lsat-24-20

entia

Questions 20-21 Some people have been promoting a new herbal mixture as a remedy for the common cold. The mixture contains, among other things, extracts of the plants purple cone-flower and goldenseal. A cold sufferer, skeptical of the claim that the mixture is an effective cold remedy, argued, "Suppose that the mixture were an effective cold remedy. Since most people with colds wish to recover quickly, it follows that almost everybody with a cold would be using it.    Therefore, since there are many people who have colds but do not use the mixture, it is obviously not effective."

20. Each of the following is an assumption required by the skeptical cold sufferer's argument EXCEPT: (A) Enough of the mixture is produced to provide the required doses to almost everybody with a cold. (B) The mixture does not have side effects severe enough to make many people who have colds avoid using it. (C) The mixture is powerful enough to prevent almost everybody who uses it from contracting any further colds. (D) The mixture is widely enough known that almost everybody with a cold is aware of it. (E) There are no effective cold remedies available that many people who have colds prefer to the mixture.

这道题我看不懂以上粗体彩色部分，这两句话是矛盾的吧？？？ 答案是c

hedonism555

it = if your product is good, then everybody should use it. but, in fact, someone do not use it. So, your product is not good.

entia

原来如此. 谢谢楼上的

Bensontuo

entia 发表于 2004-12-19 13:41
Questions 20-21 Some people have been promoting a new herbal mixture as a remedy for the common cold ...

Spot the question type: Necessary Assumption of causality - Weaken

Core of the argument

Because: Most people with cold wish to recover quickly,  so almost everyone with a cold would be using it

Conclusion: Many people who have colds but do not use the mixture, it is no effective.

Let us negate the question

A. Not enough of the mixture is produced to provide the required doses to almost anyone with a cold -> If this is true, then it might be sufficient to lead to the fact that people do not use the mixture, but not necessary to be not effective.

B. The mixture does have side effect severe enough to make many people who have colds avoid using it -> If this is true, then apparently does have side effect can't prove it is no effective of treating cold. However, it can sufficiently to lead to the fact that people do not use the mixture.

C. It is not relevant. We are discussing the effectiveness on the current cold, but not from contracting any further cold.

D. There are effective cold remedies available that many people have cold prefer to -> Apparently the reason why people do not use it is not because it is not effective but because they do have alternatives.

Except C, all of the others are all necessary assumption required by the argument.