A physically active lifestyle has been shown to help increase longevity. In the Wistar region of Bellaria, the average age at death is considerably higher than in any other part of the country. Wistar is the only mountainous part of Bellaria. A mountainous terrain makes even such basic activities as walking relatively strenuous; it essentially imposes a physically active lifestyle on people. Clearly, this circumstance explains the long lives of people in Wistar.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
A. In Bellaria all medical expenses are paid by the government, so that personal income does not affect the quality of health care a person receives.
B. People living in Wistar do not have a significantly better diet than people living in other parts of Bellaria.
C. Many people who live in the Wistar region have moved there in middle age or upon retirement.
D. The many opportunities for hiking, skiing, and other outdoor activities that Wistar’s mountains offer make it a favorite destination for vacationing Bellarians.
E. Per capita spending on recreational activities is no higher in Wistar than it is in other regions of Bellaria.
Solution
Passage Analysis:
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
| A physically active lifestyle has been shown to help increase longevity. | What it says:Ā Studies show that being physically active helps people live longer What it does:Ā Sets up the general principle that will be used in the argument What it is:Ā Research finding/established fact |
| In the Wistar region of Bellaria, the average age at death is considerably higher than in any other part of the country. | What it says:Ā People in Wistar live longer than people anywhere else in Bellaria What it does:Ā Introduces the specific observation that needs explaining What it is:Ā Statistical observation Visualization:Ā Bellaria regions: Wistar average death age = 85, Other regions = 75 |
| Wistar is the only mountainous part of Bellaria. | What it says:Ā Wistar is unique because it’s the only place with mountains in the country What it does:Ā Identifies what makes Wistar different from other regions What it is:Ā Geographic fact |
| A mountainous terrain makes even such basic activities as walking relatively strenuous; it essentially imposes a physically active lifestyle on people. | What it says:Ā Mountains make daily activities harder, forcing people to be more physically active What it does:Ā Connects the geographic difference to the physical activity principle mentioned earlier What it is:Ā Author’s reasoning about cause and effect |
| Clearly, this circumstance explains the long lives of people in Wistar. | What it says:Ā The mountainous terrain is definitely why Wistar people live longer What it does:Ā States the main conclusion by linking all previous statements together What it is:Ā Author’s conclusion |
Argument Flow:
The argument starts with a general principle (physical activity increases longevity), then presents an observation (Wistar has longer lifespans), identifies what makes Wistar unique (mountains), explains how this uniqueness creates physical activity (mountains make daily life strenuous), and concludes this explains the longer lifespans.
Main Conclusion:
The mountainous terrain in Wistar explains why people there live longer than in other parts of Bellaria.
Logical Structure:
The argument uses causal reasoning:Ā Physical Activity -> Longevity Ā (general principle) +Ā Mountains -> Forced Physical ActivityĀ (specific mechanism) + Wistar has Mountains (unique factor) = Mountains explain Wistar’s longer lifespans. The logic assumes that the mountainous terrain is the cause of both increased physical activity and the observed longevity difference.
Prethinking:
Question type:
Weaken – We need to find information that reduces our belief in the conclusion that mountainous terrain explains the long lives of people in Wistar
Precision of Claims
The argument makes a causal claim that mountainous terrain (which forces physical activity) explains why Wistar has considerably higher average age at death than any other part of Bellaria
Strategy
To weaken this argument, we need to find alternative explanations for why Wistar people live longer, or show that the physical activity explanation doesn’t hold up. We can attack the causal connection between mountains/physical activity and longevity in Wistar specifically, or show other factors are responsible for the longevity difference
Answer Choices Explained
A. In Bellaria all medical expenses are paid by the government, so that personal income does not affect the quality of health care a person receives.
This choice tells us that healthcare quality is equal across all regions in Bellaria since the government pays all medical expenses. While this eliminates healthcare access as an alternative explanation, it doesn’t weaken the mountain terrain explanation – it actually strengthens it by ruling out other factors. This doesn’t attack the core reasoning of the argument.
B. People living in Wistar do not have a significantly better diet than people living in other parts of Bellaria.
The argument doesn’t claim that diet explains the longevity difference in Wistar – it specifically argues that physical activity from mountainous terrain is the cause. Saying that diet isn’t significantly better in Wistar doesn’t challenge the physical activity explanation, so this is irrelevant to weakening the argument.
C. Many people who live in the Wistar region have moved there in middle age or upon retirement.
This is our correct answer. If many Wistar residents moved there in middle age or retirement, their longevity was likely determined before they arrived in Wistar, not by the mountainous terrain. This suggests that people who were already healthy and likely to live longer chose to move to Wistar, rather than Wistar causing people to live longer. This directly challenges the causal relationship the argument proposes.
D. The many opportunities for hiking, skiing, and other outdoor activities that Wistar’s mountains offer make it a favorite destination for vacationing Bellarians.
This information about Wistar being a vacation destination doesn’t affect the argument about permanent residents. The argument is about people who live in Wistar, not tourists who visit temporarily. Vacation activities don’t explain why permanent residents have higher average age at death.
E. Per capita spending on recreational activities is no higher in Wistar than it is in other regions of Bellaria.
Recreational spending levels don’t relate to the argument’s claim about mandatory physical activity from mountainous terrain. The argument isn’t about recreational activities but about how mountains make basic daily activities more strenuous. This spending information is irrelevant to the core reasoning.
