Logical Reasoning

PT117 · S4 · Q14 Scientists hypothesize that a particular

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Scientists hypothesize that a particular type of fat known as “P-fat” is required for the development of eyesight.

We're asked to support the scientists' hypothesis, so it will behoove us to treat that hypothesis as the conclusion, identify the evidence on which it is based, and try to identify holes in that argument that our strengthener might patch.

Conclusion

P-fat is required for the development of eyesight.

Evidence

Babies fed low-P-fat formula have worse eyesight than babies fed with mother's milk, which is high in P-fat. Babies that are 5-6 weeks premature have worse eyesight than those carried to term.

Evaluate

The first piece of evidence seems like pretty good support that P-fat contributes to eyesight development. But does it really prove that P-fat is necessary? That seems like a stretch. We might object that other differences between formula and mother's milk are to blame for the worse eyesight.

The second piece of evidence is even less helpful. What does being premature have to do with P-fat?

Anticipate

The right answer might strengthen this argument by connecting premature birth to P-fat in some way. If we knew that babies get more P-fat in utero than they do from milk after they're born, that would make this a better argument. But, because Strengthen questions aren't the most predictable, we'll still read every answer with an open mind.

14.

Which one of the following, if true, most supports the scientists' hypothesis?

  1. Adults whose diets lack P-fat

    Weaker Impact

    This might be good enough to keep on a first pass because it does establish another correlation between P-fat and good eyesight. But this argument is specifically about the development of eyesight, as in, how little humans end up with eyes that see. It's not about the maintenance of good eyesight throughout our lifetimes. We also don't know to what extent adults can even absorb dietary P-fat, so this one is weak for a few different reasons.

    10% picked this

  2. Correct

    A fetus typically receives high

    Why this is right

    This matches our prediction and connects the second piece of evidence about the premature births to the acquisition of P-fat. If it's true that we only get high levels of P-fat from mama in the last month before birth, we can reasonably infer that coming out 5-6 weeks early would result in lower P-fat levels than full-term babies have. This supports the hypothesis by establishing that the correlation between better eyesight and a longer stay in the womb is also correlated with higher P-fat levels.

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

    76% picked this

  3. Babies whose mothers have poor

    Irrelevant Comparison: babies / mothers

    This argument hinges on how one group of babies compares to another group of babies. Comparing babies to their mothers is irrelevant. This answer might be tempting if we see it as ruling out an alternate cause for poor eyesight: it's not the lack of P-fat, it's mom's bad eyes that make baby's eyes bad. But that's a stretch. All this shows is the lack of a correlation. It doesn't go far enough to rule out a non-P-fat cause for eyesight issues.

    4% picked this

  4. Babies generally prefer mother’s milk

    Out of Scope: preference

    What babies prefer is irrelevant. This has no impact on our argument.

    0% picked this

  5. The eyesight of a fetus

    Opposite (if Anything)

    If eyesight develops late in the pregnancy, maybe the reason the premature infants had bad eyesight wasn't about P-fat at all? Maybe it was just a matter of time: they didn't stay in utero long enough for their eyesight to develop.

    9% picked this

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