QUESTION TEXT: A smoker trying to quit is more…
QUESTION TYPE: Necessary Assumption
CONCLUSION: Individuals cannot easily adopt such strategies [of exaggerating risks] unless a doctor or some other third party provides the warning.
REASONING: Many habits can be broken if the danger is exaggerated. But such strategies involve deception.
ANALYSIS: This argument is assuming that we can’t fool ourselves and that we therefore need a third party to fool us.
If we can lie to ourselves, then we might be able to exaggerate the danger of bad habits, and break them on our own.
___________
- This isn’t necessary as long as we believe doctors when they exaggerate the risks of smoking.
- This isn’t necessary as long as the technique of exaggeration can work on at least a few habits. The stimulus only claimed that that technique worked for many things.
- The argument would still be fine if exaggeration stopped working beyond a certain level. It only needs to work to a certain extent.
- CORRECT. If people can easily deceive themselves then they won’t need a doctor to try this strategy.
- The stimulus isn’t talking about whether the strategy is right. It’s talking about what is needed for the strategy to work.

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