PrepTest 42, Section 3, Question 20
A recent study suggests that consuming three glasses of wine daily substantially decreases the risk of stroke. Critics of the study, defending earlier research recommending one glass of wine daily, claim that binge drinkers (who drink once a week or less, but drink three or more drinks when they do drink) are the people most likely to drink three glasses of wine in one day and are more likely to die from sudden heart attacks than are other drinkers. According to these critics, drinking three glasses of wine daily would not benefit health overall, since the decrease in the risk of stroke associated with that level of consumption is negated by its associated increased risk of sudden heart attack.
A recent study suggests that consuming three glasses of wine daily substantially decreases the risk of stroke. Critics of the study, defending earlier research recommending one glass of wine daily, claim that binge drinkers (who drink once a week or less, but drink three or more drinks when they do drink) are the people most likely to drink three glasses of wine in one day and are more likely to die from sudden heart attacks than are other drinkers. According to these critics, drinking three glasses of wine daily would not benefit health overall, since the decrease in the risk of stroke associated with that level of consumption is negated by its associated increased risk of sudden heart attack.
A recent study suggests that consuming three glasses of wine daily substantially decreases the risk of stroke. Critics of the study, defending earlier research recommending one glass of wine daily, claim that binge drinkers (who drink once a week or less, but drink three or more drinks when they do drink) are the people most likely to drink three glasses of wine in one day and are more likely to die from sudden heart attacks than are other drinkers. According to these critics, drinking three glasses of wine daily would not benefit health overall, since the decrease in the risk of stroke associated with that level of consumption is negated by its associated increased risk of sudden heart attack.
A recent study suggests that consuming three glasses of wine daily substantially decreases the risk of stroke. Critics of the study, defending earlier research recommending one glass of wine daily, claim that binge drinkers (who drink once a week or less, but drink three or more drinks when they do drink) are the people most likely to drink three glasses of wine in one day and are more likely to die from sudden heart attacks than are other drinkers. According to these critics, drinking three glasses of wine daily would not benefit health overall, since the decrease in the risk of stroke associated with that level of consumption is negated by its associated increased risk of sudden heart attack.
The critics' argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it
inappropriately attributes the consequences of binge drinking to persons whose regular consumption of wine is three glasses a day
confuses the risk of sudden alcohol-induced heart attacks with other health risks
presumes, without providing justification, that there is no significant difference between wine and other alcoholic beverages in terms of health benefits and risks
fails to address specifically the reduction in risk of stroke conferred by the level of consumption in the recent study
overlooks the difference between strokes that result in death and less severe strokes
Explanations
Here we have some critics arguing back against the results of a study. Let's recap what we know:
(1) The study suggests consuming three daily glasses of wine significantly reduces stroke risks—seems a little sketchy, but we have to grant this for now.
(2) The critics argue back against these results, claiming that consuming three daily glasses won't help health overall.
(3) The critics attempt to justify their claims by noting that binge drinkers—defined here as infrequent drinkers that drink three or more standard drinks—are the most likely people to consume the aforementioned three daily glasses of wine, and that these folks are at great risk for sudden heart attack.
In other words, the critics argue that because binge drinkers are the most likely to exhibit the behavior explored in the wine-drinking study, the stroke risk reduction is offset by an increased risk for heart attack.
The big mistake these critics make is conflating the behaviors of binge drinkers with having three daily glasses of wine. These daily wine drinkers don't match a key component of the critics' description of a binge drinker—"[people] who drink once a week or less."
This turns out to be a Flaw question, so we need an answer choice the argument does, but that it does incorrectly. I'm predicting something like, "Improperly conflates the downstream risks posed to binge drinkers with the downstream risks posed to people who consume three glasses of wine per day."
Let's see.
Bingo, right off the bat. This is what the critics' argument does incorrectly. They improperly conflate the risks posed to binge drinkers with the risks posed to regularly wine consumers.
Nah, this is a trap. The critics aren't confusing sudden heart attack risks (which affect binge drinkers) with other risks. For this to be correct, the critics would need to have improperly attributed heart attack risk to binge drinkers when little to no risk of heart attack actually exists.
Nope. We don't care about risks associated with other alcohols because neither the study nor the critics discuss them. This is a classic case of "Didn't read? Don't pick." We don't necessarily care about risks associated with vodka or beer when we're exploring studies that review wine.
No, this is another trap. I would accept that the argument does this, but this isn't what it does wrong. We know from the passage that, according to the study, three daily glasses of wine "substantially decreases the risk of stroke." Is that quantified? No, but it doesn't need to be. It's a substantial reduction. We must accept this fact as gospel and move on.
No way. Like D, I would agree that the argument overlooks this difference—it goes unaddressed in the passage. But this isn't the issue with the critics' argument. The critics claim health isn't helped overall by consuming wine in the amounts specified in the study. That has nothing to do with stroke severity.
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