Necessary AssumptionDiff: Easy
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: Some mental health problems are caused by brain chemistry, so the author thinks medicine is the only way to treat those specific patients.
Conclusion: Patients with mental disorders caused by chemical imbalances can only be treated effectively with medication.
Reasoning: Because these specific disorders result from chemical imbalances in the brain, the author concludes that only a chemical intervention can fix them.
Analysis: The author is assuming a strict 'like cures like' relationship between the cause of a condition and its treatment. The gap in the logic is the possibility that non-medical treatments, such as psychotherapy, could influence or correct those chemical imbalances indirectly. For the conclusion to be 'necessary,' the argument must assume that psychotherapy is incapable of effectively treating these chemically-based disorders. If you negate the correct answer to say 'psychotherapy CAN effectively treat these patients,' the author's claim that medication is the *only* way would be completely destroyed.
Conclusion: Patients with mental disorders caused by chemical imbalances can only be treated effectively with medication.
Reasoning: Because these specific disorders result from chemical imbalances in the brain, the author concludes that only a chemical intervention can fix them.
Analysis: The author is assuming a strict 'like cures like' relationship between the cause of a condition and its treatment. The gap in the logic is the possibility that non-medical treatments, such as psychotherapy, could influence or correct those chemical imbalances indirectly. For the conclusion to be 'necessary,' the argument must assume that psychotherapy is incapable of effectively treating these chemically-based disorders. If you negate the correct answer to say 'psychotherapy CAN effectively treat these patients,' the author's claim that medication is the *only* way would be completely destroyed.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage8.The argument depends on assuming which one of the following?
Correct Answer
A
A is required. If psychotherapy could effectively reduce/correct the chemical imbalance, then medication would not be the only effective treatment. Negation test: suppose psychotherapy can correct the imbalance—then the conclusion is false. So A is necessary.
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