Here is my take on this question. I hope others may find it useful.
surat wrote:
Most doctors dismiss male pattern baldness as a problem of heredity. A new theory, however, postulates that baldness can also result from number of external factors, such as a stressful urban lifestyle. Supporters of this new theory point out that baldness is twice as common among male who live in cities as it is among those who live elsewhere.
Which of the following most weakens the new theory described above?
I often talk to my students about the role of
linear thinking in the problem-solving process for CR and RC questions. That is, what is the
exact argument, and on what pillars or premises may it stand? To knock down the argument, you need to take out a pillar. Here, the
new theory in question correlates
external factors, such as a stressful urban lifestyle to
baldness in males. The evidence (i.e. pillar)? Again, stick to the
exact phrasing of the passage:
baldness is twice as common among male[s] who live in cities as it is among those who live elsewhere. Thus, in order to weaken this new theory, it is necessary to take into account
where bald men live to test whether heredity or external factors may be leading to the condition.
Full confession: That is typically about as far as I go with pre-thinking. I used to do more, but too often, my brainstormed ideas did not fall in line with the responses, and I ended up spending too much time on the questions. For me,
linear thinking started to lead to the answers much more efficiently, so I adapted my approach. On to the responses, then, with an eye on disproving what we can, rather than looking to find the one correct response.
surat wrote:
A. Scientists have developed several drugs that halt baldness in men and can be taken internally
Analysis: As others have pointed out, this has
nothing to do with what causes baldness, not to mention that it does not take into account where bald men live, a necessary condition to weaken the argument.
Red light.surat wrote:
B. Census reports show that most men who are born in large cities live almost their entire lives within the city of their birth to remain close to their families
Analysis: Do we have bald men living in large cities here? Yes, we do, at least by extension. If
most men in general who are born in large cities live out their days there, then that would include bald men, our target group. This does touch on the evidence cited that, again,
baldness is twice as common among male[s] who live in cities.... What are we to make of the part about their reason for staying in those cities,
to remain close to their families. This could provide an alternative to what the new theory proposes, namely that a
stressful urban lifestyle is causing city-dwelling men to lose their hair. It could be true instead that bald men have offspring who stay close to home and, in turn, pass along their genes for baldness to their offspring, who, if this reason provided at the end of the response holds true, will also likely stay close to home and produce the next generation of bald men. Is this the answer I was expecting? No. Can I find a reason to dismiss it outright? No, I cannot, and that is the crucial part.
Yellow light.surat wrote:
C. Most men do not develop male pattern baldness until they reach the age of 55, at which point their thoughts turn to pursuing a more restful lifestyle
Analysis: Ah, the tempting answer. The problem is, the response says
nothing about where any of these men live, nor does it offer where they may move to pursue this
more restful lifestyle. You cannot assume that the city-dwelling population in the survey or whatever observation has established that city folk versus those from less urban environments comprised mostly men in the 55+ category. Moreover, if you assume that they move away from the city to retire and rest, then why would more bald men be found in the city, by proportion, as opposed to
those who live elsewhere? Finally, since when do
thoughts dictate where people actually live? I wish I could live in Hawai'i, and I can even dream about it, but that thought will not somehow affect a survey result or an observation about the male population of Hawai'i. At least choice (B) provided an action in addition to the thought.
Red light.surat wrote:
D. Men who never lived in large cities are those who are least likely to develop male pattern baldness
Analysis: The evidence cited suggests as much. Read in an altered manner, it says that
males who live outside cities have half the rate of baldness as those who live in cities. Of note is that there is a comparison between men who live in cities and those who live outside them, but what is presented does little to weaken the new theory that male pattern baldness can be explained by external factors rather than hereditary factors.
Red light.surat wrote:
E. A study determined that bald men are less likely to marry and reproduce
Analysis: I kind of like the way this one ties into the hereditary notion of reproduction. On the other hand, it does
not even attempt to separate the bald men into the two necessary camps of city-dwellers versus non-urbanites. If it deviates from the linear-thinking pathway, then it does not satisfy the given task. This response applies equally to all bald men, regardless of where they live.
Red light.The term
process of elimination is bandied about ad nauseam in the tutoring realm, and it means very little until you can connect the strategy to something meaningful. You have to rewire your thinking with these GMAT™ questions and
stop looking for the correct answer all the time. Instead of searching for the needle in the haystack, I suggest burning the chaff and finding the needle. Go into these questions with
linear thinking in mind, and it becomes easier not to fall for a distraction.
Good luck to all of you in your studies.
- Andrew
_________________
I am no longer contributing to GMAT Club. Please request an active Expert or a peer review if you have questions.