Critical Reasoning

A new handheld device purports to determine the severity of concussions by reading the brain's electrical signals and comparing them to a database of 15,000 scans compiled at a brain research lab. The device is intended to help doctors decide whether an athlete who has received a blow to the head during a competition should be sent back into the game.

Which of the following would it be most useful to establish in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the device for its intended purpose?

A. Whether the database of brain scans will regularly be updated with new scans
B. Whether by use of this device doctors will be able to make a sound decision about whether to allow an athlete back into the competition before it ends
C. Whether the device will be endorsed by a large number of medical professionals
D. Whether the database includes scans of non-injured athletes in the same game as the injured athlete
E. Whether team doctors have until now been mistaken in their assessments of whether an athlete can safely continue to play



OA B

Source: Official Guide