Medical ethicists have argued about if the right to die

Question

Medical ethicists have argued  about if the right to die should be viewed as if it were only a matter of conscience. 
 
A) about if the right to die should be viewed as if it were only a matter of conscience.
 
B) over whether the right to die should be viewed as if it were only a matter of conscience.
 
C) about whether the right to die should be viewed as if it was only a matter of conscience.
 
D) over if the right to die should be viewed as if it were only a matter of conscience or not.
 
E) about whether the right to die should be viewed as being only a matter of conscience or not.

anish123ster · Answer

argued about and argued over..which one is correct and why??

skamal7 · Answer

The answer should be C

Argue about is preferred in common language

OA pls

anish123ster · Answer

that what i thought..

OA is B

Check OE below..

anish123ster · Answer

Answer is B

Reason:
A. No. “Argued about if” is not idiomatic. The correct answer is B.
B. Yes. “Argued over whether” is idiomatic. The end of the sentence is written in the subjunctive mood, as it should be in hypothetical situations. The correct answer is B.
C. No. “Argued about” is not idiomatic. Since the second phrase is hypothetical, it should be in the subjunctive mood. The correct answer is B.
D. No. “If…or not” is not idiomatic. The correct answer is B.
E. No. “Argue about” is not idiomatic. Being is an unnecessary conjunction. “Or not” is redundant in the sentence, since the word whether already makes that clear. The correct answer is B.

HumptyDumpty · Answer

OA B is wrong: "whether" has to include the "or" complement. As for the rest:
argue about = argue over.
A. ok
B. "whether" lacks "or"
C. "whether" lacks "or",  "was"  -> "were" (Hypothetical Subjunctive)
D. "if" + "or" 
E.  as being  is verbose.

Picked A, but open to dispute.

HumptyDumpty · Answer

Could you elaborate please? It's interesting.

suru23 · Answer

Both are correct respective of its use.
I guess "Argue about" is related to something abstract..like : 
They argued about the meaning of life.

lastshot · Answer

My pick A

As I did not find any flaw in A,
In B : I believe correct usage of whether is with or ...which is missing
In C : Were need to be used with IF , irrespective of subject in Supposition
In D : or Not in end does not make any sense to me ( redundancy )
In E : Redundancy

But OA is B ??

What is the source of this question ?

ankurgupta03 · Answer

I followed a rather simplistic approach on this.

If vs Whether -> Whether wins (mostly)
Subjunctive form is required, only B satisfies both of these. Hence B is correct

souvonik2k · Answer

Medical ethicists have argued  about if the right to die should be viewed as if it were only a matter of conscience . 
A) about if the right to die should be viewed as if it were only a matter of conscience. 
B) over whether the right to die should be viewed as if it were only a matter of conscience.
C) about whether the right to die should be viewed as if it was only a matter of conscience.
D) over if the right to die should be viewed as if it were only a matter of conscience or not.
E) about whether the right to die should be viewed as being only a matter of conscience or not.

I am utterly confused with this question. Please explain the correct answer.

Good questions deserve quodos!

thangvietname · Answer

to show yes-no possibility, whether , not if, is used. a and d are gone
view somthing as something, not as being. this idiom is easy to remember. e is out
as if show a subjective clause following "as if" . this idiom is easy to remember, c is out
 b is left
we do not need to know the idiom with "argue".

ilaukikt · Answer

Medical ethicists have argued about if the right to die should be viewed as if it were only a matter of conscience.

A) about if the right to die should be viewed as if it were only a matter of conscience.

B) over whether the right to die should be viewed as if it were only a matter of conscience.

C) about whether the right to die should be viewed as if it was only a matter of conscience.

D) over if the right to die should be viewed as if it were only a matter of conscience or not.

E) about whether the right to die should be viewed as being only a matter of conscience or not.

I am confused in whether vs if
Isn't "whether" used to indicate conditions or scenarios and "if" used to indicate hypotheticals?

sayantanc2k · Answer

"Whether" is used to introduce possibilities (scenarios) including yes/no scenarios or doubts.

"If" is used to introduce condition (introducing a hypothetical condition is only a specific usage of "if".) Introducing an "if" clause calls for a "then" clause.

VKat · Answer

In option 'b', why we are using were in 'if it were'...?
why not 'if it was'

Abhishek009 · Answer

If it were = Represents Hypothetical situation ( The subjunctive mood )
 
Hence, (B) is acceptable here...

sayantanc2k · Answer

Already explained by Abhishek - a bit more on this:

A hypothetical situation (unlikely event in future) within an IF clause is represented by simple past:

IF I  became  the minister, I would eradicate poverty.
IF he  came , we would play.

However a special case is that the verb "was", though simple past, is never used in such situation. As a rule, the verb "was" is replaced by "were" irrespective of the subject.

IF I  was  WERE the king, I would eradicate poverty.

devikeerthan · Answer

In SC, vertical scanning of answer choices is more important.

A) about if the right to die should be viewed as if it were only a matter of conscience.

B) over whether the right to die should be viewed as if it were only a matter of conscience.

C) about whether the right to die should be viewed as if it was only a matter of conscience.

D) over if the right to die should be viewed as if it were only a matter of conscience or not.

E) about whether the right to die should be viewed as being only a matter of conscience or not.

If vs whether: whether should be used when we have options:yes or no. eliminate A,D
if it were vs if it was: if it were needs to be used when you are talking about 'would have been' scenarios eliminate C
'viewed as if' is correct.

ASRV · Answer

Since there is a "if" in the later part of the sentence, "whether" seems to be a better option. 
IMO, you argue "over" something.

Medical ethicists have argued about if the right to die

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Medical ethicists have argued about if the right to die

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