A recent study revealed that

Answer choices

1. A

   Out of Scope: not meat-based8% picked this

   Pathogenic microorganisms can reproduce in foods that are

   We're only talking about the pathogens in meat. When the conclusion says "the standard recommendations for avoidance of infection by these pathogens", she's referring to the aforementioned pathogens in meat-based foods. Any other type of pathogen is irrelevant to the conversation about whether the standard advice for meat is leading to more infections from meat-based pathogens.

   8%
2. B

   No Impact3% picked this

   Many people do follow precisely all the standard recommendations for avoidance of infection by pathogenic

   Yes, we already know this. The evidence talks about people who follow precisely all the standard recommendations (vs. people who deviate considerably). So we already knew that many people precisely follow all the recommendations. We can't weaken an argument by reiterating something we know.

   3%
3. C

   Too Broad / Too Weak4% picked this

   Not all diseases caused by microorganisms have readily

   Always translate "Not all A's are B" into "Some A's are ~B". This answer is saying, there is at least one disease caused by a microorganism that does not have easily recognizable symptoms. Cool? Not only is this answer insanely weak, we have no idea if the disease / microorganism combo they're referring to is related to meat in any way.

   4%
4. D

   Strengthens, if anything5% picked this

   Preventing infection by pathogenic microorganisms is simply a matter of following the appropriate

   The author would probably agree with this answer, so it's definitely not weakening her argument. She thinks the standard recommendations are not an appropriate set of recommendations, since she feels that they are making the infection situation worse. This answer helps to support her judgment --- it's saying, if the recommendations were appropriate, then that would be all it took to prevent infection.

   5%
5. E

   Correct81% picked this

   Those most concerned with avoiding pathogenic infections from meat-based foods are those most

   Why this is right

   This gives us the classic "these two groups are not fair to compare" objection to Anti-Causal arguments. Consider people who are very immunocompromised -- they are most susceptible to getting sick because their immune systems don't work as well as staving off illness. They would be the group most likely to precisely follow all recommendations about washing hands, don't touch your face or eyes, wear a mask, etc. But they still may end up getting sick more often than the rest of the population, because they're so susceptible. Similarly, people who have digestive issues that make them very susceptible to diseases from meat-based pathogens would be found more in the "follow recommendations precisely" group than in the "deviate considerably from recommendations" group. Thus, the follow recommendations group is contracting diseases more often not because the recommendations are wrong / counterproductive, but because no recommendations are perfect and these people are the highest-risk for contracting diseases in the first place.

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

   81%