As people age, their near-focus eyesight tends to worsen because the

Official Explanation:

As people age, their near-focus eyesight tends to worsen because the lens inside the eye loses flexibility. Some people perform what are known as optometric exercises, which are meant to strengthen the eye and prevent a loss of near-focus eyesight. So far, independent tests have not shown that these exercises have had an effect on preventing or slowing the loss of flexibility of the lens of the eye.

If the statements above are all true, they most strongly support which of the following conclusions?

A. Optometric exercises have not been shown to prevent or slow the loss of near-focus eyesight.
B. There is no method of reducing the flexibility of the lens in the eye as one ages.
C. Measuring the flexibility of the lens in the eye is only one of several ways to gauge near-focus eyesight.
D. The rate at which the lens of the eye loses flexibility increases as one ages.
E. Exercises that are meant to improve eyesight are not effective as one ages.

Question Type: Inference
Boil It Down: As we age, our eyesight gets worse because we lose eye flexibility. Some people use exercises meant to prevent loss of eyesight. There is no proof these exercises prevent or slow the loss of eye flexibility.
Goal: Find the option that would make the most logical conclusion, given the information we’ve been told is 100% true.

Analysis:
Inference questions are a type of question where you are given statements of fact, which you then must accept as 100% true. If all of these facts are true, what sort of inference can we gleam, what else must also be true. Keep in mind, there is no conclusion in this prompt; only evidence. You can almost think of inference questions as a type of ‘fill in the blank question’ but for the entire conclusion. When we accept everything stated as 100% true, what else must also be true?

Typically, inference questions will end up with you having to connect things which the prompt never relates but must be true given the evidence. I find it most helpful to line up our boil it down:

1. Near-focus eyesight worsens because the eye loses flexibility.
2. Certain exercises are meant to strengthen the eye and prevent loss of near-focus eyesight.
3. There is no proof that these exercises prevent or slow the loss of eye flexibility.

Notice that sentence 2 is the odd one out. Both 1 and 3 mention eye flexibility, but not 2. Sentence 1 is clear that eyesight worsens because of loss of flexibility. Sentence 3 says these exercises do nothing to affect loss of flexibility. If both of these are true, how can the exercises from sentence 2 help? My prediction is that the answer will have something to do with this mismatch between the evidence. Note that sentence 2 says “people perform these, and it is meant to prevent loss of near-focus eyesight.” Meaning to prevent something, and actually preventing something, is a marked difference.

A. Optometric exercises have not been shown to prevent or slow the loss of near-focus eyesight.
This is the correct answer choice. We must accept every sentence as true. If eyesight worsens because we lose flexibility, and these exercises do not prevent or slow loss of flexibility, then these exercises do not prevent or slow the loss of near-focus eyesight.

B. There is no method of reducing the flexibility of the lens in the eye as one ages.
This answer choice is too strong. We only know that one way – certain optometric exercises – do not work. We know nothing about other methods. Further, reducing flexibility in the eye as one ages is exactly what causes the loss of near-focus eyesight, isn’t it? I’m not sure why anyone would want to reduce their flexibility in their eyes using a certain method.

C. Measuring the flexibility of the lens in the eye is only one of several ways to gauge near-focus eyesight.
This answer choice becomes wrong once it says, “one of several ways.” First, do we know for certain that just because losing flexibility causes worsening eyesight, that measuring flexibility can gauge it? Second, even if that was 100% proven to be true, do we know that there are several other ways to gauge it? The prompt makes no mention of any other ways to prove it, this could be the only one for all we know. This answer choice is wrong.

D. The rate at which the lens of the eye loses flexibility increases as one ages.
No, this goes way too far again. We know only that eyes lose flexibility as one ages. There is no sentence in this prompt which would suggest that it loses flexibility quicker the older we are. Is this true in real life? Maybe. Is it true based off only the 3 sentences we are given? Absolutely not. Nothing in our prompt makes this conclusion strongly supported.

E. Exercises that are meant to improve eyesight are not effective as one ages.
This is the same problem as D. We know that aging affects it, but we do not know that being older worsens that process in any way. For all we know, it could be a flat rate of losing the same amount of flexibility every year, regardless of how old you are. Nothing in this prompt tells us about what happens as you get very old. Just that, in general, aging has an affect on these things.

Don’t study for the GMAT. Train for it.

A. Optometric exercises have not been shown to prevent or slow the loss of near-focus eyesight. Correct. This is rewording of the last sentence and in line with the argument.
B. There is no method of reducing the flexibility of the lens in the eye as one ages. Incorrect. The argument does not state or intend such statement.
C. Measuring the flexibility of the lens in the eye is only one of several ways to gauge near-focus eyesight. Incorrect. No ways discussed for guaging the near-focus eyesight.
D. The rate at which the lens of the eye loses flexibility increases as one ages. Incorrect. The passage does not provide any information which links age and the rate of loss of eye flexibility.
E. Exercises that are meant to improve eyesight are not effective as one ages. Incorrect. The passage does not provide any information which links age and the effectiveness of exercises.

As people age, their near-focus eyesight tends to worsen because the lens inside the eye loses flexibility. Some people perform what are known as optometric exercises, which are meant to strengthen the eye and prevent a loss of near-focus eyesight. So far, independent tests have not shown that these exercises have had an effect on preventing or slowing the loss of flexibility of the lens of the eye.

MEANING
As people age, they lose their near-focus eyesight.
WHY?
Because the lens inside the eye loses flexibility
How do people try to mitigate?
They perform optometric exercises to strengthen the eye (maybe the muscle, nerves etc)

But, these exercises have not been proven to be effective (maybe the exercises are a fad, maybe they are effective but still not proven, maybe some further research provides a concrete finding. )

Thus, going by the current available data, these exercises are futile.
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If the statements above are all true, they most strongly support which of the following conclusions?

A. Optometric exercises have not been shown to prevent or slow the loss of near-focus eyesight.
Agrees with the above explanation
B. There is no method of reducing the flexibility of the lens in the eye as one ages.
"No" = Extreme
C. Measuring the flexibility of the lens in the eye is only one of several ways to gauge near-focus eyesight.
Not mentioned in stimulus. Outside info can be present in strengthen/weaken, not in inference.
D. The rate at which the lens of the eye loses flexibility increases as one ages.
Same reason as "C"
E. Exercises that are meant to improve eyesight are not effective as one ages.
Not proven yet, so cannot say with guarantee

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