Multiple choice

Over the past year, medicinal soaps have been advertised as the most effective means of preventing skin infection. However, according to doctors' records, many patients experiencing severe skin infection used medicinal soaps. Clearly, medicinal soaps are not an effective means of preventing skin infection.

Which of the following statements, if true, would most seriously weaken the conclusion given above?

  1. Of the patients experiencing skin infection, two-thirds indicate that they would be willing to switch brands of medicinal soaps.

  2. The advertisements for medicinal soaps advocate bathing thrice a day.

  3. If medicinal soaps were not available, more patients would experience severe skin infection.

  4. Doctors continue to recommend medicinal soap more than any other soap.

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The conclusion is that medicinal soaps don’t prevent skin infection. Option (3) indicates that medicinal soaps actually prevent the skin infection from worsening, so it actually may prevent skin infection.

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