Logical Reasoning

PT153 · S2 · Q5 One theory concerning the importance of vitamin C

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One theory concerning the importance of vitamin C in the human diet holds that vitamin C plays a crucial role in the production and maintenance of the bodyʼs supply of collagen, an important protein occurring almost exclusively in connective tissue and bones.

Information

One theory: vitamin C plays a crucial role in producing and maintaining a supply of collagen, a protein found almost only in connective tissue and bones.

causal (for this reason) Doctors think vitamin C can be useful in treating the symptoms of some common illnesses.

Evaluate

Our job on these questions is to combine claims in order to derive some synthesis, and we primarily look for clues based on Causal, Comparative, Pivot or Conditional wording.

The Causal Connector "for this reason" is giving us a big hint that this question wants us to spell out the logic of this causal connection.

If I said, , what can we infer from the connection between the first thing and the second thing?

The most reasonable suspicion is that, . At a minimum, we can supportably infer,

In this example,

"Vitamin C" is the Overlapping Ingredient in both claims. The way that a synthesis usually works is that we remove the overlap and combine the one-offs.

Combining A is B with B is C gives us A is C

The synthesis removes the overlapping B and ties together the one-offs of A and C.

Combining Kim likes Lebron with so, Kim won't like my tweet gives us my tweet relates to Lebron

The synthesis removes the overlapping Kim and ties together the other two ideas.

Goal

Combining Vitamin C helps us with collagen with so, Vitamin C could help with symptoms gives us symptoms relate to collagen

Let's look for something like .

5.

Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the information above?

  1. Correct

    Some doctors believe that there

    Why this is right

    If some doctors think that Vitamin C can useful in treating symptoms of some illnesses because of the fact that Vitamin C plays a crucial role in producing and maintaining the body's supply of an important protein that occurs mainly in connective tissue and bones, then the doctors must think that the symptoms of some illnesses relate to the supply of an important protein occurring mainly in connective tissue and bones. The symptoms of an illness relate to what parts of the body are attacked by the illness (or to what parts of the immune system attack that illness). If giving a patient more of a protein that occurs within connective tissue and bones would help them with symptoms of illness X, it sounds like illness X affects connective tissue and bones, causing certain related symptoms.

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

    84% picked this

  2. Some doctors believe that vitamin

    Too Strong: the only

    This would only be supportable if we were told that "For this reason, some doctors believe that vitamin C is essential in treating the symptoms of certain illnesses". If we needed vitamin C, then that would support that it's the only substance that help us with collagen. But saying that vitamin C "can be useful" is not strong enough to support that it's "the only" source of collagen assistance.

    1% picked this

  3. Some doctors believe that strengthening

    Unsupported Causal Relationship

    The passage is suggesting that taking vitamin C would have an effect on our connective tissue and bones. This answer is saying that our connective tissue and bones would have an effect on our ability to take vitamin C.

    5% picked this

  4. Some doctors believe that use

    Too Strong: most effective

    All we heard is "can be useful in treating the symptoms of some common illnesses". We have no support for the way more extreme claim that vitamin C is "the #1 most effective treatment for certain common illnesses".

    5% picked this

  5. Some doctors believe that any

    Too Strong: any illness

    All we heard is "can be useful in treating the symptoms of some common illnesses". This is saying that "100% of illnesses that can be helped by vitamin C are related to deterioration of connective tissue and bones". Vitamin C might do a lot of cool things besides help us with collagen, so it's possible that there are lots of illnesses that have nothing to do with connective tissue and bones, but vitamin C still ameliorates them (makes them better) based on one of its other effects.

    6% picked this

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