Reporter: A team of scientists has recently devised a new test that for the first time accurately diagnoses autism i...

Meredith on October 28 at 06:56PM

Explanation Please

Why is B correct and A & E wrong?

1 Reply

on October 31 at 12:53AM

Hello @Meredith,

Here is the problem with A. The new test may not be the first intended for diagnosing autism at an early age. Rather, it is the first test to do so accurately. The argument doesn't depend on it being the first ever.

E is incorrect, because we are not talking about the age at which autism can have an effect. We are only talking about diagnosis at an early age. There could have been plenty of evidence beforehand that autism affects young children, and that does not impact the argument.

Let's take a closer look at the conclusion. "Autistic children can therefore now benefit much earlier in life than before from the treatments already available." We know that there is still a problem with the new test. It had 2 false positives. This leaves a hole in the argument. Is it still a valid test on which to base treatment decisions? If not, the conclusion cannot be properly drawn. B answers this question, confirming that the test can be used even with some false positives. This is the necessary assumption.