GMAT Club Around The World!!! Pancreas releases enzymes that control

Question

Pancreas releases enzymes that control the amount of sugar in blood. An endocrinologist observed that subjects with low-functioning pancreas usually have poorer cardiac health than do people with average to high levels of pancreatic function. Thus, the endocrinologist concluded that high pancreatic function is vital for maintaining blood sugar level as well as cardiac health.

The endocrinologist’s conclusion depends on which of the following assumptions?

A) High pancreatic function ensures good cardiac health better than normal pancreatic function does.
B) Irregular blood sugar is similar to poor cardiac health in its physiological effects.
C) Those whose bodies maintain high pancreatic function cannot develop poor cardiac health.
D) Treating irregular blood sugar with insulin is not as effective as treating poor cardiac health with cardiac therapy. 
E) Poor cardiac health does not result in a decrease in pancreatic function.

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Bunuel · Accepted Answer

Experts' Global Official Explanation

Mind-map:  Pancreas controls blood sugar --> people with low functioning pancreas have poorer cardiac health than those with average or high functioning pancreas --> high pancreas function is vital for maintaining blood sugar levels and cardiac health (conclusion)

Missing-link:  Between people with low functioning pancreas having poorer cardiac health than those with average or high functioning pancreas and the conclusion that high pancreas function is vital for maintaining blood sugar levels and cardiac health

Expectation from the correct answer choice:  To strengthen the conclusion that high pancreas function is vital for maintaining blood sugar levels and cardiac health, through a valid assumption

Note: This question tests the classic GMAT concept of confusing “effect” with “cause”; the argument mentions that low functioning pancreas is associated with poorer cardiac health and concludes that high pancreas function leads to good cardiac health; the argument may have missed the possibility of “low functioning pancreas” the effect and “bad cardiac health” being the cause.

A. Trap. If high pancreatic function ensures good cardiac health better than normal pancreatic function does, it indicates the importance of high pancreatic function in maintaining good cardiac health, thus strengthening the conclusion. However, despite being a fine "strengthening statement", this answer choice doesn't qualify as a valid "assumption" because it doesn't have to be true for the conclusion to hold; it is possible that high pancreatic function is vital for cardiac health without high pancreatic function being better than normal pancreatic function in ensuring good cardiac health; please remember, a valid assumption “must be necessarily true” for the argument to hold. Because this answer choice does not strengthen the conclusion through a valid assumption, this answer choice is incorrect.

B. Trap. The argument is concerned with the importance of high pancreatic function in maintaining blood sugar levels and cardiac health; this answer choice, suggesting a similarity between irregular blood sugar and poor cardiac health, makes no suggestion regarding the importance of high pancreatic function; so, this answer choice is just additional information and does not strengthen the argument. Besides, this condition is not necessary for the argument to hold and thus, is not a valid assumption. Because this answer choice does not strengthen the conclusion through a valid assumption, this answer choice is incorrect.

C. Trap. This answer choice, suggesting that those with high pancreatic function cannot develop poor cardiac health, indicates the importance of high pancreatic function in maintaining good cardiac health, thus strengthening the conclusion. However, despite being a fine "strengthening statement", this answer choice doesn't qualify as a valid "assumption" because it doesn't have to be true for the conclusion to hold; it is possible that high pancreatic function is vital for cardiac health without high pancreatic function ruling out the possibility of developing poor cardiac health; in other words, even if some of those with high pancreatic function sometimes develop poor cardiac health, high pancreatic function may still be vital for cardiac health; please remember, a valid assumption “must be necessarily true” for the argument to hold. Besides, please note, a hint here is in the term “cannot”, which is too strong to be a valid assumption; one needs to be cautious of such answer choices as they are generally incorrect on the GMAT. Because this answer choice does not strengthen the conclusion through a valid assumption, this answer choice is incorrect.

D. The argument is concerned with the importance of high pancreatic function in maintaining blood sugar levels and cardiac health; this answer choice, comparing the effectiveness of treatments of associated illnesses, is just additional information and has no bearing on the argument. Besides, this condition is not necessary for the argument to hold and thus, is not a valid assumption. Because this answer choice does not strengthen the conclusion through a valid assumption, this answer choice is incorrect.

E. Correct.  By eliminating the possibility of poor cardiac health causing low pancreatic function, this answer choice indicates that, in people with low functioning pancreas and poor cardiac health, low pancreatic function is the likely cause of poor cardiac health, thus strengthening the conclusion that high pancreatic function is vital for maintaining cardiac health. Additionally, this statement does have to be true for the conclusion to hold; negating this statement would mean that “poor cardiac health will result in low pancreatic function”, thus casting doubt on the cause-effect relationship established in the conclusion and negating the conclusion. Because this answer choice strengthens the conclusion through a valid assumption, this answer choice is correct.

E is the best choice.

100mitra · Answer

Pancreas releases enzymes that control the amount of sugar in blood. 
An endocrinologist observed that subjects with 
- low-functioning pancreas usually 
- have poorer cardiac health than do people with 
- average to high levels of pancreatic function. 
 Conclusion: 
High Pancreatic function = Maintain Blood sugar level + Good Cardiac health 
Low Pancreatic function = Not Maintain Blood Pressure + Poor Cardiac health

The endocrinologist’s conclusion depends on which of the following  assumptions ?

A) High pancreatic function ensures good cardiac health better than normal pancreatic function does.
 - Wrong:  Pancreatic functions release enzymes that controls amount of sugar in blood, it does not ensure good cardiac health, but can be relate to good cardiac health 
B) Irregular blood sugar is similar to poor cardiac health in its physiological effects 
 - Wrong:  Irrelevant 
C) Those whose bodies maintain high pancreatic function cannot develop poor cardiac health 
 - Correct 
D) Treating irregular blood sugar with insulin is not as effective as treating poor cardiac health with cardiac therapy
  - Wrong:  its not about treatment 
E) Poor cardiac health does not result in a decrease in pancreatic function
  - Wrong:  it is alctually reverse of it

ElninoEffect · Answer

Assumption question:

Using pre-thinking approach to skim through the options:

Under what condition high pancreatic function is not vital for maintaining blood sugar level as well as cardiac health.
Given that
Pancreas releases enzymes that control the amount of sugar in blood.
A low-functioning pancreas usually have poorer cardiac health than do people with average to high levels of pancreatic function.

Case1:
What if poor cardiac health leads to low functioning pancreas in that case its the opposite way round and breaks the conclusion.
So.
Assumption1: Poor cardiac health does not leads to low functioning pancreas.
With this in mind lets go through the options:

A) High pancreatic function ensures good cardiac health better than normal pancreatic function does.
 Irrelevant.

B) Irregular blood sugar is similar to poor cardiac health in its physiological effects.
 It's not about how much similar they are but whether one leads to another.

C) Those whose bodies maintain high pancreatic function cannot develop poor cardiac health.
 Research states that usually the people with high pancreatic function do not face cardiac issue. This is too extreme to be true.

D) Treating irregular blood sugar with insulin is not as effective as treating poor cardiac health with cardiac therapy. 
 Irrelevant.

E) Poor cardiac health does not result in a decrease in pancreatic function.
 Exactly in line with our pre-thinking approach.

gmatophobia · Answer

A) High pancreatic function ensures good cardiac health better than normal pancreatic function does.

Out of scope as the passage concludes high pancreatic function is vital for maintaining blood sugar level as well as cardiac health. We are not given any information about the comparison of high pancreatic function and normal pancreatic function.

B) Irregular blood sugar is similar to poor cardiac health in its physiological effects.

Distortion

C) Those whose bodies maintain high pancreatic function cannot develop poor cardiac health.

'cannot develop' is extreme. We are not concluding that high pancreatic function cannot develop poor cardiac health

D) Treating irregular blood sugar with insulin is not as effective as treating poor cardiac health with cardiac therapy.

Out of scope, alternative plan.

E) Poor cardiac health does not result in a decrease in pancreatic function.

If poor cardiac heath is a result of decrease pancreatic function, then the conclusion falls apart.

NathanMasky · Answer

Question Stem

Pancreas releases enzymes that control the amount of sugar in blood. An endocrinologist observed that subjects with low-functioning pancreas usually have poorer cardiac health than do people with average to high levels of pancreatic function. Thus, the endocrinologist concluded that high pancreatic function is vital for maintaining blood sugar level as well as cardiac health.

The endocrinologist’s conclusion depends on which of the following assumptions?

Breakdown

Premise 1 : The pancreas controls blood sugar

Premise 2 : Low-functioning pancreas usually have poorer cardiac health than normal-functioning pancreas.
 
 Conclusion : The high-functioning pancreas leads to stable blood sugar and good cardiac health.

Gap : There is a directionality in the cause-effect. High functioning LEADS to stable blood sugar and cardiac health.

Evaluating the answer choices

A) High pancreatic function ensures good cardiac health better than normal pancreatic function does.

We are not comparing the high-functioning with the normal-functioning pancreas. Rather, the argument here is a high-functioning pancreas is required for good cardiac health. Thus, Out-of-scope

B) Irregular blood sugar is similar to poor cardiac health in its physiological effects.

Let's negate. The physiological effects of irregular blood sugar and poor cardiac health are  different . Does this break the conclusion? No. It may help doctors to decipher that you have one or the other but the underlying reason for the effect may be a low-functioning pancreas.

C) Those whose bodies maintain high pancreatic function cannot develop poor cardiac health.

This choice is extreme to me. There may be other vital bodily functions that might lead to poor cardiac health if they aren't performing normally. For example, you may have a high functioning pancreas but if you are not that physically active then you may have poor cardiac health.

D) Treating irregular blood sugar with insulin is not as effective as treating poor cardiac health with cardiac therapy.

Treatment like insulin and cardiac therapy may effect the blood sugar and cardiac health but it does not change the argument. Thus, it is out of scope.

E) Poor cardiac health does not result in a decrease in pancreatic function.

This reinforces the directionality of cause-effect we spoke of before. Let's negate it. Poor cardiac health results in a decrease in pancreatic functioning. If this were true, then the argument ceases to make sense.

Thus, the correct answer choice is E.

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