PrepTest 158, Section 3, 9. Consumer advocate: Even relatively minor drug-related…

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How will the right answer fit in terms of support and conclusion?

Only the right answer will add support for disagreeing with the conclusion.

Highlight the main conclusion in the passage, if there is one:

The government should, therefore, require drug companies to notify consumers of all known drug-related interactions.

Consumer advocate: [INTERMEDIATE CONCLUSON]. For example, [SUPPORT]. [SUPPORT]. [MAIN CONCLUSION].

Map the wording of the answers to the wording of the passage:

(A) …would detract from a patient’s attention to serious interactions.

This is a good reason not to “notify consumers” of all interactions, so it definitely supports disagreeing with the conclusion.

(B) …fewer documented drug-related interactions than does aspirin.

The author never compares aspirin to other drugs, so there’s no clear connection between this info and the author’s conclusion.

(C) …would result in only negligible price increases…

Then passage doesn’t mention money at all, so this wants to sound not so relevant. This is more like a defense of the author’s conclusion anyway, since it says a possible drawback is only “negligible”. So it definitely doesn’t support disagreeing.

(D) …have not yet been identified.

The conclusion is only about “known” interactions, so the ones that haven’t been identified are outside the argument’s scope. This doesn’t affect the conclusion.

(E) …to printed warnings that are provided with drugs.

The conclusion is only concerned with making drug companies tell consumers about interactions. You’d have to add your own reasoning to connect that to what pharmacists do with one specific kind of notification. So this doesn’t impact the author’s conclusion.

(A) is the correct answer.

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