Logical Reasoning

PT134 · S2 · Q18 Journalist: Recent studies have demonstrated

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Journalist: Recent studies have demonstrated that a regular smoker who has just smoked a cigarette will typically display significantly better short-term memory skills than a nonsmoker, whether or not the nonsmoker has also just smoked a cigarette for the purposes of the study.

Facts

Most of the time, smokers have better short-term memories than nonsmokers, after they’ve smoked a cigarette. And the advantage for the smokers usually lasts at least 8 hours.

Evaluation

Correct answers to must be false usually contradict a conditional rule or contradict an available inference. There’s no conditional here, so is there an available inference we can get by combining the two facts? It sound like for most regular smokers, if they smoke a cigarette every eight hours or less, they’ll indefinitely have better short term memory than nonsmokers.

Goal

Find an answer that contradicts the idea that smokers have a short-term memory advantage in most cases, after they’ve smoked a cig, and the advantage lasts for at least 8 hours.

18.

If the journalist's statements are true, then each of the following could be true EXCEPT:

  1. The short-term memory skills exhibited

    Unknown Comparison

    We don’t have any info about nonsmoker who smoked vs. nonsmoker who didn’t smoke. The “whether or not the nonsmoker has smoked” makes it seem like the cigarette has no effect on the nonsmokers.

    7% picked this

  2. Correct

    The short-term memory skills exhibited

    Why this is right

    This contradicts what we were told, which is that the smoker is typically better at short term memory than the nonsmoker, after having smoked a cigarette.

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

    82% picked this

  3. The short-term memory skills exhibited

    Unknown Comparison

    This doesn’t contradict anything. It’s possible that the smoker’s super memory has worn off, since it’s been more 8 hours since his last cigarette.

    3% picked this

  4. A regular smoker who, immediately

    Unknown Comparison: “one vs. heavy smoking”

    We have no info that lets us compare the effects on smokers of one cigarette vs. a period of heavy smoking.

    5% picked this

  5. The short-term memory skills exhibited

    Unknown Comparison

    Unknown Comparison: "now vs. five hours from now" We have no info that lets us compare the effects on smokers of a cigarette in the immediate aftermath vs five hours later.

    4% picked this

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