Logical Reasoning

PT152 · S2 · Q12 If an activity significantly

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If an activity significantly reduces chronic lower back pain, doctors should be prepared to discuss the merits of that activity with patients who ask about it.

Conclusion

Doctors treating chronic lower back pain patients should be prepared to discuss the merits of yoga.

Evidence

If activity significantly doctors should reduces chronic lower → be prepared to talk back pain about it

Recent study showed that practicing yoga leads to an equal reduction in chronic lower back pain as does taking stretching classes with a physical therapist.

Evaluation

The conclusion is saying "Doctors should do X" + There's a rule that says, "Y → doc should do X"

So we know we have to establish Y. In this case, we need to establish that yoga significantly reduces chronic lower back pain, in order to trigger that initial conditional.

Were we told that yoga significantly reduces chronic lower back pain? No, we were only told that yoga reduces chronic lower back pain as much as stretching classes with a physical therapist does.

Okay .... does stretching classes with a physical therapist significantly reduce chronic lower back pain?

Goal

It seems like we should be on the lookout for an answer that reassures us, . Since we know that yoga achieves an equal reduction, then yoga, too, would significantly reduce lower back pain and the author can trigger that conditional that he seems to think he's triggered.

12.

Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument?

  1. There are no activities that

    Too Strong

    Too Strong: no activities that lead to more The author doesn't need to believe that stretching with a physical therapist is the absolute #1 way to reduce chronic lower back pain. She only needs to assume that stretching with a physical therapist achieves a significant reduction.

    4% picked this

  2. Correct

    Taking stretching classes with a

    Why this is right

    This is what we thought we were looking for. If we negated this, it would be a big objection to the argument. If stretching with a physical therapist doesn't significantly reduce, then yoga also doesn't significantly reduce. Thus, yoga would trigger that rule that says that doctors should be prepared to talk about it.

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

    61% picked this

  3. Few treatment options for those

    Too Strong: few

    Just because we're only mentioning two treatment options (yoga and stretching with a physical therapist) doesn't mean those are the only two options. There might be many, many more options. That wouldn't affect the author's argument in any way. Doctors should be prepared to talk about any of those many options that achieve a significant reduction in pain.

    4% picked this

  4. No previous studies have compared

    Too Strong: no past studies

    Who cares whether this is the first study to compare yoga to stretching with a physical therapist or if it's the 379th study to do so? Neither would affect the logic of the author's argument.

    3% picked this

  5. Many doctors treating patients with

    Out of Scope

    Out of Scope: should vs. actually do We want to know whether stretching with a physical therapist causes significant reductions in pain. If it does, then by the conditional rule in the first sentence, the author would be assuming that doctors should be prepared to talk to their patients about taking stretching classes with a physical therapist. But the author doesn't have to assume anything about whether doctors actually do talk to their patients about stretching classes.

    29% picked this

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