Therapists find that treatment of those people who seek help because

Question

Therapists find that treatment of those people who seek help because they are unable to stop smoking or overeating is rarely successful. From these experiences, therapists have
concluded that such habits are intractable, and success in breaking them is rare. As surveys show, millions of people have dropped the habit of smoking, and many people have successfully managed a substantial weight loss.

If all of the statements are correct, an Explanation of their apparent contradiction is provided by the hypothesis that

A. there have been some successes in therapy, and those successes were counted in the surveys

B. it is easier to stop smoking than it is to stop overeating

C. it is easy to break the habits of smoking and overeating by exercising willpower

D. the group of people selected for the survey did not include those who failed to break their habits even after therapy

E. those who succeed in curing themselves do not go for treatment and so are not included in the therapists’ data

Bunuel · Accepted Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

If, as this choice suggests, the very people who would lead the therapists to view such habits as more tractable do not come for treatment, it is quite understandable why therapists persist in their pessimistic view. At the same time,  E is consistent with the survey results . Therefore, the last choice is the correct answer.

A is incorrect. Even assuming that this choice is true, no light is shed on why successes should be so rare in therapy, and yet, if the surveys are to be believed, so common overall. B is also incorrect. Since the comparative strength of habits is not an issue in the therapists’ findings or the surveys, it cannot have anything to do with the apparent contradiction; consequently, information about it cannot help resolve that contradiction. C is also not the correct answer choice. If C were true, the survey results would appear rather unremarkable, but the therapists’ findings would be baffling. The apparent contradiction would not be diminished but underscored. The fourth answer choice is incorrect. The survey results as reported focus on the numbers of people who have successfully fought a habit, not on the proportion of those who tried to break their habits who succeeded. This answer choice pertains only to the latter and so is essentially irrelevant.

gvij2017 · Answer

I narrowed down to D and E as both are good contenders.

D solve the paradox on both side. But E address the one side of paradox. 
D is correct choice.

SonalSinha803 · Answer

According to me, option A should be the right choice.

D and E do not resolve the paradox. They don't explain why millions of people... example is given and still the first part of the argument that success in therapies is rate, still holds true.

Thus, IMO A.

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arun6765 · Answer

IMO ans should be E.

If people were able to cure themselves then there were no reason for them to consult a therapist.

But survey included such people also who have successfully cured them while therapist have the bunch of people who are reluctant or unable to leave there habits.

AlfredNguyen · Answer

I chose E:
The point is the people who do not succeed in giving up smoking are those who seek for helps, in this case the helps are the therapies.
Choice E will explain best why the therapist see non succeeded patients, but there are millions in the survey.
Anyone has any other idea.

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mnav · Answer

IMO C

Because people who seek help are those who are unable to stop smoking or overeating by themselves, so therapists concluded that its out of control for them-means they cannot do anything if people cannot do that by themselves
But according to survey there are successful cases means they are the people who thought they could stop smoking or overeating by themselves (will power)

Somebody Correct me if I am wrong in my analysis

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SajjitaKundu · Answer

IMO the answer should be E. Only this brings out the reason why one group of people are not present in the other.

Gemelo90 · Answer

Count me in for option E. It indeed provides an explenation for the apparent contradiction: There is no need for people that stopped smoking to go to an therapist. In insurance theory that is called adverse selection.

aghosh54 · Answer

Millions of people mentioned in the survey are successful after they went through therapy. I think (D) doesn't clear in this regard.

tann412 · Answer

I marked E. But after reading again, I am a bit confused, it can either be D or E.
In E, we are talking about "People who are able to Cure themselves". Which Cure, I guess cure shall be different from therapy, Wt Gain and Smoking are not considered Diseases, they are Habit related.

As per stimulus:
1. People who Visit Therapists, Most of them do not quit Smoking, Some of them Quit Smoking. ("rarely successful" in stimulus)
2. People who are Surveyed, Millions Quit Smoking (Most of shall be successful).

These people in 1. and 2. have to be different completely or majorly. By this, I feel D is better - ("break habits" over curing).. Though I still feel, how do you Select Millions of People as a Group. Not realistic. Waiting for OA.

jackspire · Answer

Hello manav,
Option C is completely out of context. It's a generalized statement without any correlation to the given situation. 
Here therapists are concluding based on their experience. And willpower doesn't come into this picture and tell us how there is a contradiction.
If people having the willpower to quit and are able to do that, then therapists would have said otherwise.
Again we have been told that those people go to the therapists who are seeking help.
So, this option doesn't give us a clue why there is this contradiction.

Hope I cleared your doubt.
I am not an expert, but you can contradict me if my thought process is wrong.

KS15 · Answer

Not a great question really- D looks to be the best. How can we generalize by making a statement such as "those who succeed in curing themselves do not go for treatment ..."?

sunny91 · Answer

Kindly explain options C, D and E. Options D & E are showing different group of people. Option C, on the other hand, explains that those who come to therapists are not able to quit smoking because of their willpower and therapists methods are not effective because will power is something that needs to be done by their own.

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