Competition Mode Question
Wirth: All efforts to identify a gene responsible for predisposing people to manic-depression have failed. In fact, nearly all researchers now agree that there is no “manic-depression gene.” Therefore, if these researchers are right, any claim that some people are genetically predisposed to manic-depression is simply false.
Chang: I do not dispute your evidence, but I take issue with your conclusion. Many of the researchers you refer to have found evidence that a set of several genes is involved and that complex interactions among these genes produce a predisposition to manic-depression.
The point at issue between Wirth and Chang is whether
(A) efforts to identify a gene or set of several genes responsible for predisposing people to manic-depression have all failed
(B) it is likely that researchers will ever be able to find a single gene that predisposes people to manic-depression
(C) nearly all researchers now agree that there is no manic-depression gene
(D) current research supports the claim that no one is genetically predisposed to manic-depression
(E) the efforts made to find a gene that can produce a predisposition to manic-depression were thorough
This question could have been much harder if not for the opening statement by Chang:
Wirth's conclusion is: If these researchers are right, any claim that some people are genetically predisposed to manic-depression is simply false.