When butterfat was considered nutritious

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Stimulus

When butterfat was considered nutritious and healthful, a law was enacted requiring that manufacturers use the term “imitation butter” to indicate butter whose butterfat content had been diminished through the addition of water. Today, it is known that the high cholesterol content of butterfat makes it harmful to human health. Since the give reduced-butterfat butter the more appealing name of “lite butter” should be allowed to do so.

What this question is testing

Weaken

Your task

Find the choice that makes the argument's conclusion less likely to be true.

Common trap

Answers that look negative but attack a claim the argument never relied on.

Winning move

Find the assumption the argument depends on, then pick the choice that undermines it.

Reading along? Open the full official question in LawHub — we show a fragment here and keep the reasoning in our own words.

The question

22.

Which one of the following, if true, most seriously undermines

Answer choices

No Impact5% picked this
The manufacturers who prefer to use the word “lite” instead of “imitation” are motivated principally by the financial
This answer talks about the motivations of manufacturers who came up with the Plan, which tells us nothing about whether the Plan would achieve its intended Goal.
5%
Opposite (if anything)10% picked this
The manufacturers who wish to call their product “lite butter” plan to change the composition of the product so that it contains
Changing the water content in "lite butter" so that it's more water / less butterfat, would work in favor of the Goal of reducing butterfat, if anything.
10%
No Impact16% picked this
Some individuals who need to reduce their intake of cholesterol are not deterred from using the reduced-butterfat product by the negative
This very weak idea doesn't counter the fact that many people ARE deterred by the name "imitation". The Plan is hoping to get those people to switch to products with lower butterfat. It doesn't care about the people who are already eating low butterfat products.
16%
No Impact4% picked this
Cholesterol is only one of many factors that contribute to the types of health problems with which the consumption of excessive amounts
This mentions that cholesterol is one of many factors in health problems, but tells us nothing about whether changing the name from 'imitation' to 'lite' would get people to switch to the lower butterfat option.
4%
Correct64% picked this
Most people deterred from eating “imitation butter” because of its name choose alternatives with a lower butterfat content
Why this is right
This answer suggests that those deterred by "imitation butter" are currently eating something that's low in butterfat. So if we changed the name of this product and that lured people to this product, they would actually be INCREASING their butterfat intake, which would go against the Goal. This gives us a way to argue that following the plan would not achieve the goal.
Skill tested: Weaken · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.
64%

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