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04 Sep 2019, 05:21
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Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
95%
(hard)
Question Stats:
22% (02:10) correct
78%
(02:15)
wrong
based on 1367
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Historian: We can learn about the medical history of individuals through chemical analysis of their hair. It is likely, for example, that Isaac Newton's psychological problems were due to mercury poisoning; traces of mercury were found in his hair. Analysis is now being done on a lock of Beethoven's hair. Although no convincing argument has shown that Beethoven ever had a venereal disease, some people hypothesize that venereal disease caused his deafness. Since mercury was commonly ingested in Beethoven's time to treat venereal disease, if researchers find a trace of mercury in his hair, we can conclude that this hypothesis is correct.
Which one of the following is an assumption on which the historian's argument depends?
(A) None of the mercury introduced into the body can be eliminated.
(B) Some people in Beethoven's time did not ingest mercury.
(C) Mercury is an effective treatment for venereal disease.
(D) Mercury poisoning can cause deafness in people with venereal disease.
(E) Beethoven suffered from psychological problems of the same severity as Newton's.
Which one of the following is an assumption on which the historian's argument depends?
(A) None of the mercury introduced into the body can be eliminated.
(B) Some people in Beethoven's time did not ingest mercury.
(C) Mercury is an effective treatment for venereal disease.
(D) Mercury poisoning can cause deafness in people with venereal disease.
(E) Beethoven suffered from psychological problems of the same severity as Newton's.
12 Sep 2019, 00:21
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Bunuel
Analysis is now being done on a lock of Beethoven's hair.
Mercury was commonly ingested in Beethoven's time to treat venereal disease,
Hypothesis - Venereal disease caused Beethoven's deafness.
Conclusion: If researchers find a trace of mercury in his hair, we can conclude that this hypothesis is correct.
We need an assumption, a missing necessary premise for the argument.
Based on finding Mercury in his hair, we are concluding that VD caused B's deafness.
So it is an assumption that everyone doesn't have Mercury in hair, that Mercury in hair is a sign of ingesting Mercury for some specific purpose such as treating VD.
Think about it - what if everyone had Mercury in hair? Then can we conclude that VD caused B's deafness. No. Then presence of Mercury cannot be a sign of treating VD or anything else.
(A) None of the mercury introduced into the body can be eliminated.
Not necessary. All we are looking for are traces of Mercury. Some Mercury could have been eliminated.
(B) Some people in Beethoven's time did not ingest mercury.
Correct. We are assuming that at least some people do not ingest Mercury. So Mercury in body is not normal and not everyone ingests it.
(C) Mercury is an effective treatment for venereal disease.
We don't know whether it is effective or not. We don't need it to be effective. We just know that it was a treatment used in those days.
(D) Mercury poisoning can cause deafness in people with venereal disease.
Incorrect. Our argument talks about VD causing deafness. Mercury is used for treating VD. We do not NEED to assume that mercury can cause deafness. If we know that Mercury CANNOT cause deafness, that doesn't impact our conclusion.
(E) Beethoven suffered from psychological problems of the same severity as Newton's.
Irrelevant. No connection.
Answer (B)
General Discussion
04 Sep 2019, 06:54
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The hypothesis is that VD caused the deafness in Beethoven. Whether Beethoven suffered from VD can be corroborated if there is a proof that he did take mercury to cure VD. If his hair contained traces of mercury, then we can confirm that he took mercury. C is the only one that connects mercury with deafness via VD. All other choices talk about irrelevant thing such as his psychological problems, people other than Beethoven, elimination of mercury from the body and mercury as the cause of deafness rather than VD.
