A company has recently launched a new energy drink claiming to boost

Question

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A company has recently launched a new energy drink claiming to boost athletic performance. The drink contains a unique blend of ingredients including caffeine and taurine. A study was conducted among a group of athletes who drank the energy drink before a workout and another group who drank a placebo. The study found that the group who consumed the energy drink showed a significant improvement in their athletic performance. Therefore, the energy drink is a reliable way to enhance athletic performance.

Which of the following statements, If true, most strengthen and weaken the argument. Make only two selections, one in each column.

pappal · Answer

since the argument is about energy drink so considering placebo in weakening , I doubt?

imRaj · Answer

Yeah exactly, I thought C should be more suitable as weakener. If athletes r facing jitters and anixiety, wouldn't these 2 will decrease his atheletic performance?
 Hey @Sajjad1994,Can u please shed light on this . Thanks in advance

Sajjad1994 · Answer

The conclusion of the argument is  "the energy drink is a reliable way to enhance athletic performance."

So we need a weakening statement to the above, and vice versa.

C  could be a possible side-effect of an energy drink, but we are more concentrated on the result than the side effects. Find a statement that attack the conclusion of the argument or the result of the study that is directly related to the conclusion. E is better than C.

karanbadalia · Answer

Sajjad1994  why is E not a good weakener? D doesnt seem to be a weakener to me.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

E is indeed a weakener; kindly re-check the options.

dazzler97 · Answer

Not sure how E is a weakner because 
A placebo effect is when someone performs excellent in a placebo environment thinking he is having actual enhancer (but he is actually not)
Nowhere in the passage we get this hint that the placebo group performed better.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

A "placebo effect" here is simply a variable, which was a necessary factor to be considered for the results to be true. It simply says that the result of the study is biased because of the "placebo effect and is not accurate and when the result is not accurate, this seriously weakens the argument.

bumpbot · Answer

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Strengthen	Weaken
		The energy drink contains high amounts of sugar which may lead to health problems.
		The athletes after consuming the energy drink won two consecutive soccer matches against teams having similar soccer experience and physical strength.
		The study found that athletes who drank the energy drink experienced jitters and anxiety.
		The energy drink is significantly more expensive than other energy drinks in the market.
		The study failed to consider the potential influence of a placebo effect on the result.
		The study did not measure the long-term effects of the energy drink on athletic performance.

A company has recently launched a new energy drink claiming to boost

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A company has recently launched a new energy drink claiming to boost

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