In response to requests made by

Answer choices

1. A

   Too Strong: unlikely2% picked this

   The government is unlikely to approve the synthetic hormone BST for

   We don't know anything about this government, so we have no way to predict what actions would be likely / unlikely on its behalf.

   2%
2. B

   Out of Scope5% picked this

   The proportion of cows that suffer from udder inflammation, decreased fertility, and symptoms of stress is currently greater on big dairy

   Out of Scope: current proportion Opposite, if anything We don't have any information about the current incidence of inflamed udders, lower fertility, and stress on big vs. small farms. These farms aren't yet using BST. We don't know if big farms already are using constant veterinary care to address cows with any of these symptoms. If anything, though, we'd expect the bigger farms to be more likely to have veterinary care and thus less likely to have a higher proportion of cows suffering these symptoms.

   5%
3. C

   Out of Scope: safer to drink1% picked this

   At the present time milk from cows raised on small farms is safer to drink than milk from

   Like (B), this offers a totally out of scope comparison about big vs. small farms. The only thing we know about big vs. small farms is that the former can better absorb the cost of having a full-time veterinarian on staff than can the latter. We know nothing about the respective practices of big vs. small farms, so we couldn't possibly derive a judgment on the safety of their milk.

   1%
4. D

   Out of Scope: unsafe for people1% picked this

   The milk from cows who receive BST will not be safe for

   There's no evidence in this paragraph at all suggesting that it would be unsafe to drink milk from BST cows. The fact that this milk-boosting hormone has some adverse side effects on cows doesn't mean that the hormone will show up in the milk, or that it will show up in quantities that have any effects on humans who drink the milk.

   1%
5. E

   Correct91% picked this

   Owners of big farms stand to gain more from government approval of BST than do

   Why this is right

   This reflects the economic comparison made in the last sentence. All farms would benefit from the increased milk-production of BST cows (more milk = more revenue). But using BST comes with a cost, too. In order to manage the adverse symptoms of BST, your farm needs to have constant veterinary care for the cows. And we're told that big farms would spend less per cow on that veterinary care than would small farms. So they would enjoy the same boost to revenue (because for both types of farms, the cows would make more milk). But small farms would have a bigger increase to their expenses, proportionately, than would bigger farms. If numbers help, suppose that regular cows give us $10 worth of milk everyday. If we give the cow BST, then it will give us $15 worth of milk everyday. At a big farm, the cost per cow of the constant veterinary care is $2 / cow, so if they used BST, they would have a net increase of $3 / cow ( +$5 when it comes to milk, offset by -$2 when it comes to vet care). At a small farm, the cost per cow of the vet care is $4 / cow, so if they used BST, they would only have a net increase of $1 / cow.

   Skill tested: Most Supported · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

   91%