Panelist: Medical research articles cited in popular newspapers or magazines are more likely than other medical research articles to be cited in subsequent medical research. Thus, it appears that medical researchers’ judgments of the importance of prior research are strongly influenced by the publicity received by that research and do not strongly correspond to the research’s true importance.
Question: The panelist’s argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it
Options:
A. presents counterarguments to a view that is not actually held by any medical researcher
B. fails to consider the possibility that popular newspapers and magazines do a good job of identifying the most important medical research articles
C. takes for granted that coverage of medical research in the popular press is more concerned with the eminence of the scientists involved than with the content of their research
D. fails to consider the possibility that popular newspapers and magazines are able to review only a minuscule percentage of medical research articles
E. draws a conclusion that is logically equivalent to its premise
Answer: B