Logical Reasoning

PT118 · S3 · Q9 High blood cholesterol levels are

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High blood cholesterol levels are bad for the heart.

Conclusion

Shellfish is not necessarily bad for the heart.

Evidence

High blood cholesterol is bad for the heart.

Shellfish is very low in saturated fat, which affects blood cholesterol levels much more than dietary cholesterol does.

Evaluate

The argument is trying to say that shellfish is okay for the heart. After all, X is bad for the heart. Y has a big effect on X, and shellfish is very low in Y.

Even if saturated fat is bad for the heart, and shellfish is low on saturated fat, there might be other things that are bad for the heart, and shellfish might be high on those things.

Goal

Let's find an answer that helps us argue that shellfish is fine for the heart, or that rules out potential objections that would make it sound bad for the heart.

9.

Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?

  1. Meat and eggs are high

    No Impact

    Whether meat and eggs are high in saturated fat does not affect the comparison between the cholesterol content of shellfish and its impact on heart health.

    10% picked this

  2. Small quantities of foods high

    No Impact

    Shellfish is low in saturated fat. This answer is talking about stuff that's high in saturated fat, so it's not even talking about shellfish. If anything, it's diminishing the author's connection between "high in saturated fat = bad for the heart".

    3% picked this

  3. Shellfish has less cholesterol per

    Weaker Impact

    This is does somewhat help us argue that shellfish is fine for the heart. We know that high cholesterol is bad for the heart, and this is saying that shellfish has less cholesterol per gram than some other foods. But saying that it has less cholesterol than other foods doesn't mean it's a low cholesterol food. We know shellfish contains cholesterol. A person whose committed fewer crimes than these other three guys is still a criminal. So it's not a strong way to argue "this person is fine for society".

    11% picked this

  4. Correct

    Foods low in saturated fat

    Why this is right

    This may feel like it's kind of just restating the premise, but the premise never actually told us what type of affect saturated fat has. It just says "saturated fat affects blood cholesterol more than dietary cholesterol does". But we don't know whether that's saying "the more saturated fat, the MORE blood cholesterol" or "the more saturated fat, the LESS blood cholesterol". This answer spells out the connection. Shellfish is a food low in saturated fat. A food low in saturated fat promotes low blood cholesterol. High blood cholesterol is bad for the heart. Thus shellfish is not too bad for the heart!

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

    75% picked this

  5. A serving of meat or

    Irrelevant Comparison

    The serving size comparison doesn't tell us anything about what shellfish's impact on the heart is.

    1% picked this

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