists. But the birdwatcher assumes that the crabs will not fill up the larger beach as densely as they fill up the current, small beach. If the mayor can cite evidence that the doubled beach area will fill up with at least twice as many crabs as the smaller beach gets, the birdwatcher's objection will be irrelevant.
A. Fishermen catching the crabs might lead to an even lower density of crabs on the beach, which could support, rather than counter, the birdwatcher's concern that the density will be too low for the plan to work.
B. Correct. If the crabs are prolific enough, they will probably fill up the new, larger beach after a season or two. Thus, the problem the birdwatcher points out will not last long.
C. If the birdwatcher is right, doubling the beach will mean fewer birds and probably fewer birdwatching tourists.
Therefore, this would make the birdwatcher'5 concern about the plan backfiring have even worse economic implications.
D. If the birdwatcher is right, there will not be much food for the birds on the new beach. Thus, they may not come no matter how much space there is.
E. If the birds only stop once on such a iong migration, then the problem the birdwatcher points out may be even worse, since the birds may starve if they cannot find enough crab eggs on the town's beach.
The correct answer is B.
Prep2012-Pack1-CR-048 VCR005666 Medium
Reasoning
What additional information would make it less likely that stocking only regular syrup rather than only low-calorie syrup would maximize sales? The argument assumes that when a store chooses which of two products to stock, sales will be higher if it chooses the product most customers prefer. But convenience-store customers are often in a hurry and consequently may only buy whatever product is available, even if it's not their favorite. To maximize sales, the store needs to focus more on the preferences of the few picky customers who would actually refuse to buy a product that does not meet their requirements. If the picky customers will only buy low-calorie syrup, while most customers will just buy whatever is available, then the store can maximize sales by stocking the low-calorie syrup.
A. How many times the average customer buys syrup is irrelevant to the question of which kind of syrup the customers will buy.
B. If more customers would buy regular syrup than low-calorie syrup, but each individual customer uses about the same amount of syrup, then total sales of regular syrup would be higher than total sales of low-calorie syrup, as the argument indicates.
C. The relevance of this fact is unclear--a higher price per unit may mean more profit per unit, but it may also mean fewer sales. The objective of the strategy recommended in the conclusion is to maximize the number of units sold.
D. Correct. As explained above, this suggests that sales of low-calorie syrup would be higher than sales of regular syrup, even though most customers mildly prefer regular syrup.
E. Even if syrup sales are only a small proportion of total sales, they might still be greater than those of any other one product that FastMart could squeeze into that small shelf space. Therefore, stocking regular syrup could still maximize sales, as the argument indicates.
The correct answer is D.
