Logical Reasoning

PT131 · S1 · Q8 We can now dismiss

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We can now dismiss the widely held suspicion that sugar consumption often exacerbates hyperactivity in children with attention deficit disorder.

Evidence

A scientific study of the effects of three common sugars—sucrose, fructose, and glucose—on children who have attention deficit disorder, with experimental groups each receiving a type of sugar in their diets and a control group receiving a sugar substitute instead of sugar, showed no statistically significant difference between the groups in thinking or behavior.

Conclusion

We can now dismiss the widely held suspicion that sugar consumption often exacerbates hyperactivity in children with attention deficit disorder.

Evaluate

The argument refutes a causal relationship by providing a study that supposedly demonstrated a counterexample. The argument concludes that sugar does not exacerbate hyperactivity in children with attention deficit disorder, because children who consumed sugar did not exhibit more hyperactivity than those who consumed a sugar substitute. The argument assumes that sugar substitutes do not exacerbate hyperactivity in children with attention deficit disorder.

8.

Which one of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument above?

  1. Only one of the three

    Strengthen

    Since all three types of sugar had the impact on hyperactivity, this supports the view that sugar does not exacerbate hyperactivity.

    11% picked this

  2. The consumption of sugar actually

    Too Weak

    This depends on assuming those children have attention deficit disorder.

    4% picked this

  3. Correct

    The consumption of some sugar

    Why this is right

    This attacks the argument’s assumption.

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

    64% picked this

  4. The study included some observations

    Strengthen

    This defends the argument from the possibility that the reason the children did not display differences in thinking or behavior is that they had not encountered a context that would stimulate excitement and activity.

    19% picked this

  5. Some children believe that they

    Too Weak

    What children believe and what is the case may be quite different things.

    3% picked this

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