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30 Apr 2025, 21:58
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Two hundred fourteen volunteers tasted two colas that were identical except that Sample X contained 0.5 mL of white vinegar per liter. Both drinks were poured into identical, odor-blocking cups and served at the same temperature. Before tasting, each volunteer heard the announcement “One of these colas contains a special additive that makes cola taste better.” After sampling both drinks, 72% of the volunteers judged Sample X (the vinegar cola) to taste better. The researchers concluded that this majority preference was caused by the expectation created by the announcement rather than by any inherent appeal of the vinegar itself.
Which of the following is an assumption the researchers must make in order for their conclusion to be properly drawn?
A. Only a negligible fraction of the volunteers would ordinarily prefer the taste of cola that contains a trace of white vinegar.
B. The cups used in the test prevented volunteers from identifying either cola by smell alone.
C. Volunteers were not told which sample contained the special additive until after they had stated which cola tasted better.
D. Each volunteer received the two colas in random order, so that neither sample was consistently tasted first.
E. No volunteer felt social pressure to choose the vinegar cola when reporting which sample tasted better.
Which of the following is an assumption the researchers must make in order for their conclusion to be properly drawn?
A. Only a negligible fraction of the volunteers would ordinarily prefer the taste of cola that contains a trace of white vinegar.
B. The cups used in the test prevented volunteers from identifying either cola by smell alone.
C. Volunteers were not told which sample contained the special additive until after they had stated which cola tasted better.
D. Each volunteer received the two colas in random order, so that neither sample was consistently tasted first.
E. No volunteer felt social pressure to choose the vinegar cola when reporting which sample tasted better.
30 Apr 2025, 21:58
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Official Solution:
Two hundred fourteen volunteers tasted two colas that were identical except that Sample X contained 0.5 mL of white vinegar per liter. Both drinks were poured into identical, odor-blocking cups and served at the same temperature. Before tasting, each volunteer heard the announcement “One of these colas contains a special additive that makes cola taste better.” After sampling both drinks, 72% of the volunteers judged Sample X (the vinegar cola) to taste better. The researchers concluded that this majority preference was caused by the expectation created by the announcement rather than by any inherent appeal of the vinegar itself.
Which of the following is an assumption the researchers must make in order for their conclusion to be properly drawn?
A. Only a negligible fraction of the volunteers would ordinarily prefer the taste of cola that contains a trace of white vinegar.
B. The cups used in the test prevented volunteers from identifying either cola by smell alone.
C. Volunteers were not told which sample contained the special additive until after they had stated which cola tasted better.
D. Each volunteer received the two colas in random order, so that neither sample was consistently tasted first.
E. No volunteer felt social pressure to choose the vinegar cola when reporting which sample tasted better.
A. Correct. The argument needs the premise that only a negligible number of volunteers already enjoy vinegar-flavored cola; if many did, their normal preference could alone explain the 72% result, severing the claim that expectation caused the majority judgment.
B. Incorrect. Even if volunteers could identify vinegar by smell, that fact by itself would not make them rate the vinegar cola as better; the announcement’s expectation could still drive their preference, so blocking or allowing smell cues is not required for the conclusion to hold.
C. Incorrect. Knowing which sample allegedly contains the “special additive” would still create the very expectation the researchers are testing; thus, whether this identification occurs before or after tasting does not have to be assumed for their causal claim to stand.
D. Incorrect. A fixed tasting order might introduce a primacy or recency bias, but such a bias would need to be both strong and favor vinegar to reproduce a 72% preference; therefore, randomizing order is helpful yet not a necessary precondition of the researchers’ inference.
E. Incorrect. Any mild social pressure to align with researchers would merely provide an additional influence; it does not inherently undermine the idea that expectation itself led tasters to perceive the vinegar cola as superior, so the absence of pressure is not essential to the reasoning.
Answer: A
Two hundred fourteen volunteers tasted two colas that were identical except that Sample X contained 0.5 mL of white vinegar per liter. Both drinks were poured into identical, odor-blocking cups and served at the same temperature. Before tasting, each volunteer heard the announcement “One of these colas contains a special additive that makes cola taste better.” After sampling both drinks, 72% of the volunteers judged Sample X (the vinegar cola) to taste better. The researchers concluded that this majority preference was caused by the expectation created by the announcement rather than by any inherent appeal of the vinegar itself.
Which of the following is an assumption the researchers must make in order for their conclusion to be properly drawn?
A. Only a negligible fraction of the volunteers would ordinarily prefer the taste of cola that contains a trace of white vinegar.
B. The cups used in the test prevented volunteers from identifying either cola by smell alone.
C. Volunteers were not told which sample contained the special additive until after they had stated which cola tasted better.
D. Each volunteer received the two colas in random order, so that neither sample was consistently tasted first.
E. No volunteer felt social pressure to choose the vinegar cola when reporting which sample tasted better.
A. Correct. The argument needs the premise that only a negligible number of volunteers already enjoy vinegar-flavored cola; if many did, their normal preference could alone explain the 72% result, severing the claim that expectation caused the majority judgment.
B. Incorrect. Even if volunteers could identify vinegar by smell, that fact by itself would not make them rate the vinegar cola as better; the announcement’s expectation could still drive their preference, so blocking or allowing smell cues is not required for the conclusion to hold.
C. Incorrect. Knowing which sample allegedly contains the “special additive” would still create the very expectation the researchers are testing; thus, whether this identification occurs before or after tasting does not have to be assumed for their causal claim to stand.
D. Incorrect. A fixed tasting order might introduce a primacy or recency bias, but such a bias would need to be both strong and favor vinegar to reproduce a 72% preference; therefore, randomizing order is helpful yet not a necessary precondition of the researchers’ inference.
E. Incorrect. Any mild social pressure to align with researchers would merely provide an additional influence; it does not inherently undermine the idea that expectation itself led tasters to perceive the vinegar cola as superior, so the absence of pressure is not essential to the reasoning.
Answer: A
25 May 2025, 05:01
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Please share your thoughts here. [Btw I chose option D, but I understand why it is incorrect. However, I'm not convinced why option A should be a correct or better answer choice]
Hi – I think the explanation provided for why option D is incorrect can also be applied to argue why A should be incorrect. For example:
Negating option A by saying that at least one of the volunteers ordinarily prefers the taste of cola mixed with vinegar does not necessarily weaken or invalidate the conclusion.
[Explanation for D provided (and I agree): The vinegar sample and the non-vinegar sample were served at the same temperature. This is largely irrelevant as nothing in the argument talks about temperature and this therefore is not needed for the justification of conclusion. This factor is a potential weakener for the experiment, calling some of the results of the experiment into question but it is not a must have if there were slight differences of 1 degree for example The experiment would still work. An example of a required assumption would be: "The temperature difference between the two samples was not large enough to influence participants’ taste preferences.". Hopefully you can spot the difference with the "same temperature".]
Hi – I think the explanation provided for why option D is incorrect can also be applied to argue why A should be incorrect. For example:
Negating option A by saying that at least one of the volunteers ordinarily prefers the taste of cola mixed with vinegar does not necessarily weaken or invalidate the conclusion.
[Explanation for D provided (and I agree): The vinegar sample and the non-vinegar sample were served at the same temperature. This is largely irrelevant as nothing in the argument talks about temperature and this therefore is not needed for the justification of conclusion. This factor is a potential weakener for the experiment, calling some of the results of the experiment into question but it is not a must have if there were slight differences of 1 degree for example The experiment would still work. An example of a required assumption would be: "The temperature difference between the two samples was not large enough to influence participants’ taste preferences.". Hopefully you can spot the difference with the "same temperature".]
