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While antibiotics have done inestimable good to humankind over the las
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16 Nov 2025, 14:11
16 Nov 2025, 14:11
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Question 1
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While antibiotics have done inestimable good to humankind over the last seventy years, there are several drawbacks to using antibiotics that, until recently, have been overlooked. The human microbiome, which consists of the trillions of bacteria that reside in each person's body, is essential to good health. Specifically, the body contains and requires both "good" and "bad" bacteria. It is when the proper equilibrium between the "good" bacteria and the "bad" bacteria is disrupted that a number of health issues can emerge. Nonetheless, antibiotics indiscriminately kill both the "good" and the "bad" bacteria, so each course of antibiotics should be followed by a treatment that ___________
Which of the following most logically completes the argument above?
A. bypasses the microbiome altogether
B. targets and eliminates only the "bad" bacteria
C. restores the correct balance between the "good" and "bad" bacteria
D. purges the body of the remaining antibiotics
E. completely reverses any effects from the antibiotics
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Re: While antibiotics have done inestimable good to humankind over the las
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18 Nov 2025, 11:38
18 Nov 2025, 11:38
Expert Reply
The correct completion for the argument is $\(\mathbf{C}\)$. restores the correct balance between the "good" and "bad" bacteria.
Logical Completion Analysis
1. Premise 1 (The Problem): The human microbiome (trillions of bacteria) is essential to health, and a proper equilibrium between "good" and "bad" bacteria is required.
2. Premise 2 (The Cause): Antibiotics indiscriminately kill both the "good" and the "bad" bacteria, which disrupts the equilibrium.
3. Conclusion (The Solution): Therefore, the treatment following the antibiotics must counteract the disruption caused by the antibiotics.
The only option that directly addresses and reverses the disruption of the equilibrium is $\mathbf{C}$.
- A. bypasses the microbiome altogether: This avoids the issue but doesn't fix the damage done.
- B. targets and eliminates only the "bad" bacteria: This is what an ideal antibiotic would do, but the argument states the current ones fail to do this. A follow-up treatment needs to fix the imbalance, not just kill more bad bacteria (which the antibiotic already did).
- C. restores the correct balance between the "good" and "bad" bacteria: This directly solves the central problem established in the argument (the disruption of the proper equilibrium).
- D. purges the body of the remaining antibiotics: Removing the drug might stop further damage, but it doesn't restore the bacteria already killed.
- E. completely reverses any effects from the antibiotics: This is too broad and vague; the core effect that needs reversing is the imbalance.
Logical Completion Analysis
1. Premise 1 (The Problem): The human microbiome (trillions of bacteria) is essential to health, and a proper equilibrium between "good" and "bad" bacteria is required.
2. Premise 2 (The Cause): Antibiotics indiscriminately kill both the "good" and the "bad" bacteria, which disrupts the equilibrium.
3. Conclusion (The Solution): Therefore, the treatment following the antibiotics must counteract the disruption caused by the antibiotics.
The only option that directly addresses and reverses the disruption of the equilibrium is $\mathbf{C}$.
- A. bypasses the microbiome altogether: This avoids the issue but doesn't fix the damage done.
- B. targets and eliminates only the "bad" bacteria: This is what an ideal antibiotic would do, but the argument states the current ones fail to do this. A follow-up treatment needs to fix the imbalance, not just kill more bad bacteria (which the antibiotic already did).
- C. restores the correct balance between the "good" and "bad" bacteria: This directly solves the central problem established in the argument (the disruption of the proper equilibrium).
- D. purges the body of the remaining antibiotics: Removing the drug might stop further damage, but it doesn't restore the bacteria already killed.
- E. completely reverses any effects from the antibiotics: This is too broad and vague; the core effect that needs reversing is the imbalance.
gmatclubot
Re: While antibiotics have done inestimable good to humankind over the las [#permalink]
18 Nov 2025, 11:38
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