Logic Breakdown

Passage Summary: Since air traffic controllers and nuclear workers have limited hours to keep people safe, doctors in training should too, because their jobs are also high-stakes.

Conclusion: The work-hour restrictions applied to air traffic controllers and nuclear operators should also be applied to resident physicians.

Reasoning: Like those other professions, resident physicians perform life-or-death work, and long hours in those fields are restricted to prevent jeopardizing lives.

Analysis: This argument relies on an analogy between medical residents and other high-stakes professionals. For the conclusion to hold, the 'life-or-death' nature of the work must be the relevant factor that justifies the hours restriction across all these fields. We must assume that the exhaustion resulting from long hours for residents poses a similar threat to life as it does in the other mentioned fields. Look for an answer that bridges the gap between the existing safety rules and the specific context of medical residency.

Passage Stimulus

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10.

Which one of the following is an assumption the argument depends on?

Correct Answer
A
A is necessary. Negation test: Suppose there is an indispensable aspect of residency that requires exceptionally long hours. Then we cannot apply the restriction without undermining essential training, and the argument’s “should also be applied” recommendation collapses. Because negating (A) destroys the conclusion, (A) is required.
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