- PowerScore Staff
- Posts: 8916
- Joined: Feb 02, 2011
- Wed Mar 30, 2016 6:00 pm
#22633
Question #20: Must. The correct answer choice is (E).
A study compared the brains of people who had schizophrenia to those who did not. Apparently, 35% of those with schizophrenia, no 0% of those without, showed damage to a structure of nerve cells called the “subplate.” Interestingly, the researchers knew that this damage must have occurred prior to the second fetal trimester, i.e. before birth.
The question stem asks us to identify an answer choice that is supported by the information contained in the stimulus. The facts clearly suggest that if the damage to the subplate actually causes schizophrenia (something the study implies, but does not prove), then that cause is likely to predate birth.
Answer choice (A): Just because 35% of those with schizophrenia had abnormal brain subplates does not mean that 35% of the people with abnormal brain subplates will eventually have schizophrenia. Maybe all of them will. This is a classic Shell Game answer.
Answer choice (B): We have no proof that repairing the damaged connections between the different parts of the brain would be a promising treatment. This seems likely, but no definitive conclusion can be drawn on the basis of the information provided.
Answer choice (C): Read carefully! The damage occurred prior to the second fetal trimester, not after that trimester.
Answer choice (D): The stimulus does not indicate why the subplate damage occurs in the first place. Its causes could be genetic, but they can also be environmental in origin.
Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice. While correlations can never constitute a definitive proof of a causal relationship, they indicate that such a relationship may exist. The qualified language used here (“there may be a cause…”) establishes a mere possibility, which is a reasonable conclusion to draw from the information provided.
A study compared the brains of people who had schizophrenia to those who did not. Apparently, 35% of those with schizophrenia, no 0% of those without, showed damage to a structure of nerve cells called the “subplate.” Interestingly, the researchers knew that this damage must have occurred prior to the second fetal trimester, i.e. before birth.
The question stem asks us to identify an answer choice that is supported by the information contained in the stimulus. The facts clearly suggest that if the damage to the subplate actually causes schizophrenia (something the study implies, but does not prove), then that cause is likely to predate birth.
Answer choice (A): Just because 35% of those with schizophrenia had abnormal brain subplates does not mean that 35% of the people with abnormal brain subplates will eventually have schizophrenia. Maybe all of them will. This is a classic Shell Game answer.
Answer choice (B): We have no proof that repairing the damaged connections between the different parts of the brain would be a promising treatment. This seems likely, but no definitive conclusion can be drawn on the basis of the information provided.
Answer choice (C): Read carefully! The damage occurred prior to the second fetal trimester, not after that trimester.
Answer choice (D): The stimulus does not indicate why the subplate damage occurs in the first place. Its causes could be genetic, but they can also be environmental in origin.
Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice. While correlations can never constitute a definitive proof of a causal relationship, they indicate that such a relationship may exist. The qualified language used here (“there may be a cause…”) establishes a mere possibility, which is a reasonable conclusion to draw from the information provided.
