PrepTest 144

Incorrect. While Ortiz does raise some questions, they're not about the validity of the study Merton relies on. In fact, by asking if there are other potential explanations for the results of the study, Ortiz is implying that he may accept that study as valid.

Incorrect. Ortiz raises a question suggesting Merton needs to take into account other potential causes of heart disease, not other effects of air pollution.

Incorrect. While Ortiz questions the implication that Merton draws from the findings, he doesn't question whether Merton understands the study itself.

Incorrect. Merton's conclusion could be viewed as a generalization, but Ortiz doesn't raise any example. Instead, he questions the causal relationship Merton concludes.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument/Questions

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed/NA

Question Type:
Methods of Reasoning

Stimulus Summary:
M: Living on a busy street is correlated with heart disease. Therefore, auto pollution causes heart disease.

O: You sure it's not something else they have in common?

Answer Anticipation:
In this Methods of Reasoning question, Ortiz responds to Merton's argument with a couple questions—and those questions are about alternative factors.

Jumping back for a second to Merton's argument, she bases it on a recent study. Generally, conclusions based on studies are flawed because they have a bad sample or they jump from a correlation to causation. Here, the sample doesn't have any red flags, but the argument does reach a causal conclusion based on a correlation. When that's the case, alternative explanations/causes generally factor into the correct answer.

And here, they factor into Ortiz's response. He asks some questions challenging Merton's argument, and he does so by asking about alternative explanations/causes of the heart disease. The correct answer, therefore, should reflect this.

Answer Explanation:
In asking whether there are other lifestyle factors that could explain the heart disease, Ortiz is suggesting that these other factors need to be ruled out before Merton's conclusion can be reached. This answer describes the purpose of Ortiz's questions, so it's the correct answer.

Key Takeaway:
Common errors in reasoning aren't limited to questions that ask specifically about flawed arguments—they can show up in other places, too. Here, in this Methods of Reasoning question, noting that the initial argument featured a correlation/causation flaw that the response pointed out was key to efficiently getting the correct answer.