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 rspain
  • Posts: 2
  • Joined: Jul 14, 2011
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#833
Hi, I'm really having a hard rationalizing why answer choice (c) is wrong here. When explaining why this choice is wrong, the book says, " although the stimulus says there has been a proliferation of multiauthored technical articles, no comment is made about the frequency of multiauthored technical articles. In the next sentence, a frequency - "usually"- is given, but only for multiauthored clinical trial reports."

That last part is where I'm finding trouble because the stimulus does offer a frequency regarding physics papers as well when they say "...experiments using subsystems developed at various laboratories GENERALLY have authors from each laboratory."

Now, breaking down answer choice C, it says, "when a technical article has multiple authors, they are usually from different institutions." And since the only two examples of technical articles discussed in the stimulus uses the frequency indicators "usually" and "generally" would I not draw a relationship between the two and say that when technical articles have multiple authors have multiple authors, they often come from different institutions.

I know that the book says that we should use information not given in the stimulus, unless it is considered to be common sense. But would knowing all the different types of technical articles be considered common sense?

I'm not sure what to think, and I would REALLY appreciate any help!
 Steve Stein
PowerScore Staff
  • PowerScore Staff
  • Posts: 1153
  • Joined: Apr 11, 2011
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#834
Lets simplify the wording of this stimulus:

For clinical trials:
When patients from several hospitals are involved, reports are usually co-written by authors from those hospitals.

For physics papers:
When experiments use systems developed at several labs, reports are usually co-written by authors from those labs.

Correct answer choice (B): In clinical trials, when patients from several hospitals are involved, reports are usually co-written. This choice corresponds perfectly with the first statement above.

Incorrect answer choice (C): When a technical article has several authors, those authors usually come from different institutions.

We have no basis to support this broad statement about "co-authored technical articles." The author only discusses two types of reports: reports on physics papers, and reports on clinical trials (there are, most likely, many other types of co-written technical papers that we dont know about).

Since we don't know about every type of co-written technical paper, we can't presume that all types of such papers tend to be written by people from different institutions.

That's a tough one--let me know if it makes sense--thanks!
 rspain
  • Posts: 2
  • Joined: Jul 14, 2011
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#835
1. I apologize for the grammar in my post. I'll be to sure re-read my next one before submitting it.

and 2. Yes, I understand it now.. Thank you so much
 Steve Stein
PowerScore Staff
  • PowerScore Staff
  • Posts: 1153
  • Joined: Apr 11, 2011
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#836
I hadn't noticed any grammar issues, but I appreciate your response and I'm glad everything made sense--thanks!

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