A recently published article on human physiology claims that Enzyme K

OA is E and the reason as gmatpapa and raptor explained are correct.

My Take:
Enzyme K has to cause improved performance in Strenuous activities and not Strenuous Activities causing high levels of Enzyme K . If the latter scenario is true, then the evidence weakens considerably as Enzyme K then plays no role in performance enhancement.

Maddy

E is the right answer,
focus on the claim you are trying to strengthen "A recently published article on human physiology claims that Enzyme K contributes to improved performance in strenuous activities"
A)in strengthen questions these type of answers are always wrong [the most important, or the most crucial...]
B)if K has no function, is not any help to the claim we are trying to support
C)some thing being required does not mean it contributes to improved performance
D)this is just a comparison of to group samples and does not support the main claim.
E)by showing that the relationship is not reverse b/w the to things [K and the strenuous activity] we are strengthening the claim that article present...

in strengthening questions it is important to take the answer choices as proven to be correct and the stimulus conclusion as suspect. so by using the answer choices you should see if which one being true could support the conclusion.

It's a tricky one because there more than one answer options that strengthen the argument.
(A) Enzyme K affect performance - Positively or negatively?
(B) If Enzyme K has no OTHER function in the body, what really is it's function?
(C) Strengthens moderately.
(D) Irrelevant. It compare effect of Enzyme K on weight lifters with effect on sprinters.
(E) Most strengthens - It Enzyme K were produced then it would not useful for performance. It should be already present in body.

Typical correlation =! caausation question.

read https://thegmatblogger.in/2015/10/14/cr ... en-type-3/

IMO E

KAPLAN OFFICIAL EXPLANATION:

E

Because the article claims that enzyme K caused better performance, this is an example of a causality argument-an "X causes Y" situation. The evidence is that Olympic weightlifters and sprinters have above-average levels of enzyme K. To strengthen it, we need to find a choice confirming that X (high levels of enzyme K) does in fact cause Y (better performance).

(A) is out of scope; the article is only concerned with enzyme K, not other factors affecting performance. (B) is irrelevant and uses extreme language. (C) distorts what the article claims; the article says only that enzyme K improves performance, not that it is required. (D) is an irrelevant comparison; both weightlifters and sprinters are presented as equal evidence. (E) states that increased levels of enzyme K are not the result of strenuous activity; this strengthens the conclusion than enzyme K contributes to better performance because the enzyme is found in people who excel at strenuous activities but is not produced by the strenuous activity. Its presence must therefore help performance. If (E) were not true, strenuous activity could actually be causing the increased enzyme levels, and the argument would be weakened because it reversed cause and effect.

Type: Strengthen the conclusion

Conclusion: Enzyme K contributes to improved performance in strenuous activities such as weightlifting and sprinting. The Article cites evidence of above-average levels of enzyme K in Olympic weight lifters and sprinters.

A. Enzyme K levels are the most important factor affecting the performance of strenuous activities. - this does not help us establish the conclusion

B. Enzyme K has no other function in the human body - even if this is true, it could still be true that a combination of factors including Enzyme K production lead to better performance for strenuous activities.

C. Enzyme K is required for the performance of strenuous activities. - simply restates the what's already mentioned in the argument without providing additional reasons why the conclusion should be considered as true.

D. Enzyme K helps weight lifters more than it helps sprinters. - irrelevant to the conclusion.

E. Strenuous activities do not cause the human body to produce unusually high levels of enzyme K -

X = Enzyme K; Y = improved performance in strenuous activities.

The passage asserts that X-->Y. (E) rules out the possibility that Y-->X. By doing so, (E) clarifies that Y can certainly be achieved through X. This therefore strengthens the conclusion. Hence, (E) is the right answer choice.

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