Logical Reasoning

PT6 · S2 · Q7 High-technology medicine is driving

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High-technology medicine is driving up the nation’s health care costs.

Curious Fact

How come there are way more cataract operations these days

Author's Explanation

The surgery is less expensive and more effective.

Evaluate

When we see a question stem use a word like hypothesis / explanation, we know that it will revolve around the observation of a Curious Fact.

To challenge the author's explanation, we could suggest Alternate Explanations for the increase in the number of surgeries, or we could impugn the plausibility of the story that more people are getting the surgery because it's cheaper or more effective.

Goal

Let's get rid of four answers that propose an Alternate Explanation for the increase in the number of cataract surgeries or that undermines the author's causal link between cheaper/better surgeries and increased surgeries.

7.

Each of the following, if true, would support a challenge to the author’s explanation of the increase in the number of cataract operations except:

  1. The overall population of the

    Alternate Explanation

    If the overall population has increased, then naturally there could be more people needing cataract surgery, which serves as an alternate explanation for the increased number of operations.

    5% picked this

  2. Any one individual’s chance of

    Alternate Explanation

    This suggests that a higher risk of developing cataracts might be the reason for more surgeries, offering an alternate explanation to the author's claim about technology improvements.

    4% picked this

  3. The number of older people

    Alternate Explanation

    An increase in the elderly population would naturally lead to more cataract surgeries, especially since we were told that this condition primarily affects the elderly.

    4% picked this

  4. Today, health insurance covers cataract

    Alternate Explanation

    If more people have insurance coverage for cataract surgery, this could lead to an increase in the number of surgeries, offering an alternate explanation for why there are more surgeries.

    12% picked this

  5. Correct

    People who have had unsuccessful

    Why this is right

    This statement is about the negative effects of unsuccessful cataract surgeries, which doesn't suggest an alternate reason for the increase in the number of surgeries performed nor does it challenge the author's idea that the surgery is cheaper and more effective than before. Yes, these unsuccessful surgeries clearly weren't effective, but there will always be some bad surgeries. Since this doesn't compare the rate of unsuccessful surgeries now to before, it doesn't allow us to say, "Author, are you sure the surgery has gotten more effective?"

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

    76% picked this

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