Logical reasoning PrepTest 135 · Section 1 · Question 15

Question prompt

Researcher: Every year approximately Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: C

The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.

Argument or Facts

Argument

Valid or Flawed

Flawed

Question Type

Errors in Reasoning Questions

Stimulus Summary

As many people die as a result of treatment/hospitalization as all other causes combined, so preventing those deaths would halve total deaths.

Answer Anticipation

If someone is at a hospital, they’re presumably already seriously ill. While they may have died from an iatrogenic disease, it’s possible that the underlying condition that drove them to the hospital to begin with would have caused their death anyway. If that’s the case, then preventing the iatrogenic disease wouldn’t prevent that death, and thus preventing iatrogenic disease wouldn’t cut total deaths in half, as some of them would happen anyway.

Answer choices

  1. A
    prevention of noniatrogenic disease Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    This answer is tempting because it points out that there’s a connection between someone being sick and going to the hospital, and iatrogenic disease. However, this answer talks about something that aligns with the argument - preventing iatrogenic disease by preventing people from getting sick in the first place - so it’s not something the argument fails to consider.
  2. B
    some medical treatments can Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    The conclusion is qualified - if these diseases can be prevented - so the argument doesn’t assume that these diseases could be prevented through different treatments.
  3. C
    people who do not Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C matches the stem
    The individuals who are dying of iatrogenic diseases are presumably sick since they’re being treated or hospitalized for something. If the iatrogenic disease is prevented, that person could still die of whatever condition got them to the hospital in the first place, and so the total number of deaths wouldn’t decline by half.
  4. D
    there is no one Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    The Researcher doesn’t assume that there is one cure-all for these diseases - in fact, she qualifies her conclusion by stating that it’s only true “if” all of these deaths could be prevented.
  5. E
    whenever a noniatrogenic disease Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited
    Another tempting answer choice, connecting the two types of disease! However, this answer choice doesn’t connect dying from these types of diseases, which is what the argument neglects to consider.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 10%
  2. B 2%
  3. C Credited 65%
  4. D 6%
  5. E 17%

Deeper help

Ask follow-ups on any step

Optional AI tutor mode will let you interrogate assumptions, compare answers, and drill weak patterns without leaving the page.

Human-written explanations stay primary; AI is an add-on when you want it.

Discussion

View all discussions Start a discussion