Logical Reasoning

PT105 · S2 · Q12 It is probably not true that colic

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It is probably not true that colic in infants is caused by the inability of those infants to tolerate certain antibodies found in cow’s milk, since it is often the case that symptoms of colic are shown by infants that are fed breast milk exclusively.

Conclusion

Colic in infants is probably not caused by the inability of those infants to tolerate the antibodies in cow's milk.

Evidence

A lot of infants that are fed breast milk exclusively still show symptoms of colic.

Evaluate

This is an anti-causal conclusion, so if we're going to object to the author's conclusion, we'll be trying to argue that

We can always frame Weaken questions as GIVEN this evidence HOW CAN I ARGUE the conc is wrong

Goal

GIVEN THAT some infants who are fed breast milk exclusively still show signs of colic, HOW CAN WE ARGUE that colic is caused by antibodies in cow's milk?

12.

Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?

A study involving 500 sets
Strengthens, If Anything
This makes it sound like colic is genetically based (if your twin also has it). It doesn't give us a way to say that it's caused by cow's milk antibodies.
1% picked this
Symptoms of colic generally disappear
Strengthens
This makes it sound like breast milk vs. cow's milk makes no real difference on colic disappearing, which helps the author argue that colic was never about the type of milk in the first place. An answer that said, "When they stopped cow's milk, the colic went away" would make it sound like cow's milk was the cause of the colic. But since this is saying, "When they stop breast or cow's milk, the colic eventually goes away" doesn't allow us to blame the cow.
6% picked this
In a study of 5,000
Strengthens
Over 4/5 of the infants didn't get colic, even though they were drinking cow's milk. That strengthens the idea that cow's milk isn't causing colic.
6% picked this
Correct
When mothers of infants that
Why this is right
This allows us to argue that "cow's milk causes colic". We were trying to solve the mystery of how exclusively breast-fed babies still got colic, and it sounds like the cow's milk that the Mama drinks can get into the breastmilk. After all, once Mama ditched all cow's milk, those breastfed babies saw their colic disappear.
Skill tested: Weaken · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.
76% picked this
Infants that are fed breast
No Impact
If breast milk leads to digestive maturity, and digestive maturity helps you tolerate antibodies in cow's milk, then kids who drink breast milk would be less likely to get colic (if colic is actually caused by antibodies in cow's milk). But we don't know if colic is caused by cow's milk antibodies, and this answer choice isn't giving us any information that helps us assess what colic is caused by (in fact, this answer doesn't mention colic at all).
11% picked this

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