WeakenDiff: Easy
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: One person says medical research needs to include more women because it currently focuses too much on men. A second person argues that 'gender balance' is just a social issue that has no business being part of scientific study.
Conclusion: Scientific research should not be concerned with maintaining a balance between male and female subjects.
Reasoning: The second legislator believes that social or political considerations like gender balance are irrelevant to the objective nature of science.
Analysis: To counter the second legislator, we need to show that including women in studies isn't just about 'fairness' or 'social balance'—it's about the quality of the science itself. If biological differences between the sexes mean that a drug works differently in women than in men, then excluding women leads to inaccurate and potentially dangerous scientific conclusions. Look for an answer that establishes gender as a relevant scientific variable rather than just a social category. This would turn the second legislator's 'science-only' argument against them.
Conclusion: Scientific research should not be concerned with maintaining a balance between male and female subjects.
Reasoning: The second legislator believes that social or political considerations like gender balance are irrelevant to the objective nature of science.
Analysis: To counter the second legislator, we need to show that including women in studies isn't just about 'fairness' or 'social balance'—it's about the quality of the science itself. If biological differences between the sexes mean that a drug works differently in women than in men, then excluding women leads to inaccurate and potentially dangerous scientific conclusions. Look for an answer that establishes gender as a relevant scientific variable rather than just a social category. This would turn the second legislator's 'science-only' argument against them.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage6.Which one of the following rejoinders, if true, most directly counters the second legislator's objection?
Correct Answer
E
It directly undercuts the claim that sex-balance has no place in science by asserting that restricting data collection to males produces inadequate science—so considering sex balance is scientifically necessary.
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