Reading comp PrepTest 147 · Section 3 · Question 20

Incorrect. (Lines 29-32) The current ethical standard is theoretical equipoise, and the Author notes that, if it were strictly adhered to, few trials would start and fewer would finish. She must believe that most trials don't meet the current standard, and her alternative has yet to be developed. Even then, there's no indication that most current trials meet the new clinical equipoise standard.

Incorrect. (Lines 15-21; Lines 29-30) The Author argues that the current standard of equipoise is not possible in practice, but she doesn't argue that it's preventing clinical trials from being carried out. She says this would be the case if the standard were strictly adhered to, but in calling it "hardly attainable in practice," she implies that it's not being strictly adhered to.

Correct. Question Type:
Must Be True

Strategy Overview:
Reiterate the main point of the passage, but then head straight to the answers and use our notes and the passage itself to evaluate them

Answer Anticipation/Relevant Lines:
This question stem gives no guidance as to what the correct answer is going to discuss, or where the information supporting it is going to come from. As such, we should reiterate the main point of the passage and prioritize analyzing answers that line up with that.

In this passage, we said the main point was:

Unlike "theoretical equipoise" which is impossible in practice, "clinical equipoise" allows for clinicians to ethically engage in clinical trials despite having a preference for one treatment over another, as long as they recognize a good faith argument from doctors who believe the other treatment is better.

We could also have reread the main point answer we selected in Question #18. In either case, it's time to head to the answer choice.

Answer Explanation:
(Lines 17-21) The Author notes that theoretical equipoise may be "too strict" and the standard it imposes is "hardly attainable in practice," so this answer has direct support in the text and is therefore correct.

Key Takeaway:
A lot of the analysis here came down to logical force. Three of the wrong answers started with "most," and the correct answer had a "rarely" in it. This is a great sign that you should be spotting and noting when language like that shows up in the passage, as it's going to be mirrored in the answers!

Incorrect. (Lines 8-14) This answer takes a chunk of the first paragraph that talks about the past ("Traditionally . . . have agreed") and brings it into the present. There's no guarantee that the traditional belief is still the belief, especially in light of questions being raised in the passage itself. Even then, the opening paragraph notes only that most physicians and ethicists have agreed on the equipoise standard—they may not believe it's adequate but still accept it as practical or as a compromise position.

Incorrect. (Lines 38-42) The passage notes that this is "one reason" for conducting clinical trials, not the reason for most of them. Even then, it's about finding which of two treatments is better—that's not necessarily the same as finding the best treatment.