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GATE 2014 EE (EE1) – Question 7

General Aptitude · Analytical Aptitude: Logical Reasoning and Deduction · 2 marks · Multiple choice

Geneticists say they are close to confirming the genetic roots of psychiatric illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia, and consequently doctors will eradicate these diseases through early identification and gene therapy. On which assumption does this statement rely?

  1. Strategies are now available for eliminating psychiatric illnesses.
  2. Certain psychiatric illnesses have a genetic basis.
  3. All human diseases can be traced to genes and their expression.
  4. Genetics will become the only relevant field for identifying psychiatric illnesses.

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Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: (B) Certain psychiatric illnesses have a genetic basis.

Explanation

The conclusion relies on the illnesses having a genetic basis that could be identified and treated. Thus **B** is necessary. The argument does not require every disease to be genetic or genetics to become the only medical field; it is an exercise in the passage’s reasoning.