Logical reasoning PrepTest 153 · Section 2 · Question 5

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Facts

Question Type:
Must Be True

Stimulus Summary:
There's a theory that Vitamin C helps the body produce and maintain collagen, which is super important and occurs in connective tissues and bones. Based on this theory, some doctors think Vitamin C can treat the symptoms of some common illnesses.

Strategy Overview:
Like most "strongly supported" MBTs, this is all about logical force. Tackle this by looking for something that can be supported by just the information in the stimulus, with no other assumptions or inferences.

Answer Anticipation:
Since the stimulus is pretty weak, the answer should be, too. Something that connects the two premises without going too far into strong conclusion territory might be nice. The biggest clue here is the words "for this reason," which tells us that doctors are paying attention specifically to what Vit. C can do for you in the collagen department, which is contained within the connective tissue and bone department.

Answer Explanation:
This doesn't feel right on first read, because it doesn't mention Vitamin C. But is it supported by the stimulus? Well, if the doctors believe in the potential healing power of Vitamin C because it helps the body make and keep collagen, which lives in bones and connective tissue, they must also believe that some illnesses affect the places where collagen is stored. If more collagen can heal you, you must have had too little collagen.

Key Takeaway:
If the question prompt says "most strongly supported," you better read the stimulus with careful attention to quantification and logical force. Don't underestimate this category. Choosing a "most" conclusion when you only have "some" premises will mean missing a question, and it's definitely (see that strong logical force?) gonna hurt to review your test and realize you just failed to pay attention to a quantifier.

Incorrect. "Only" is a red flag here. It's way too strong for such a weak pair of premises in the stimulus.

Incorrect. This is backwards. The Vitamin C seems to strengthen the body's ability to produce and maintain collagen; the collagen doesn't help the body absorb vitamins. (Not to put too fine a point on it, but "helps the body use vitamins" wouldn't be a health benefit if we didn't know that using vitamins had some sort of positive effect on the body! Like, say, producing collagen.)

Incorrect. "The most effective" is way, way too strong. If Vitamin C helps people with some forms of cancer, that doesn't mean it's more effective than chemo.

Incorrect. "Any" is another red flag for a too-strong conclusion. The stimulus specifically said "some common illnesses," in other words, at least one.