Country Z's National Health-Care Program(NHCP) provides free health care to all citizens. In the last five years, NHCP has received increase funds, both in absolute terms and as a percent of country Z's gross national product. Yet the standard of health care in the country Z has decreased. Meanwhile, the standard of health care in other industrialized countries has increased. Clearly, over the past five years, NHCP must have become an overgrown and wasteful bureaucracy.

The conclusion reached i the passage depends on which of the following assumption?

A) NHCP should not have received increased funds during the past five years.

B) In the last five years, the need for health care among country Z's citizens did not increase to beyond the amount of health care that could have been provided by a proper expenditure of the increased funding.

C) NHCP was suspected of wasteful money management five years ago, but no action was taken to improve NHCP's money management procedures.

D) The standard of health care in country Z five years go was good related to the standards of health care in other industrialized countries at that time.

E) Most other industrialized countries have free national health care programs similar to NHCP.

The conclusion is that the cause of the decreased standard in health coverage was caused by a corrupt bureaucracy. Therefore, the assumption is that there was no some other more immediate cause for the decreased standard in health coverage (perhaps NHCP was unable to provide the same level of treatment because more patients demanded treatment, thus putting unnecessary stress on government coffers).

A) NHCP should not have received increased funds during the past five years.

This statement is just stating an opinion (did the answer choice mean to say 'did not receive'?

B) In the last five years, the need for health care among country Z's citizens did not increase to beyond the amount of health care that could have been provided by a proper expenditure of the increased funding. Answer

Here the assumption is addressed - perhaps Country Z funds, despite the fact that they increased, could not account for a surge in the need for health care. Think of it this way: before the increased funding only 10 million was paid to cover everyone. In the next 5 years, though funding increased by 5 million, if the amount to cover everyone doubled to 20 million, then the government would not be able to provide health coverage.

C) NHCP was suspected of wasteful money management five years ago, but no action was taken to improve NHCP's money management procedures.

Does not relate to the inability of NHCP to cover the cost of health for its residents.

D) The standard of health care in country Z five years go was good related to the standards of health care in other industrialized countries at that time.

We are not concerned with the standard in other countries.

E) Most other industrialized countries have free national health care programs similar to NHCP.

Again, we are not concerned with other countries.
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Christopher Lele
Magoosh Test Prep