Logical Reasoning

PT4 · S1 · Q2 Modern physicians often employ

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Modern physicians often employ laboratory tests, in addition to physical examinations, in order to diagnose diseases accurately.

Conclusion (therefore)

Insurance companies that deny coverage for lab tests decrease the quality of medical care provided to patients.

Evidence

Modern physicians use lab tests to diagnose diseases accurately.

Evaluate

The evidence and conclusion are both about lab tests, so we just need an assumption that gets us from what we know about lab tests to what we're trying to prove.

We know they're used to diagnose diseases. We want to prove that without them, it decreases the qualify of medical care.

Goal

Let's look for something like, .

2.

Which one of the following is an assumption that would serve to justify the conclusion above?

  1. Correct

    Physical examinations and the uncovered

    Why this is right

    This certainly doesn't resemble the sort of definitive Missing Link answer we would see on a modern Sufficient Assumption, but it strengthens the argument more than any other answer does. This establishes that these lab tests have value. Without them, physicians will be less accurate at diagnosing many diseases. Is it common sense that "less accurate at diagnosing disease" equates to "decreased quality of medical care"? Sure. In most Sufficient Assumption questions, they would make us spell out that link, so that the logic is airtight, but sometimes we just have to pick the best strengthener, even if it still leaves an invisible (albeit reasonable) idea as a gap in the argument.

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

    90% picked this

  2. Many physicians generally oppose insurance

    Unclear Impact

    We might speculate that physicians oppose limiting the use of lab tests because they believe it lowers quality of medical care, but we're not sure that's the reason. And even if that were the reason, we wouldn't know whether that belief is factually true. The correct answer factually asserts that lab tests add value via more accurate diagnosis. This answer would just be providing circumstantial innuendo, which doesn't have as strong / as clear an impact.

    3% picked this

  3. Many patients who might benefit

    No Impact

    We don't really care about people without health insurance. They can't be affected by an insurance company's denial of lab tests, because they don't have insurance in the first place. So they don't give us any way to prove that insurance companies' denial of lab tests is decreasing medical care.

    2% picked this

  4. There are some illnesses that

    Opposite

    This weakens the argument a bit, because if an illness can be accurately diagnosed by physical exam alone, then the patient doesn't really need a lab test done or suffer when the insurance company denies the test.

    1% picked this

  5. Laboratory tests are more costly

    Irrelevant Comparison

    This gets at the likely motivation behind why insurance companies deny these lab tests, but doesn't speak at all to whether the lab tests enhance the quality of medical care.

    4% picked this

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