Logical Reasoning

PT112 · S1 · Q6 It is widely believed that

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It is widely believed that eating chocolate can cause acne.

Conclusion

It is likely that common wisdom (in thinking that chocolate causes acne, based on the fact that people often get an outbreak of acne right after they eat a bunch of chocolate) has mistaken an effect for a cause.

Evidence

Several recent studies show that hormonal changes associated with stress can cause acne, and there's good evidence that people who are fond of chocolate tend to eat more chocolate when they are under stress.

Evaluate

Whenever we're doing Main Conclusion or Role, we remind ourselves that on these question types, the main conclusion usually isn't the final claim. It's usually the First Sentence or its some Rebuttal sentiment.

Because of that, if we see the first sentence say "it is widely believed", we can tell we're getting the sort of attribution to someone else's point of view that an author would then proceed to rebut.

When we see the Pivot word (but, yet, however), then it starts to definitely look like a rebuttal. The "However" claim does sound like our Author offering her opinion. Does she proceed to support that opinion? Yes, the final sentence is evidence (several recent studies).

This argument is dealing with the frequently recurring Explain Curious Fact pattern that we see a ton in Strengthen / Weaken. There's a before-after correlation happening with chocolate and acne, leading people to believe that chocolate causes the acne.

The author is raising an Alternate Explanation -- both the acne and the chocolate are just symptoms/effects of an underlying Third Factor, stress.

Goal

If this question stem were asking for the Main Conclusion, then we would just think,

But since it asks for Main Point, the answer might feel more like a synthesis. There aren't that many question stems that say Main Point, but when it occurs, the answers often feel more implied or holistic.

Look for something like .

6.

Of the following, which one most accurately expresses the main point of the argument?

  1. People are mistaken who insist

    Not Mistaken

    This author isn't saying, "You guys are wrong -- you didn't actually get acne after you ate chocolate." She's saying, "You guys might be wrong to think the acne you got was caused by chocolate. It was probably caused by stress."

    24% picked this

  2. The more chocolate a person

    Too Strong

    This author has never presented this incredibly strong Volume Dial relationship (the more x, the more y). Also, the sound of this answer suggests that chocolate is causing stress, when the author's premise in the last sentence is suggesting a story in which stress is causing chocolate eating (and acne).

    2% picked this

  3. Eating large amounts of chocolate

    Wrong Causal Relationship

    Our author is never talking about eating lots of chocolate causing anything. She is saying she thinks what's going on is that stress is causing acne and stress is causing people to eat lots of chocolate.

    1% picked this

  4. Correct

    It is less likely that

    Why this is right

    The conclusion isn't saying the original hypothesis (that the acne is caused by the chocolate) is definitely wrong. It's saying that it's likely wrong. Our author's alternate explanation is that both the chocolate and the acne are just symptoms of underlying stress. Because she prefers this explanation to the original one, we can express her belief by saying, "It's more likely that stress is causing both than that chocolate is causing acne".

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

    68% picked this

  5. The more stress a person

    Too Strong Premise

    This author has never presented this incredibly strong Volume Dial relationship (the more x, the more y). But the author did present a premise that said when people are under stress, they tend to eat more chocolate. Whenever we're doing a Main Conclusion question, if we see an answer choice resembling the final claim, we want to be suspicious. Since the conclusion usually isn't the final claim on Main Conclusion and Role, we don't expect the final claim to be the correct answer.

    4% picked this

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