Logical Reasoning

PT127 · S1 · Q1 Many newborn babies have a yellowish

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Many newborn babies have a yellowish tinge to their skin because their blood contains a high level of the pigment bilirubin.

Conclusion

Allow bilirubin levels in newborn babies to remain high.

Evidence (since)

If bilirubin enters the brain, it might cause the tetanus that sometimes occurs in newborns. But the brain's own natural defenses normally prevent bilirubin from entering.

Evaluate

If we were playing the skeptic to the position of these 2nd doctors and trying to defend the idea of reducing high levels of bilirubin, what might we say in response to their argument?

We could say,

We could say,

Goal

The correct answer should make us feel better about the tradeoffs involved in deciding whether or not to reduce high bilirubin.

It can tell us something bad about the decision to reduce the bilirubin (it's expensive / it has its own hazards / it's a risky procedure). Or it can tell us something good about the decision to let the child remain with bilirubin (it's actually good for your body to have high bilirubin, as long as it's not going into your brain / kids aren't really harmed by tetanus so if a kid ends up getting that from the bilirubin it's no big deal).

1.

Which one of the following, if true, most helps to support the position of the second group of doctors?

  1. The treatment that most effectively

    Weakens

    This says something good about the plan to get rid of bilirubin. We're trying to help out the doctors who are saying don't try to get rid of bilirubin. If there were an answer saying, "after all, the treatment to reduce high bilirubin has a lot of negative side effects", that would strengthen the position we're trying to support.

    2% picked this

  2. Some diseases that occur in

    Weakens

    This says something bad about the plan to leave the high bilirubin inside the newborns. The 2nd group of doctors was not too worried about bilirubin getting into the brain and doing damage, but this answer reminds them that there is some danger of the bilirubin getting into the brain. After all, some disease weaken the brain's natural defenses, so those children would be vulnerable.

    2% picked this

  3. In newborns the pigment bilirubin,

    No Impact

    This just tells us that bilirubin is not only in blood, it's also in digestive juices. That has no effect on this conversation. That's not a reason to reduce high bilirubin nor is it a reason to leave it in the new borns.

    2% picked this

  4. Correct

    Bilirubin neutralizes certain potentially damaging

    Why this is right

    This says something good about the plan to leave the bilirubin inside of the newborns. This is saying that we get a benefit by leaving it in there; it neutralizes potentially damaging substances to which newborns are exposed. So this 2nd group of doctors can say, "the downside of leaving bilirubin in is very small, since it's only scary if it gets into the brain and the brain normally prevents that from happening. Meanwhile the upside of leaving bilirubin in is compelling, because the bilirubin can protect the newborns against damaging substances they're exposed to at birth.

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

    93% picked this

  5. Among doctors who recommend treating

    Weakens, if anything

    Since this is about the 1st group of doctors (the ones who want to reduce high levels of bilirubin), it's not really relevant to the 2nd group whom we are trying to support. Perhaps if we said, "Doctors in the 1st group can't even agree on what constitutes high levels of bilirubin. Thus, we should listen to the 2nd group of doctors and just not worry about trying to reduce bilirubin", then this could strengthen our doctors' position. But since it's saying there is general agreement about what level should be considered too high, this actually helps the position of the 1st group of doctors, if anything.

    2% picked this

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