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Read each of the following passages

Philosophy

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Read each of the following passages. For each, answer these four questions:

1. What is the phenomenon being explained?
2. What theory is suggested as a possible explanation for the phenomenon?
3. Is the theory plausible? If not, why not?
4. Is there a plausible theory that the writer has overlooked? If so, what is it?

PASSAGE 1

Many people believe that drinking a warm glass of milk at bedtime helps them fall asleep. The reason must be the tryptophan in the milk. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that is converted into serotonin. Serotonin affects sleep patterns and the perception of pain.

PASSAGE 2

"Shark attacks around the world declined in 2003 for a third straight year, partly because swimmers and surfers grew more accustomed to thinking of the ocean as a wild and dangerous place.

"The University of Florida, which houses the International Shark Attack File, said there were 55 unprovoked attacks worldwide, down from 63 reported in 2002 and lower than the previous year's 68 attacks. "Four people were killed, compared to three in 2002, four in 2001 and 11 in the year 2000. "Normally, scientists do not put much stock in year-to-year fluctuations in the number of attacks because they can be affected by such things as the weather and oceanographic conditions that drive bait fish closer to shore. "But the third consecutive year of decline could indicate a longer term trend, the university said. "I think people are beginning to get a little more intelligent about when and where they enter the water,' George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File, said in a statement. "There seems to be more of an understanding that when we enter the sea, it's a wilderness experience and we're intruders in that environment." 

 

PASSAGE 3

"Women who have been coloring their hair for 24 years or more have a higher risk of developing a cancer called non-Hodgkin lymphoma, researchers reported. "They said their study of 1,300 women could help explain a mysterious rise in the number of cases of the cancer that affects the lymphatic system. "Writing in the American Journal of Epidemiology, they said women who dyed their hair starting before 1980 were one-third more likely to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma, or NHL, and those who used the darkest dyes for more than 25 years were twice as likely to develop the cancer. "Women who used darker permanent hair coloring products for more than 25 years showed the highest increased risk,' Tongzhang Zheng, associate professor of epidemiology and environmental health at Yale School of Medicine, said in a statement. "Cancer experts note that a person's absolute risk of developing lymphoma is very low, so doubling that risk still means a woman who dyes her hair is very unlikely to develop lymphoma."

 

PASSAGE 4

Spontaneous human combustion (SHC) is the theory that under certain rare circumstances, a human body mysteriously ignites, burns, and is almost entirely consumed. Investigators have encountered a few cases in which the burnt remains of a human body (usually only a limb or two) are found in an enclosed room, with nearby flammable objects completely unaffected by fire. The other parts of the body, including the torso, are entirely incinerated. There is usually, or always, a source of flame in the room-a lit pipe or candle, for example. And the victim is often elderly, alcoholic, or in some way incapacitated. SHC is the only reasonable explanation for these strange facts.