There is a great deal of geographical variation in the frequency of many surgical procedures—up to tenfold variation per hundred thousand between different areas in the numbers of hysterectomies, prostatectomies, and tonsillectomies.
To support a conclusion that much of the variation is due to unnecessary surgical procedures, it would be most important to establish which of the following?
(A) A local board of review at each hospital examines the records of every operation to determine whether the surgical procedure was necessary.
(B) The variation is unrelated to factors (other than the surgical procedures themselves) that influence the incidence of diseases for which surgery might be considered.
(C) There are several categories of surgical procedure (other than hysterectomies, prostatectomies, and tonsillectomies) that are often performed unnecessarily.
(D) For certain surgical procedures, it is difficult to determine after the operation whether the procedures were necessary or whether alternative treatment would have succeeded.
(E) With respect to how often they are performed unnecessarily, hysterectomies, prostatectomies, and tonsillectomies are representative of surgical procedures in general.


in this question the reasoning to select C as the correct answer is that it states clearly in the backets() that much of the variation is due to unnecessary surgical procedures i.e. other than hyst....., prosta....., tonsil.....

please correct me if i am wrong...

I agree with E too.

Another doubt about OA

unnecessary surgical procedures is extracted from the question stem, check it

(B): The variation is unrelated to factors (other than the surgical procedures themselves) that influence the incidence of diseases for which surgery might be considered --> this choice is out of scope because it's not about the cause-effect relationship, so you do not need to deny another cause for the variation.

This question is a kind of "separate facts", so the role of the assumption is to link them together. So, once again, I still choose E even not catching up the stem "unnecessary procedures" from the question

Argument says that there is a great deal of variation in the frequency of many surgical procedures ......procedures like hysterectomies, prostatectomies, and tonsillectomies has max possible variation upto 10 fold ..
We need to strenghten the fact that much of the variation is due to unnecessary surgical procedures, .....this has been well estb in C , which says that apart from hysterectomies, prostatectomies, and tonsillectomies there are several categories of surgical procedure that are often performed unnecessarily.

trust i am able to put forth my line of reasoning ..
_________________

"CEO in making"

thanks for pointing it out...
i think there was a misprint in the original doc..
B seems to be the right one..

thanks.

This problem is in Guide for Verbal Review. While I do understand B is the correct answer. Why is A wrong?

I don't see why procedures controlers wouldn't help in identify if procedures are unnecessary. The explanation in the book even states that this answer "undermines" the claim about unnecessary procedures.

I tried reading the passage, question and answer choice A many times, I still don't get why it is considered the opposite answer!

Thanks for your input.

They would, but it would not strengthen the conclusion that variation is the result of unnecessary procedures. So you are looking for a premise or piece of evidence that connects a variation in geography to the conclusion. You have to remember that a missing premise has to bridge the gap between the two. You are right A would allow you to find which are unnecessary but you are not looking to identify then, but something that proves the variation is due to unecessary proceduers. All A does it find out which were and which werent. And you are right E needlessly brings in the generalization to all operations making it out of scope.

I think, it should be the causal-effect relation only and hence it sounds B.
C, actually, repeats the question, so there would be nothing to establish other than the question itself, I think therefore C shouldn't be the case.

B +1