People's television-viewing habits could be monitored by hav

[BTGmoderatorAT]

People's television-viewing habits could be monitored by having television sets, when on, send out low-level electromagnetic waves that are reflected back to the sets. The reflected waves could then be analyzed to determine how many persons are within the viewing area of the sets. Critics fear adverse health effects of such a monitoring system, but a proponent responds, "The average dose of radiation is less than one chest x-ray. As they watch, viewers won't feel a thing."

Which of the following issues would it be most important to resolve in evaluating the dispute concerning the health effects of the proposed system?

A.Whether the proposed method of monitoring viewership can distinguish between people and pets
B.Whether radar speed monitors also operate on the principle of analyzing reflected waves of electromagnetic radiation
C.Whether the proposed system has been tried out in various areas of the country or in a single area only
D.What uses are foreseen for the viewership data
E.Whether the average dose that the proponent describes is a short-term dose or a lifetime cumulative dose

OA: E

What's wrong with options B and D?

[DavidG@VeritasPrep]

People's television-viewing habits could be monitored by having television sets, when on, send out low-level electromagnetic waves that are reflected back to the sets. The reflected waves could then be analyzed to determine how many persons are within the viewing area of the sets. Critics fear adverse health effects of such a monitoring system, but a proponent responds, "The average dose of radiation is less than one chest x-ray. As they watch, viewers won't feel a thing."

Which of the following issues would it be most important to resolve in evaluating the dispute concerning the health effects of the proposed system?

A.Whether the proposed method of monitoring viewership can distinguish between people and pets
B.Whether radar speed monitors also operate on the principle of analyzing reflected waves of electromagnetic radiation
C.Whether the proposed system has been tried out in various areas of the country or in a single area only
D.What uses are foreseen for the viewership data
E.Whether the average dose that the proponent describes is a short-term dose or a lifetime cumulative dose

OA: E

What's wrong with options B and D?

Consider the argument from the perspective of someone exposes to these electromagnetic waves. You want to know if this exposure is going to make you sick, right? Well, if the total amount of radiation you're exposed is less than the amount of radiation you're exposed to when having a chest x-ray, that likely wouldn't bother you - a single x-ray isn't likely to harm you. But if the argument is referring the amount of radiation you're subjected to each time you watch TV, well, suddenly that's a riskier proposition. Most of us watch television almost daily. Most of us would not feel comfortable about the risk profile of having a chest x-ray every day. This is what E describes.

B and D have absolutely nothing to do with the health consequences of radiation exposure, and thus are irrelevant when evaluating the argument's claim.