Logical Reasoning

PT111 · S1 · Q12 Gene splicing can give rise

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Gene splicing can give rise to new varieties of farm animals that have only a partially understood genetic makeup.

Statements

causal (can give rise to)

Gene >> new varieties of farm animals splicing whose genetic makeup not totally understood

causal (can introduce)

Gene >> new genes for whichever splicing trait is desired

Gene >> new genes relate to making splicing toxins or carcinogens

It might be hard to discover these new genes related to making toxins or carcinogens.

Evaluate

We get a few causal reactions that can come from gene splicing. It sounds like we need to proceed very carefully with gene splicing. The appeal of it is that we can introduce new genes for whichever trait is desired (for example: a cow with a bigger than average milk supply).

But we're also introducing genes that govern production of toxins or carcinogens, and we can't easily detect when we've done so.

So we might successfully make a cow that has a super milk supply, but accidentally also cause the cow to have new toxins or carcinogens in its system.

Goal

Let's look for a safely worded answer that reinforces the uncertain outcomes of gene splicing.

12.

The statements above, if true, most strongly support which one of the following?

  1. All toxin production is genetically

    Too Strong: all

    We can infer that at least some toxin production is genetically controlled, because we're told that some genes can affect production of toxins. But we can't leap to the extreme claim that all toxin production is genetically controlled.

    2% picked this

  2. Correct

    Gene splicing to produce new

    Why this is right

    This is a safely worded answer that captures the mixed bag of causation we were told about gene splicing. We can use gene splicing to produce new varieties of farm animals, and the new genes may give the farm animal the desired trait we had in mind, but it also might introduce some hard to detect changes that result in more toxins and carcinogens.

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

    85% picked this

  3. Gene splicing is not effective

    Too Strong: not effective

    This is a stronger version of (B). We definitely can infer that there is some potential concern with gene splicing (it can introduce hard-to-detect changes to toxin or carcinogen production). But we only know that it can do that. We don't know if it frequently does that. It's too strong and sweeping to call gene splicing an "ineffective way to produce new varieties of farm animals".

    5% picked this

  4. Most new varieties of farm

    Too Strong: most

    This is also a too-strong version of the caution that (B) speaks to. We know that gene splicing can lead to hard-to-detect changes in an organism's production of carcinogens. But that doesn't mean we can say that more than 50% of gene spliced farm animals will get cancer.

    2% picked this

  5. Gene splicing will advance to

    Too Strong: no longer a problem

    We have no support for this optimism, that someday gene splicing will not have potentially problematic unforeseen consequences.

    6% picked this

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