Of patients over 65 years old who survived coronary bypass surgery—a procedure widely prescribed for people with heart disease—only 75 percent benefited from the surgery. Thus it appears that for one in four such patients, the doctors who advised them to undergo this surgery, with its attendant risks and expense, were more interested in an opportunity to practice their skills and in their fee than in helping the patient.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the argument?


Many of the patients who receive coronary bypass surgery are less than 55 years old.

Possible benefits of coronary bypass surgery include both relief from troubling symptoms and prolongation of life.

Most of the patients in the survey decided to undergo coronary bypass surgery because they were advised that the surgery would reduce their risk of future heart attacks.

The patients over 65 years old who did not benefit from the coronary bypass surgery were as fully informed as those who did benefit from the surgery as to the risks of the surgery prior to undergoing it.

The patients who underwent coronary bypass surgery but who did not benefit from it were medically indistinguishable, prior to their surgery, from the patients who did benefit.

考题讲解

情景:在65岁以上做心脏搭桥手术的人种,只有75%的人是从这个手术中获益的。因此,一种可能是,对于4个病人中的1个人来说,医生劝他做手术是为了锻炼技术和得到手术费。

推理:在逻辑上,前提结论中描述的事件是不同的。并且,由于医生劝他做手术必须先是为了锻炼技术和得到手术费,才有可能发生在65岁以上做心脏搭桥手术的人种,只有75%的人是从这个手术中获益的这个现象。由此可知,推理文段是果因推理。
顺序的因果逻辑:因为医生劝病人做手术是为了锻炼技术和得到手术费,所以在65岁以上做心脏搭桥手术的人种,只有75%的人是从这个手术中获益的
(果)前提:在65岁以上做心脏搭桥手术的人种,只有75%的人是从这个手术中获益的
(因)结论:医生劝病人做手术是为了锻炼技术和得到手术费

选题方式:果因推理有两个评估方向,简而言之,即,答案选项中要么给出产生“在65岁以上做心脏搭桥手术的人种,只有75%的人是从这个手术中获益的”的另外一个原因,要么讨论“医生劝病人做手术是为了锻炼技术和得到手术费”与“在65岁以上做心脏搭桥手术的人种,只有75%的人是从这个手术中获益的”之间的关系。

选项分析:

A选项:很多接受心脏塔桥手术的人小于55岁。推理文段的“果”讨论的是65岁以上的老人中有1/4的人不能获益,而非做手术的人的性质。因此本选项不能评估果因推理。

B选项:心脏塔桥手术中可能获得的益处包括减轻症状和延长生命。本选项描述的是冠状动脉搭桥手术的收益是什么,没有提到有人不能从中获益的问题。

C选项:许多人决定做心脏搭桥手术的原因是因为他们被告知该手术可以减少日后患上心脏病的风险。本选项描述的是为何大家要做心脏搭桥手术,而不是为什么有人不成功。因此本选项不能评估果因推理。

D选项:
那些65岁以上做了手术但是没有获得收益的人同那些获得收益的人一样,都了解过了这种手术的风险。无论那些没有收益的人是否了解到了手术的风险,都不能解决为何他们本身不能获益。所以本选项不能评估果因推理。

E选项:
Correct. 那些做了搭桥手术也不能获益的人在医学上是看不出来的。本选项割裂了“因”和“果”之间的关系,即,如果不能预测是否可以获益,医生就根本不知道哪些人是要“练手”的,所以医生也就不可能是为了练习技术而让1/4的人去做手术。

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Prep2008E2-CR

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