A clinical trial of a new blood-pressure drug reported the following six-month results: placebo group, mean systolic drop 2 mmHg; low-dose group, drop 8 mmHg; standard-dose group, drop 14 mmHg; high-dose group, drop 15 mmHg. The researchers concluded that the drug shows a dose-response effect that levels off near the standard dose. The data point most uniquely supporting "levels off near the standard dose" is ______
Which choice most logically completes the text using the data above?
- A
the 13 mmHg total spread between placebo and high dose.
- B
the 2 mmHg drop in the placebo group.
- C
the 8 mmHg drop in the low-dose group.
- Dcheck_circle
the standard dose's 14 mmHg drop versus the high dose's 15 mmHg drop—nearly identical.
Explanation
"Levels off" means additional dose produces little additional benefit. Choice C is the only data point that demonstrates this plateau (14 vs. 15 mmHg between the standard and higher dose). The other choices support dose-response generally but not the leveling-off claim specifically.