Q12 - A study found that most strokes

[Laura Damone]

Question Type:
Strengthen: Fill in the Blank

Stimulus Breakdown:
Conclusion: Right-side strokes are more likely than left-side strokes to go undiagnosed. Premise: Most strokes diagnosed by doctors occurred in the left side of patients' brains.

Answer Anticipation:
Fill in the blank questions are typically either Inference questions or Strengthen questions. In this case, we’re trying to support the argument, and the blank we're trying to fill comes after the premise indicator word "since." This tells us we're looking to fill the blank with a second premise. The phrasing of that final line ("This suggests that . . . since") tells us that what fills the blank will strengthen the argument by working with the the first premise, explaining why the first premise leads to the conclusion. So, what would do that? Well, if the first premise is that most diagnosed strokes are left-side, and the conclusion is that right-side strokes are going undiagnosed, we can predict an answer that says that left-side and right-side strokes occur at roughly even rates.

Correct answer:
B

Answer choice analysis:
(A) "Other health problems" are irrelevant.

(B) Bingo! A perfect match for our prediction.

(C) So what? Sure, it provides that doctors may indeed not diagnose some strokes, but it doesn't address the right vs. left comparison, so it doesn't go far enough.

(D) While this one does address the right vs. left comparison, it doesn’t do so in a way that is helpful. Sure, it provides a difference that might impact diagnosis, but simply having different symptoms doesn't help the data from the study support the conclusion.

(E) Minor vs. major strokes? That's not the comparison we're looking for.

Takeaway/Pattern:
Fill in the blank questions tend to leave you language clues around the blank. Use these clues to help you ID the question type, and also to help you figure out the exact thing the blank-filler should do. Strengthen questions are often comparative. When they are, be on the lookout for incorrect answers that bring up irrelevant comparisons (D and E).

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