Summarize Argument
The author concludes that a diet doesn’t have to be extremely low in fat to protect the heart. She supports this with a study of over 400 people at risk for a second heart attack. Half followed a Mediterranean diet, while the other half followed a low-fat “Western” diet. Those on the Mediterranean diet, which contains a fair amount of fat, were less likely to have a second heart attack.
Notable Assumptions
The author assumes that a diet that is not low in fat can protect the heart. She also assumes that the study was well-conducted and that the participants actually followed the diets. Additionally, she assumes that there are no relevant differences between the groups other than diet, and that the diet itself, not other factors, reduced the risk of a second heart attack.
A
Research has shown that eliminating almost all fat from one’s diet can be effective in decreasing the likelihood of a second heart attack.
Irrelevant. The argument focuses on a diet that does not eliminate fat from one’s diet. (A) doesn’t help to establish that such a diet can indeed protect the heart.
B
Studies suggest that the kinds of oils in the fat included in the Mediterranean diet may protect the heart against potentially fatal disruptions of heart rhythms and other causes of heart attacks.
This strengthens the argument by suggesting that at least one diet that isn’t low in fat— the Mediterranean diet— may be able to protect the heart. This suggests that a fatty diet can protect the heart and that the Mediterranean diet may have caused the reduced risk in the study.
C
The patients who consumed the Mediterranean diet enjoyed the food and continued to follow the diet after the experiment was concluded.
Irrelevant. It doesn’t matter whether the patients enjoyed the diet or continued to follow it. It only matters whether the diet actually made them less likely to have a second heart attack during the study.
D
Many people who have had heart attacks are advised by their cardiologists to begin an exercise regimen in addition to changing their diet.
Irrelevant. The author is only addressing the effects of the Mediterranean diet vs. the low-fat Western diet on the heart attack risk of the 400 people studied. It doesn’t matter whether exercise also lowers heart attack risk.
E
Some cardiologists believe that the protection afforded by the Mediterranean diet might be enhanced by drugs that lower blood-cholesterol levels.
Irrelevant. It doesn’t matter whether the protection afforded by the Mediterranean diet can be enhanced by certain drugs. Instead, we need to know whether the Mediterranean diet actually can protect the heart in the first place.
Summarize Argument
Florists should stock up on white carnations before St. Patrick’s Day because green carnations are popular but rare, making them difficult for growers to produce in large quantities. Since white carnations are cheap and easy to dye, florists can use them to meet the demand for green carnations.
Identify Conclusion
The stimulus concludes that florists would be wise to purchase a large number of cheap, white carnations before St. Patrick’s Day.
A
It is a good idea for florists to stock up on white carnations before St. Patrick’s Day.
This paraphrases the stimulus’s main conclusion that florists should stock up on white carnations before St. Patrick’s Day. This is supported by the fact that green carnations are rare and therefore hard to get, while white carnations are cheap and easy to dye to meet the demand.
B
Flowers that are naturally green are very rare.
This is a minor premise in the florist’s argument. It supports the sub-conclusion that green carnations are difficult to produce by explaining that their rarity makes them hard for plant breeders to grow in large quantities.
C
There are some people who like to have green carnations on St. Patrick’s Day.
This references the stimulus’s context. This sentence explains the link between green carnations and St. Patrick’s Day, preparing us to understand why the author suggests that florists should stock up on white carnations, which are cheap and easy to dye green, before the holiday.
D
White carnations are fairly inexpensive and can easily be dyed green.
This is a major premise. It directly supports the main conclusion by explaining that white carnations are a good choice for meeting the demand for green carnations because they are easy to dye and relatively inexpensive, making it a wise decision for florists to stock up on them.
E
It is very difficult to breed green carnations.
Though "thus" suggests a conclusion, this sentence is a sub-conclusion of the argument, not the main conclusion. The claim that green carnations are hard to produce supports the main conclusion that florists should stock up on cheaper white carnations before St. Patrick’s Day.
Summarize Argument
The author concludes that everyone should be using low-wattage bulbs. This is because low-wattage bulbs have enormous advantages to homeowners.
Notable Assumptions
The author concludes that everyone should switch to low-wattage bulbs despite their expense. This means the author assumes that the advantages of low-wattage bulbs outweigh their cost.
A
the actual cost of burning low-wattage bulbs compared to that of burning normal bulbs
If low-wattage bulbs cost significantly more to use than normal bulbs, then that may outweigh the advantages of low-wattage bulbs and weaken the author’s argument. If prices are similar, then the advantages likely outweigh the price difference.
B
the profits the home lighting industry expects to make from sales of low-wattage bulbs
We don’t care how much the lighting industry will profit from these bulbs. We care about whether the advantages of low-wattage bulbs outweigh their cost.
C
the specific cost of a low-wattage bulb compared with that of a normal bulb
If low-wattage bulbs cost significantly more to buy than normal bulbs, then that may outweigh the advantages of low-wattage bulbs and weaken the author’s argument. If prices are similar, then the advantages likely outweigh the price difference.
D
the opinion of current users of low-wattage bulbs as to their effectiveness
If current users don’t actually find low-wattage bulbs as effective as normal bulbs, then it’s hard to know what “advantages” the author could be referring to. If they find them more effective, then those advantages are evident.
E
the average life of a low-wattage bulb compared with that of a normal bulb
If low-wattage bulbs last a significantly shorter time than normal bulbs, their other advantages are greatly mitigated by lifespan. If low-wattage bulbs last roughly the same amount of time as or longer than normal bulbs, their advantages aren’t mitigated by lifespan.
Summary
The author draws an analogy between swimming pools and unhealthy food. Although we should fence pools to protect children, it’s more important to teach children to swim. Similarly, although we should restrict children’s access to certain unhealthy foods, it’s more important to teach children how to choose a healthy diet.
Strongly Supported Conclusions
It’s more important to teach children how to choose a healthy diet (just as it’s more important to teach children how to swim).
A
that television can be a good source of accurate information about many things
Unsupported. The source of learning material isn’t part of the pool analogy. So, a claim about what is a good source of information doesn’t fit in the blank.
B
that television advertisements are deceptive and misleading
Unsupported. The pool analogy didn’t involve any deceptive or misleading claims. So, a claim about advertisements being deceptive or misleading doesn’t fit in the blank.
C
how to make nutritional choices that are conducive to their well-being
Strongly supported. Just as it’s more important to teach children how to swim than to fence off swimming pools, it’s more important to teach children how to choose a healthy diet than to restrict them from bad foods.
D
the importance of physical activity to health and well-being
Unsupported. The pool analogy concerns teaching children skills to manage a risky situation (a pool). So, the argument should finish with something concerning teaching children how to manage choices of foods. The importance of exercise doesn’t relate to choices of foods.
E
how to creatively entertain themselves without watching television
Unsupported. The pool analogy didn’t involve having children forgo reading or learning about pools. So, a statement concerning having children forgo watching television doesn’t fit in the blank.
Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
The conclusion is a hypothesis for why there were so many more anti-freeway interviews than pro-freeway interviews: the TV program is biased against the proposed freeway.
Notable Assumptions
The author assumes that the TV program cherry-picked which interviews to show in order to skew the numbers toward the anti-freeway opinions. This means the author must assume that, in the wider population, a larger percentage of people are actually pro-freeway than the TV program would have us believe. The author may assume that there is a more even split between the pro-freeway and anti-freeway crowds, or he may assume that the pro-freeway crowd outright outnumbers the anti-freeway crowd.
A
Most of the people who watched the program were aware of the freeway controversy beforehand.
What viewers were aware of is irrelevant to the question of whether the TV program was biased in what it chose to present to those viewers.
B
Most viewers of television news programs do not expect those programs to be completely free of bias.
Viewers’ expectations of bias do not help to answer the question of whether this TV program is, in actuality, biased. That most viewers expect some level of bias provides no reason to believe that, contrary to the conclusion, this TV program is actually unbiased.
C
In the interviews, the people against the new freeway expressed their opinions with more emotion than the people for the freeway did.
If anything, this strengthens the conclusion. Showing impassioned opposition to the freeway on one hand, and relatively mild support for the freeway on the other, could suggest that the TV program is indeed biased against the freeway.
D
Before the program aired, over twice as many people were against building the freeway than were in favor of it.
This means an even higher percentage of people are anti-freeway than what the TV program showed. This denies the author’s assumption that the TV program aired a misleadingly high percentage of anti-freeway opinions. In reality, the program underrepresented anti-freeway opinions.
E
The business interests of the television station that produced the program would be harmed by the construction of a new freeway.
The TV station’s business interests have no bearing on the argument. The argument is about whether the numbers of pro- and anti-freeway interviews shown should, or should not, lead us to believe that the TV program is biased.