Critical Reasoning

A 7 day course of antibiotics, either penicillin or erythromycin has been the traditional treatment of streptococcal infections. However, since many patients stop taking those drugs within three days, reinfection is common. Azithromycin, a new antibiotic requires only a three-day course of treatment. Therefore, reinfection will probably be less common in cases where Azithromycin is prescribed than in cases where either penicillin or erythromycin is prescribed.
Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?

A. Azithromycin has been shown to be effective in eradicating bacterial infections other than strep.
B. Some physicians have already begun to prescribe Azithromycin instead of penicillin or erythromycin for the treatment of some strep infections
C. Some of people who are allergic to penicillin are likely to be allergic to Azithromycin.
D. A course of treatment with Azithromycin costs about the same as a course of treatment with either penicillin or erythromycin.
E. Regardless of whether they take a traditional antibiotic or the new one, most patients feel fully recovered after taking the drug for three days

OA will follow after discussion

E.

E says that no matter you take old drug or new drug, people will feel better only after 3 days.

Consider this, if the new drug is more effective so people feel better only after 1 day, they stop taking the medicine after one day -> chances of reinfecton.

E eliminates this.

Correct answer.

Still not convinced as to why E is the correct answer. Could you elaborate on your explanation? Thanks in advance.

here r my thoughts -
A - bacterial infections - out of scope.
B - some physicians have already begun - some means how many?. in case only 2 physicians are prescribing the drug then B wont strengthen the argument.
C - weakens the argument.
D - if D is true then the cost of either of the treatment is same. then all the physicians will recommend only Azithromycin. but in the argument we need to compare the results of either of the treatment. hence we need the physicians to recommend either of the drugs (Azithromycin,penicillin or erythromycin).hence incorrect.
E - if, irrespective of the drug taken, most patients feel fully recovered after taking the drug for three days then in most cases, wherein the patients have taken either penicillin or erythromycin, the infection will recur. also in cases, where in the patients have taken Azithromycin, the chances of reinfection will be less.
Hence IMO E.


Thanks!

chidcguy wrote:A 7 day course of antibiotics, either penicillin or erythromycin has been the traditional treatment of streptococcal infections. However, since many patients stop taking those drugs within three days, reinfection is common. Azithromycin, a new antibiotic requires only a three-day course of treatment. Therefore, reinfection will probably be less common in cases where Azithromycin is prescribed than in cases where either penicillin or erythromycin is prescribed.
Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?

A. Azithromycin has been shown to be effective in eradicating bacterial infections other than strep.
B. Some physicians have already begun to prescribe Azithromycin instead of penicillin or erythromycin for the treatment of some strep infections
C. Some of people who are allergic to penicillin are likely to be allergic to Azithromycin.
D. A course of treatment with Azithromycin costs about the same as a course of treatment with either penicillin or erythromycin.
E. Regardless of whether they take a traditional antibiotic or the new one, most patients feel fully recovered after taking the drug for three days

OA will follow after discussion

I am not clear why E is correct/wrong option here?.......I mean it is really tough to make a connection between option E and the conclusion of the argument

Please share your thoughts guys.

Thanks in advance!

Can anyone please help me on this toughie here?

Thanks!

You need to find out why people stop taking penicillin or erythromycin after 3 days (and not after 2 days or after 4 days). Since Azithromycin is only needed for 3 days, if we are somehow able to surface the reasoning of above 3 days we can safely assume that Azithromycin will prevent the reinfection. However, if the 3 days phenomenon is just a coincidence then patients might stop taking Azithromycin after 2 days only in which case it will be not much of help to prevent reinfection.

E clearly says that since the patients start feeling recovered after 3 days (for Azithromycin as well as penicillin or erythromycin) hence he stops taking it. Hence we are not sure that this 3 days has some logic and is not just a mere coincidence and since Azithromycin will make BOTH - recover the patient as well as make him feel recover only after 3 days, it will be more useful.

HTH, but I must admit i am not great in explaining, can just do a brain-dump

IMO D :

D is giving another reason that the people will switch to new medicine (cost is same) and so reinfection will be less.

I don't understand how OA is E .
E is directly contradicting the argument.
Argument is saying that 'reinfection is very common with old medicines.'

expert please comment on this

IMO D

Please post the correct answer !

paes wrote:IMO D :

D is giving another reason that the people will switch to new medicine (cost is same) and so reinfection will be less.

I don't understand how OA is E .
E is directly contradicting the argument.
Argument is saying that 'reinfection is very common with old medicines.'

The conclusion of the argument is Therefore, reinfection will probably be less common in cases where Azithromycin is prescribed than in cases where either penicillin or erythromycin is prescribed. and we need something to strengthen this argument.

D says that the treatment will cost same, but that does not imply that re-infection wont occur. But even though the treatments have same cost Azithromycin could also lead to re-infection as the old treatment in which case this argument does not affect the stimulus either way.

Only E strengthens the conclusion.

paridhi wrote:

paes wrote:IMO D :

D is giving another reason that the people will switch to new medicine (cost is same) and so reinfection will be less.

I don't understand how OA is E .
E is directly contradicting the argument.
Argument is saying that 'reinfection is very common with old medicines.'

The conclusion of the argument is Therefore, reinfection will probably be less common in cases where Azithromycin is prescribed than in cases where either penicillin or erythromycin is prescribed. and we need something to strengthen this argument.

D says that the treatment will cost same, but that does not imply that re-infection wont occur. But even though the treatments have same cost Azithromycin could also lead to re-infection as the old treatment in which case this argument does not affect the stimulus either way.

Only E strengthens the conclusion.

You are right Paridhi that D cannot be the answer choice. Thanks for the explanation.
But E is also not convincing because fully recover doesn't mean that there will be no re-infection later.
Anyway E is better that other choices.

The text states that reinfection is common when patients use the former treatments because they interrupt the 7-day treatment early (i.e. after 3 days). E makes it clear that with the new treatment, patients will likely take the new drug for the entire 3 days that the drug needs in order to clear the infection. This fact removes the following objection:

What if patients stop taking the new drug prematurely because they feel better before the infection is fully cleared? Reinfection may still be common

kevincanspain wrote:The text states that reinfection is common when patients use the former treatments because they interrupt the 7-day treatment early (i.e. after 3 days). E makes it clear that with the new treatment, patients will likely take the new drug for the entire 3 days that the drug needs in order to clear the infection. This fact removes the following objection:

What if patients stop taking the new drug prematurely because they feel better before the infection is fully cleared? Reinfection may still be common

But how does it strengthen the argument????...