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mejia401
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One of the symptons of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is 16 Mar 2014, 17:31
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Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!

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65% (hard)

Question Stats:

58% (01:44) correct 42% (01:54) wrong based on 826 sessions

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One of the symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a disinclination to point out items of common interest to others. Such conduct is a clear indication of a lack of empathy within these patients.

The conclusion above could only be valid if it were also true that ____________ .

A. the most common symptom of ASD is extreme difficulty with social interactions
B. it is possible to derive information about internal states from behavioral data alone
C. patients with ASD are able to understand the requirements of social interaction in a laboratory setting
D. ASD is most likely cause by a combination of genetic, rather than environmental, factors
E. people with Asperger's syndrome, a form of ASD, often are unable to understand irony and other nonliteral language


I'll post the OA after five responses - much thanks!
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SyedHazari
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One of the symptons of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is 16 Mar 2014, 22:09
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A. the most common symptom of ASD is extreme difficulty with social interactions

Faulty because it speaks about the MOST common symptom, while the question speaks about A symptom. There is a lack of a connection between the two symptoms therefore it is hard to make such a conclusion.

B. it is possible to derive information about internal states from behavioral data alone.

Could be correct. The conclusion connects an internal state(lack of empathy) with behavioral data ( conduct )

C. patients with ASD are able to understand the requirements of social interaction in a laboratory setting.

Begs the question - what if they werent in a laboratory setting, would they still be able to understand the requirements of social interaction? Missing the link between empathy and understanding the requirements of social interaction.

D. ASD is most likely cause by a combination of genetic, rather than environmental, factors.

Out of scope.

E. people with Asperger's syndrome, a form of ASD, often are unable to understand irony and other nonliteral language.

There is no data to link "unable to understand iron and other nonliternal language" to lack of empathy.

In the end you are left with B being the closest fit.
Hope this helps!
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One of the symptons of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is 05 Oct 2025, 09:51
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Can you please explain why option D is incorrect - "ASD is most likely cause by a combination of genetic, rather than environmental, factors"?
If lack of empathy is from environmental factors like family then that is an inaccurate indicator of ASD.
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One of the symptons of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is 06 Oct 2025, 00:45
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crimson_noise
Can you please explain why option D is incorrect - "ASD is most likely cause by a combination of genetic, rather than environmental, factors"?
If lack of empathy is from environmental factors like family then that is an inaccurate indicator of ASD.
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crimson_noise Great question! This option can seem relevant at first glance, so let's clarify why it's not the right assumption.

The Key Issue: What is the Conclusion Actually Claiming?

Look carefully at the conclusion:

"Such conduct is a clear indication of a lack of empathy within these patients."

The argument is claiming that the behavior (not pointing things out) reveals an internal state (lack of empathy) in people who already have ASD.

The argument is NOT claiming:
  • That lack of empathy indicates someone has ASD
  • What causes ASD
  • What causes lack of empathy

Why Option D is Incorrect

Option D discusses what causes ASD (genetic vs. environmental factors). But this is completely outside the scope of the argument's logic.

Your reasoning was: "If lack of empathy is from environmental factors like family, then that is an inaccurate indicator of ASD."

This would be relevant IF the conclusion were: "Lack of empathy indicates ASD"

But that's not what the argument says. The conclusion is: "This behavior (in ASD patients) indicates lack of empathy"

The Core Logical Gap:
  1. Premise: ASD patients don't point out items of interest (BEHAVIOR)
  2. Conclusion: This indicates they lack empathy (INTERNAL STATE)

Whether ASD is caused by genetic or environmental factors has no bearing on whether a behavior can reveal an internal state. The causation of ASD is irrelevant to this inference.

The correct answer is B because it bridges the gap between observable behavior and internal states - which is exactly what the argument assumes when moving from "doesn't point things out" to "lacks empathy."

Does this clarify why D doesn't work as an assumption for this specific argument?
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One of the symptons of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is 06 Oct 2025, 07:12
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Thanks!
I seemed to have missed the primary point of the question.
egmat

crimson_noise Great question! This option can seem relevant at first glance, so let's clarify why it's not the right assumption.

The Key Issue: What is the Conclusion Actually Claiming?

Look carefully at the conclusion:

"Such conduct is a clear indication of a lack of empathy within these patients."

The argument is claiming that the behavior (not pointing things out) reveals an internal state (lack of empathy) in people who already have ASD.

The argument is NOT claiming:
  • That lack of empathy indicates someone has ASD
  • What causes ASD
  • What causes lack of empathy

Why Option D is Incorrect

Option D discusses what causes ASD (genetic vs. environmental factors). But this is completely outside the scope of the argument's logic.

Your reasoning was: "If lack of empathy is from environmental factors like family, then that is an inaccurate indicator of ASD."

This would be relevant IF the conclusion were: "Lack of empathy indicates ASD"

But that's not what the argument says. The conclusion is: "This behavior (in ASD patients) indicates lack of empathy"

The Core Logical Gap:
  1. Premise: ASD patients don't point out items of interest (BEHAVIOR)
  2. Conclusion: This indicates they lack empathy (INTERNAL STATE)

Whether ASD is caused by genetic or environmental factors has no bearing on whether a behavior can reveal an internal state. The causation of ASD is irrelevant to this inference.

The correct answer is B because it bridges the gap between observable behavior and internal states - which is exactly what the argument assumes when moving from "doesn't point things out" to "lacks empathy."

Does this clarify why D doesn't work as an assumption for this specific argument?
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One of the symptons of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is 26 Feb 2026, 01:00
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The Correct Answer: B
B. It is possible to derive information about internal states from behavioral data alone.

The Logical Gap
The argument suffers from a "Behavior vs. Mindset" gap. Here is the breakdown of the logic:

Premise (The Observation): People with ASD often do not point at things (a physical behavior).

Conclusion (The Internal State): Therefore, they lack empathy (a mental/emotional state).

The Flaw: The author assumes that a lack of a specific outward action (pointing) must be caused by a specific internal deficiency (lack of empathy).

However, there could be many other reasons why someone wouldn't point. Perhaps they feel the empathy but simply don't express it through that specific gesture. To conclude that they lack empathy based only on the fact that they don't point, you must assume that behavior is a perfect, readable map of a person's internal world.

Why the other options fail:
A: This discusses the "most common" symptom. The frequency of symptoms doesn't help us prove that pointing (or lack thereof) equals a lack of empathy.

C: Understanding social requirements in a lab doesn't bridge the gap between a physical gesture and the internal feeling of empathy.

D: The cause of ASD (genetics vs. environment) is irrelevant to whether a specific symptom proves a lack of empathy.

E: This provides an additional symptom (difficulty with irony), but it doesn't provide the logical link needed to validate the conclusion about empathy and pointing.

The "Negation Test"
A great way to check an assumption is to negate it. If you "flip" Choice B to say, "It is not possible to derive internal states from behavioral data alone," the entire argument falls apart. If you can't read the mind through behavior, then the fact that they don't point tells you nothing about their level of empathy.
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One of the symptons of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is 26 Feb 2026, 07:21
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egmat

crimson_noise Great question! This option can seem relevant at first glance, so let's clarify why it's not the right assumption.

The Key Issue: What is the Conclusion Actually Claiming?

Look carefully at the conclusion:

"Such conduct is a clear indication of a lack of empathy within these patients."

The argument is claiming that the behavior (not pointing things out) reveals an internal state (lack of empathy) in people who already have ASD.

The argument is NOT claiming:
  • That lack of empathy indicates someone has ASD
  • What causes ASD
  • What causes lack of empathy

Why Option D is Incorrect

Option D discusses what causes ASD (genetic vs. environmental factors). But this is completely outside the scope of the argument's logic.

Your reasoning was: "If lack of empathy is from environmental factors like family, then that is an inaccurate indicator of ASD."

This would be relevant IF the conclusion were: "Lack of empathy indicates ASD"

But that's not what the argument says. The conclusion is: "This behavior (in ASD patients) indicates lack of empathy"

The Core Logical Gap:
  1. Premise: ASD patients don't point out items of interest (BEHAVIOR)
  2. Conclusion: This indicates they lack empathy (INTERNAL STATE)

Whether ASD is caused by genetic or environmental factors has no bearing on whether a behavior can reveal an internal state. The causation of ASD is irrelevant to this inference.

The correct answer is B because it bridges the gap between observable behavior and internal states - which is exactly what the argument assumes when moving from "doesn't point things out" to "lacks empathy."

Does this clarify why D doesn't work as an assumption for this specific argument?
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Thank you! I confused environmental and behavioural factors.
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