Logical Reasoning

PT117 · S4 · Q6 Doctors urge people to reduce

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Doctors urge people to reduce their cholesterol levels through dietary changes.

Conclusion

One may need to make more than moderate dietary changes, such as veggie diet.

Evidence

Moderate dietary changes often don't lower your cholesterol levels, and doctors urge people to reduce their cholesterol levels.

Evaluate

The last sentence has a therefore. The word "therefore" always signals a conclusion, but not necessarily the Main Conclusion (and on Role and Main Conclusion questions, they often mess with us and put a "Therefore, [Intermediate Conclusion]." at the end of the paragraph.

What is the support for the conclusion in the last sentence? Why do we need to make more dramatic changes than just a moderate diet?

Because moderate diets don't help with your cholesterol, and doctors urge you to reduce your cholesterol.

Since the other two sentences are support for the third, it looks like the third sentence really is the Main Conclusion.

Goal

They're asking us about the 2nd sentence, which was one of the two Premises, supporting the Conclusion in the 3rd sentence.

6.

The statement that moderate dietary changes often do not work to lower cholesterol levels plays which one of the following roles in the argument?

  1. It is presented to counter

    Wrong Role

    Our author doesn't present the doctor's dietary cholesterol warning to disagree with it; she presents them as one of her two premises, for why making more than moderate dietary changes may be needed. This answer makes it sound like this argument was a Rebuttal, which it was not. The use of "But" isn't disagreement with a point of view. The author isn't saying, "No, cholesterol levels can't be reduced through dietary changes". She accepts the first sentence, and the "but" is communicating that thing she's about to discuss (moderate diet) can't achieve the thing just talked about. for example: Sally asked Bill to dunk the ball. But the hoop is 10 ft tall and Bill is only 5 ft tall.

    14% picked this

  2. It is a premise offered

    Bad Conclusion Match

    This correctly identifies our claim as a Premise, but incorrectly claims that the Conclusion was "veggie diets are more healthful than meat diets", when the Conclusion was actually "One may need to make more-than-moderate dietary changes, such as veggie diet".

    1% picked this

  3. Correct

    It is a premise offered

    Why this is right

    This correctly identifies our claim as a Premise, and the adequately captures the Conclusion. The conclusion (the 3rd sentence) doesn't say "reducing cholesterol levels" but that's the context for why the author is saying "one may need to make more dramatic changes". And the conclusion doesn't say "moderate" but that's what "more dramatic" is being compared to.

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

    77% picked this

  4. It is offered as an

    Wrong Role

    The 2nd sentence doesn't say anything about vegetarian diets. That sentence certainly doesn't explain why vegetarian diets are successful. Why are vegetarian diets in reducing cholesterol changes? I can explain why. It's because ... "moderate dietary changes often don't work to reduce cholesterol. That doesn't make any sense. Also, remember, the author is not specifically trying to sell us on vegetarian diets. They are brought up simply as one example of "more dramatic" dietary change someone might make.

    1% picked this

  5. It is a conclusion for

    Backwards Relationship

    This claim is a Premise, and it is offered in support for the claim that "dramatic dietary changes are sometimes required".

    8% picked this

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