A. INCORRECT CHOICE
Feedback: Any individual study can produce a result that is misleading—even one published in reputable journals; such findings must be independently confirmed with test subjects in different settings to exclude other possible causes of the observed difference.
B. INCORRECT CHOICE
Feedback: The failure to understand initially the cause of an observed result does not invalidate a finding, even though it raises suspicions. What would strengthen the original findings?
C. CORRECT CHOICE
Feedback: Living close to power lines correlates with many factors, such as age of home and neighborhood traffic density. Thus, the result may not be caused by electromagnetic fields.
D. INCORRECT CHOICE
Feedback: Scientific findings, particularly those related to human health, should not be ignored; however, they can be factored into a cost-benefit analysis to determine whether a response that is tremendously expensive would be worth the cost if it meant saving many lives. In addition, consider whether other factors might produce the observed results.
Courtesy of Norton Publishing’s Smartwork assessment platform for Essential Cell Biology, 6th edition.