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- Thu May 05, 2016 11:52 am
#23937
Complete Question Explanation
Main Point-CE. The correct answer choice is (D)
Whenever the stimulus begins by describing a widely held belief, you can be sure that the author’s conclusion will counter it. In this case, the author challenges the view that eating chocolate can cause acne by suggesting an alternate cause for both eating chocolate and having acne – stress. As is typical for Main Point questions, the conclusion is “hidden” in the middle of the stimulus: “it is likely that common wisdom has mistaken an effect for a cause.” The correct answer will be a paraphrase of this conclusion, which is best illustrated in answer choice (D).
Answer choice (A): Even though the author rejects the view that chocolate can cause acne, she never suggested that the two are not correlated. The conclusion simply offers an alternate explanation for this correlation. This answer choice is incorrect.
Answer choice (B): While eating chocolate and the hormonal changes associated with stress are correlated, the stimulus contains no evidence to suggest that the more chocolate a person eats, the more likely she is to experience the hormonal changes associated with stress. Furthermore, the correlation between chocolate and stress is offered in support of the conclusion that eating chocolate does not cause acne. This answer choice is incorrect.
Answer choice (C): Eating chocolate does not cause stress. It is stress that causes people to crave more chocolate. This answer choice is incorrect.
Answer choice (D): This is the correct answer choice. See discussion above.
Answer choice (E): While the recent studies indicate that stress can cause people to crave more chocolate, this is a premise used in support of the conclusion that stress is the real cause for both eating chocolate and having acne.
Remember: the evidence presented in a study or a survey is rarely the main point of the argument, because such evidence is often used in support of another idea. Furthermore, do not fall into the trap of assuming that the last sentence of the stimulus will always contain the conclusion. Often times the conclusion is buried somewhere in the middle of the argument, especially in Main Point questions.
Main Point-CE. The correct answer choice is (D)
Whenever the stimulus begins by describing a widely held belief, you can be sure that the author’s conclusion will counter it. In this case, the author challenges the view that eating chocolate can cause acne by suggesting an alternate cause for both eating chocolate and having acne – stress. As is typical for Main Point questions, the conclusion is “hidden” in the middle of the stimulus: “it is likely that common wisdom has mistaken an effect for a cause.” The correct answer will be a paraphrase of this conclusion, which is best illustrated in answer choice (D).
Answer choice (A): Even though the author rejects the view that chocolate can cause acne, she never suggested that the two are not correlated. The conclusion simply offers an alternate explanation for this correlation. This answer choice is incorrect.
Answer choice (B): While eating chocolate and the hormonal changes associated with stress are correlated, the stimulus contains no evidence to suggest that the more chocolate a person eats, the more likely she is to experience the hormonal changes associated with stress. Furthermore, the correlation between chocolate and stress is offered in support of the conclusion that eating chocolate does not cause acne. This answer choice is incorrect.
Answer choice (C): Eating chocolate does not cause stress. It is stress that causes people to crave more chocolate. This answer choice is incorrect.
Answer choice (D): This is the correct answer choice. See discussion above.
Answer choice (E): While the recent studies indicate that stress can cause people to crave more chocolate, this is a premise used in support of the conclusion that stress is the real cause for both eating chocolate and having acne.
Remember: the evidence presented in a study or a survey is rarely the main point of the argument, because such evidence is often used in support of another idea. Furthermore, do not fall into the trap of assuming that the last sentence of the stimulus will always contain the conclusion. Often times the conclusion is buried somewhere in the middle of the argument, especially in Main Point questions.