WeakenDiff: Easy
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: Scientists found that heavy coffee drinkers get heart disease more often, so they are cutting back on coffee to stay healthy.
Conclusion: Reducing daily coffee consumption to two cups will lower the researchers' risk of developing heart disease.
Reasoning: Data shows that people drinking five or more cups of coffee daily have a significantly higher risk of heart disease than the average person.
Analysis: This is a classic case of confusing correlation with causation. The researchers assume that the coffee itself is the culprit, but it could be that heavy coffee drinkers share another habit—like high stress or lack of sleep—that actually causes the heart issues. To weaken the argument, look for an alternative explanation or evidence that the damage isn't actually caused by the caffeine. If the risk is tied to a lifestyle factor that the researchers aren't changing, their precaution won't help.
Conclusion: Reducing daily coffee consumption to two cups will lower the researchers' risk of developing heart disease.
Reasoning: Data shows that people drinking five or more cups of coffee daily have a significantly higher risk of heart disease than the average person.
Analysis: This is a classic case of confusing correlation with causation. The researchers assume that the coffee itself is the culprit, but it could be that heavy coffee drinkers share another habit—like high stress or lack of sleep—that actually causes the heart issues. To weaken the argument, look for an alternative explanation or evidence that the damage isn't actually caused by the caffeine. If the risk is tied to a lifestyle factor that the researchers aren't changing, their precaution won't help.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage17.Which one of the following, if true, indicates that the researchers' precaution might NOT have the result of decreasing their risk of heart disease?
Correct Answer
C
If stress—a major causal factor in heart disease—correlates with coffee consumption and the study didn’t measure that, the coffee–risk link could be due to stress, not coffee. In that case, cutting coffee to two cups wouldn’t reduce the researchers’ risk if their stress level stays the same.
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