Necessary AssumptionDiff: Medium
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: We have two heart attack drugs; one is a bit better but more expensive. To save one extra person with the better drug, you'd have to spend an extra $240,000 across 120 patients, forcing a tough choice about the value of a life.
Conclusion: The core policy choice for society is whether saving one additional life is worth a total expenditure of $240,000.
Reasoning: Drug T is slightly more effective (1 in 120 cases) but costs $2,000 more per person than Drug S, meaning 120 people must be treated at the higher price to save that one extra person.
Analysis: The argument treats the $240,000 figure as the final word on the cost-benefit analysis of these drugs. However, if Drug T also reduced the time a patient spent in expensive intensive care, the 'stark' cost might not be so high after all. For the conclusion to hold, the argument must assume there are no such hidden financial offsets that would change the math.
Conclusion: The core policy choice for society is whether saving one additional life is worth a total expenditure of $240,000.
Reasoning: Drug T is slightly more effective (1 in 120 cases) but costs $2,000 more per person than Drug S, meaning 120 people must be treated at the higher price to save that one extra person.
Analysis: The argument treats the $240,000 figure as the final word on the cost-benefit analysis of these drugs. However, if Drug T also reduced the time a patient spent in expensive intensive care, the 'stark' cost might not be so high after all. For the conclusion to hold, the argument must assume there are no such hidden financial offsets that would change the math.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage15.Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument relies?
Correct Answer
D
D is necessary. Negation test: Suppose there is a quick, practical, inexpensive way to tell for an individual whether S would be as effective as T. Then you could target T only to those needing it, and you wouldn’t face a $240,000-per-life decision. That destroys the conclusion, so D is required for the argument.
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