Since the routine

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Since the routine

by gmat25 » Sun Jul 24, 2011 5:08 am
Since the routine use of antibiotics can give rise to resistant bacteria capable of surviving antibiotic environments, the presence of resistant bacteria in people could be due to the human use of prescription antibiotics. Some scientists, however, believe that most resistant bacteria in people derive from human consumption of bacterially infected meat.

Which of the following statements, if true, would most significantly strengthen the hypothesis of the scientists?
(A) Antibiotics are routinely included in livestock feed so that livestock producers can increase the rate of growth of their animals.
(B) Most people who develop food poisoning from bacterially infected meat are treated with prescription antibiotics.
(C) The incidence of resistant bacteria in people has tended to be much higher in urban areas than in rural areas where meat is of comparable quality.
(D) People who have never taken prescription antibiotics are those least likely to develop resistant bacteria.
(E) Livestock producers claim that resistant bacteria in animals cannot be transmitted to people through infected meat.

[spoiler]How to pick b/w Op A and Op B...please answer with proper reasoning for these two.[/spoiler]
Source: — Critical Reasoning |

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by Ozlemg » Sun Jul 24, 2011 6:01 am
IMO D.

B) does NOT support the scientist's claim and actually strengthens the other claim.
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by David@VeritasPrep » Sun Jul 24, 2011 8:18 am
Received a PM on this one!

This is a question that I believe comes from OG 10th edition. A previous posting said it is number 60.

This is a strengthen question. Let's break it down using the conclusion and the most important premise.

The conclusion is "most resistant bacteria in people derive from human consumption of bacterially infected meat not from human use of prescription antibiotics."

The Most Important Premise is "the routine use of antibiotics can give rise to resistant bacteria capable of surviving antibiotic environments"

Now we need to link these two: the routine use can give rise to resistant bacteria...and we want this to not be human use of antibiotics but rather something to do with meat.

A does exactly this. "Antibiotics are ROUTINELY included in livestock feed so that livestock producers can increase the rate of growth of their animals.

Do you see? The antibiotics are used routinely and resistant bacteria develop and they develop in the meat that humans consume.

Choice B does not point in the right direction. We are trying to say that it is in the meat that most of the resistant bacteria develops. B does not indicate this. It just says that when people do get sick from meat (how often?) they are give antibiotics.

This is a tempting answer because it has people getting sick on meat, but unlike choice A it does not explain how or why this would be true.

Does that help?
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by Ozlemg » Sun Jul 24, 2011 8:59 am
Wow, thank you. I got it now and it is clearly A.
D does not talk about infected meat and "the routine use" of antibiotics
But states, if people do not take AB, they do not develop resistant bacteria! It is stated in the 1st premise...
is D wrong because it only covers half of the premises not the whole?


(D) People who have never taken prescription antibiotics are those least likely to develop resistant bacteria.
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by David@VeritasPrep » Mon Jul 25, 2011 8:52 am
Don't worry about whether or not D covers all the premises, this is not a conclusion question - it is a strengthen so you need to support the link between the premises and the conclusion.

The conclusion is that the bacteria derive from eating the infected meat. D does not support this conclusion at all. It talks about people taking prescription antibiotics. This in no way points to infected meat.

Keep in mind the conclusion. D does not take use there!
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by gmatblood » Mon Jul 25, 2011 9:32 am
A, straight away!!

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by gmat25 » Mon Jul 25, 2011 11:07 am
@David

Thanks a lot!!! I thought something otherwise in this question and that's why got confused b/w A and B. Thanks, your post really helped!!!

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by veenu08 » Mon May 13, 2013 11:11 am
In argument its stated that -- believe that most resistant bacteria in people derive from human consumption of bacterially infected meat. . But in the option A- there is no reference to the infected meat, its talking about the livestock, so people consume any type of meat (no matter infected), they will get the resistance bacteria.

Can anyone correct me, and help me to rule out option B