WeakenDiff: Medium
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: The author argues that cow's milk can't be the culprit for colic because even babies who only drink breast milk get colicky.
Conclusion: It is unlikely that an inability to tolerate cow's milk antibodies is the cause of colic in infants.
Reasoning: Infants who are fed only breast milk frequently exhibit symptoms of colic, despite not being fed cow's milk directly.
Analysis: The author is assuming that 'exclusively breastfed' means the infant has zero exposure to cow's milk antibodies. To weaken this, we need to find a way those antibodies could still be reaching the baby. A classic 'LSAT-style' weakener here would be to suggest that if the mother consumes cow's milk, those antibodies could be passed to the infant through her breast milk. Look for an answer that provides a path for the suspected cause to reach the group that supposedly wasn't exposed to it.
Conclusion: It is unlikely that an inability to tolerate cow's milk antibodies is the cause of colic in infants.
Reasoning: Infants who are fed only breast milk frequently exhibit symptoms of colic, despite not being fed cow's milk directly.
Analysis: The author is assuming that 'exclusively breastfed' means the infant has zero exposure to cow's milk antibodies. To weaken this, we need to find a way those antibodies could still be reaching the baby. A classic 'LSAT-style' weakener here would be to suggest that if the mother consumes cow's milk, those antibodies could be passed to the infant through her breast milk. Look for an answer that provides a path for the suspected cause to reach the group that supposedly wasn't exposed to it.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage12.Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
Correct Answer
D
D directly weakens the argument by showing that when mothers remove cow’s milk from their own diets, the infants’ colic quickly disappears—evidence that the breast-fed infants’ colic was linked to cow’s-milk components transmitted through breast milk, so the observation of colic in breast-fed infants does not refute the cow’s-milk–antibodies hypothesis.
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