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Difficulty: MediumWeakening Arguments

To reduce mortality rates from aggressive skin cancers, a network of dermatology clinics plans to deploy a new automated scanning device that detects subtle tissue irregularities undetectable by visual examination alone. Clinic administrators claim that because the device identified early-stage tissue irregularities in 30 percent more patients during trials than visual exams did, deploying this technology across all clinics will significantly decrease overall skin cancer mortality among their patients. Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the clinic administrators' argument?

  1. The vast majority of the additional tissue irregularities detected by the automated scanning device are harmless, benign growths that never progress to malignant cancer.Answer
  2. B
    Dermatologists who tested the scanning device reported that it enabled them to complete routine skin examinations in significantly less time than standard visual protocols.
  3. C
    The initial acquisition and maintenance costs of the scanning device are expected to decrease as manufacturing scales over the next five years.
  4. D
    Patients undergoing diagnostic skin biopsies frequently experience anxiety regarding the accuracy and turnaround time of laboratory results.
  5. E
    Visual examinations conducted by dermatologists are slightly less effective at identifying lesions on the lower back than on the face or arms.

Answer

The argument is most seriously weakened by the fact that the vast majority of the additional tissue irregularities detected by the scanning device are benign growths that never develop into malignant cancer.
The correct answer demonstrates that the 30 percent increase in detected tissue irregularities consists almost entirely of harmless, benign growths. Because these growths would never have developed into fatal skin cancer anyway, detecting them provides no mortality reduction benefit, thereby undermining the administrators' central conclusion.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the conclusion and premises of the argument.
Premise: The new scanning device detected 30% more early-stage tissue irregularities than visual exams. Conclusion: Deploying the device across all clinics will significantly reduce skin cancer mortality.
Understanding the structure reveals the core assumption: that detecting these additional tissue irregularities leads to early treatment of fatal cancers.
2
Evaluate the underlying assumption connecting premise to conclusion.
The author assumes that the extra anomalies detected represent dangerous, early-stage cancers that would otherwise become fatal.
To weaken the argument, we must find evidence that undermines this key assumption.
3
Select the option that shows the extra detections do not prevent fatal cancer.
If the additional detected irregularities are benign growths that never turn into cancer, identifying them does not reduce cancer mortality.
This directly undermines the claim that higher detection rates of these irregularities will decrease patient deaths.

Key Concept

Weakening Arguments by Severing the Premise-Conclusion Assumption
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Topics

Weakening Arguments

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