Physician: The patient is suffering either from disease X or else from

Question

Physician: The patient is suffering either from disease X or else from disease Y, but there is no available test for distinguishing X from Y. Therefore, since there is an effective treatment for Y but no treatment for X, we must act on the assumption that the patient has a case of Y.

The physician's reasoning could be based on which one of the following principles?

(A) In treating a patient who has one or the other of two diseases, it is more important to treat the diseases than to determine which of the two diseases the patient has

(B) If circumstances beyond a decision maker's control will affect the outcome of the decision maker's actions, the decision maker must assume that circumstances are unfavorable

(C) When the soundness of a strategy depends on the truth of a certain assumption, the first step in putting the strategy into effect must be to test the truth of this assumption

(D) When success is possible only if a circumstance beyond one's control is favorable, then one's strategy must be based on the assumption that this circumstance is in fact favorable

(E) When only one strategy carries the possibility of success, circumstances must as much as possible be changed to fit this strategy

ArjunJag1328 · Answer

Physician: The patient is suffering either from disease X or else from disease Y, but there is no available test for distinguishing X from Y. Therefore, since there is an effective treatment for Y but no treatment for X, we must act on the assumption that the patient has a case of Y.

Structure: Patient - X or Y disease - Doctor's cannot determine whether it is X or Y - treatment only for Y - Doctor's must assume it disease Y and provide the treatment. 
The physician's reasoning could be based on which one of the following principles?

(A) In treating a patient who has one or the other of two diseases, it is more important to treat the diseases than to determine which of the two diseases the patient has
Explanation: We don't whether the patient is carrying disease X or Y. Hence Incorrect.

(B) If circumstances beyond a decision maker's control will affect the outcome of the decision maker's actions, the decision maker must assume that circumstances are unfavourable
Explanation: Doctor's are assuming that circumstances are favourable. Hence - Incorrect

(C) When the soundness of a strategy depends on the truth of a certain assumption, the first step in putting the strategy into effect must be to test the truth of this assumption
Explanation: Validating the genuineness of the assumption is not really an important step because the doctor's have no choice besides trusting the assumption is right - Incorrect

(D) When success is possible only if a circumstance beyond one's control is favorable, then one's strategy must be based on the assumption that this circumstance is in fact favourable
Explanation: There you go! Here treatment is successful only if the circumstance or the assumption is correct. Therefore, strategy (Providing treatment for Y without knowing whether the disease is X or Y) - Correct

(E) When only one strategy carries the possibility of success, circumstances must as much as possible be changed to fit this strategy
Explanation: Makes no sense to me because circumstance cannot be changed here - Incorrect

udaypratapsingh99 · Answer

There is an effective treatment for Y but there is not one for X
â†’
We should assume that the patient has Y

So what is going on here? Well, we are assuming that, when there is no possibility of success in one instance, we should assume the other instance - the one that does have the possibility of success.

(A) This is what I originally picked but then when I came back I erased it and went with the correct answer. This is incorrect basically because it is unsupported. This is a big thing with principle questions. If we are deriving a principle then it should be almost (or in some cases, definitely) 100% supported. This is not supported because of the phrase more important. We are given no indication that "treating the diseases" is more important than "determining which of the two diseases that patient has." Maybe - and I'd actually presume that this is so - the former is much more important than the latter but the latter is impossible to figure out!

(B) The "circumstances beyond a decision maker's control" is the disease itself. While the physician is the decision maker. The doctor cannot control what disease the patient has but he/she must absolutely decide what to do. However, this is wrong because it is a reversal of the conclusion. The argument says that "we must act on the assumption of Y" - the more favorable one. However, I would argue that (B) would be right if the second clause was substituted with something about the "favorable" being assumed.

(C) We know nothing about testing assumptions and testing assumptions is not even mentioned in the argument. This is hard to eliminate from reason alone because it is so out of scope. It is just so far off.

(E) Here is the simple way to eliminate (E): the argument talks about changing strategies to fit the circumstances. The circumstances are unchangeable! Whether or not the patient has X or Y...it is unchangeable! Thus the argument is not changing the circumstances, it is just applying the strategy.

(D) This is correct. Let's dissect what it is saying.

(Success is possible â†’ circumstance is favorable) â†’ strategy must be based on the assumption that the circumstance is favorable

Confusing, right? Let's do a little adjustment, contrapositive style.

(circumstance is not favorable â†’ success is not possible) â†’ strategy must be based on the assumption that the circumstance is favorable.

So do you see what is happening here? "The circumstance is not favorable"? Well yes! The circumstance is that the physician doesn't know if the patient has X or Y. That isn't favorable because only Y has an effective cure. So the premise matches up!

Now onto the conclusion: "strategy must be based on the assumption that the circumstance is favorable." This is exactly what is happening with the conclusion of the argument! The strategy is being based on the "the assumption that the patient has a case of Y"

unraveled · Answer

Physician: The patient is suffering either from disease X or else from disease Y, but there is no available test for distinguishing X from Y. Therefore, since there is an effective treatment for Y but no treatment for X, we must act on the assumption that the patient has a case of Y.

The physician's reasoning could be based on which one of the following principles?

(A) In treating a patient who has one or the other of two diseases, it is more important to treat the diseases  than to determine which of the two diseases the patient has  - WORNG. The comparison isn't the case here. Also, knowing which disease it is out of context since the decision is already made with an assumption in the passage.

(B) If circumstances beyond a decision maker's control will affect the outcome of the decision maker's actions, the  decision maker must assume that circumstances are unfavorable  - WRONG. Unfavourability is out of context here. The decision is already made so knowing about the circumtances whether they are favourable or not is not required.

(C) When the soundness of a strategy depends on the truth of a certain assumption, the  first step in putting the strategy into effect must be to test the truth of this assumption  - WRONG. Again like above two choices this seems to divert in the direction that makes no sense.

(D) When success is possible only if a circumstance beyond one's control is favorable, then one's strategy must be based on the assumption that this circumstance is in fact favorable - CORRECT. Draws some essence from B but in the right direction.

(E) When only one strategy carries the possibility of success, circumstances must as much as possible be  changed to fit this strategy  - WRONG. There are no two strategy but just one based on which  a decision is made by physician.

Answer D.

VerbalBot · Answer

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Physician: The patient is suffering either from disease X or else from

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Physician: The patient is suffering either from disease X or else from

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