Heavy consumption of alcohol causes impaired judgment, a loss of fine

Question

Heavy consumption of alcohol causes impaired judgment, a loss of fine motor skills, slower reaction times, a decrease in visual acuity, and other short-term symptoms. Since alcohol can be metabolized in the average person’s body at a rate of 0.015 BAC (or “blood alcohol content”) per hour, a severely intoxicated individual with a BAC of 0.15 should be symptom-free after 10 hours. After this time, if the individual exhibits similar symptoms, such symptoms cannot be caused by alcohol.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the conclusion above?

(A) Some symptoms normally associated with alcohol consumption may resemble symptoms caused by prescription drugs or even drowsiness.

(B) Increases in BAC are based on the amount of alcohol consumed rather than the number of drinks (some drinks contain more alcohol than others).

(C) Heavy alcohol consumption has numerous long term effects such as cirrhosis of the liver, stomach ulcers, and birth defects.

(D) The metabolic rate of alcohol varies according to a person’s health, weight, diet, and genetic predispositions.

(E) Some people, due to an acute sensitivity to alcohol, cannot even reach a BAC of 0.15 before becoming violently ill.

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BongBideshini · Answer

The author calculates the 10-hour timeframe based on the metabolic rate of the  average  person (0.015 BAC per hour). However, the conclusion makes an  absolute  claim about a specific individual: that after 10 hours, their symptoms  cannot  possibly be caused by alcohol. If metabolism varies from person to person, a specific individual might metabolize alcohol much slower than the average. If it takes them 15 hours to metabolize a 0.15 BAC, then their symptoms at hour 11 absolutely could still be caused by alcohol, destroying the author's conclusion. 
 
 (A) Some symptoms normally associated with alcohol consumption may resemble symptoms caused by prescription drugs or even drowsiness.
 If the symptoms after 10 hours are actually caused by prescription drugs or drowsiness rather than alcohol, this would actually support (or strengthen) the conclusion that alcohol is not the cause. A weaken question requires you to prove that alcohol  could  still be the cause. 
 
 (B) Increases in BAC are based on the amount of alcohol consumed rather than the number of drinks (some drinks contain more alcohol than others).
 The argument already establishes that the individual is starting at a BAC of 0.15. How they arrived at that specific BAC (whether through a few strong drinks or many weak ones) is completely irrelevant to how long it takes the body to process it afterward. 
 
 (C) Heavy alcohol consumption has numerous long term effects such as cirrhosis of the liver, stomach ulcers, and birth defects.
 The argument and the conclusion are strictly focused on the presence of the "short-term symptoms" mentioned in the first sentence (impaired judgment, loss of fine motor skills, etc.). Long-term diseases do not explain why a person would still be exhibiting those specific short-term impairment symptoms exactly 10 hours later. 
 
 (D) The metabolic rate of alcohol varies according to a person’s health, weight, diet, and genetic predispositions.
 This directly attacks the assumption that every individual processes alcohol at the exact mathematical average of 0.015 BAC per hour. If a person metabolizes alcohol slower than average, they will still have alcohol in their system after 10 hours, meaning their symptoms could indeed still be caused by alcohol. 
 
 (E) Some people, due to an acute sensitivity to alcohol, cannot even reach a BAC of 0.15 before becoming violently ill.
 The premise explicitly asks us to consider "a severely intoxicated individual with a BAC of 0.15. " What happens to people who cannot reach that level is outside the scope of the argument.

Ans D

vasu1104 · Answer

conclusion= after 10 hrs. if person exhibits similar symptoms, such symptoms cant be caused by alcohol.

A this somewhat strengthened the conclusion here. this choice gives more reason in believing in conclusion more. so reject.
B this is complete irrelevant. we dont need to know how the BAC increases. whether through the number of glasses or amount of alcohol. reject.
C yeah, we all know this. so thats why we should stay away from alcohol. not of much help from here, reject.
D perfect. if metabolic rate of each person varies then we cant make this conclusion with utmost guarantee. there could be people who can metabolize the alcohol at much lower speed than others, so they will still have symptoms left even after 10 hrs. so this does enough to attack the conclusion. keep.
E unnecessary. reject.

Ans D

spal98354 · Answer

(A) Some symptoms normally associated with alcohol consumption may resemble symptoms caused by prescription drugs or even drowsiness.
   This explains why someone might show symptoms without alcohol, but it doesn't challenge whether alcohol could still be the cause after 10 hours .
(B) Increases in BAC are based on the amount of alcohol consumed rather than the number of drinks. 
  This talks about how a person gets to a 0.15 BAC. The argument already starts at a fixed 0.15 BAC, so how they got there is irrelevant to how fast it leaves their system. 
(C) Heavy alcohol consumption has numerous long term effects such as cirrhosis of the liver...
  The passage is strictly concerned with short-term, immediate intoxication symptoms. Long-term health consequences are outside the scope of this argument. 
(D) The metabolic rate of alcohol varies according to a person’s health, weight, diet, and genetic predispositions.
  This is the correct answer. If the metabolic rate varies from person to person, then a person with a slower metabolism will still have a significant amount of alcohol in their bloodstream after 10 hours. Therefore, their lingering symptoms can still be caused by alcohol, directly destroying the author's absolute conclusion. 
(E) Some people, due to an acute sensitivity to alcohol, cannot even reach a BAC of 0.15 before becoming violently ill.
  The argument focuses specifically on an individual who has already reached a 0.15 BAC. What happens to people who can't reach it doesn't affect this scenario.

FINAL ANSWER-  D

Bunuel · Answer

VERITAS PREP OFFICIAL SOLUTION:

Solution: D

This problem is a traditional Weaken question, as evidenced by the phrase, “which of the following... most seriously weakens.” Our first item of business is therefore to identify the conclusion of the argument and then look for gaps between the conclusion and the premises. In the middle of the argument we see the word, “since.” “Since” is a type of conclusion tag, but it attaches itself to a premise immediately next to the conclusion. Order is crucial. Thus, if we see the phrase “Since A, then B”, A is a premise supporting the conclusion, B. If we see the phrase “A, since B”, A is now the conclusion, and B is a premise undergirding that conclusion. In this particular problem, the phrase, “Since alcohol can be metabolized in the average person’s body at a rate of 0.015 BAC (or ‘blood alcohol content’) per hour” is a conclusion supporting the conclusion, “a severely intoxicated individual with a BAC of 0.15 should be symptom-free after 10 hours.” The gap between the premise and the conclusion is glaring. Notice that the premise talks about an “average person’s body”, and then the conclusion focusing on a specific, if unnamed, individual. Naturally, a specific individual is not necessarily “average.” The Testmaker is hoping that we miss this disconnect.

Answer choice “A” reinforces the last sentence in the body of the question, by stating that alcohol-like symptoms can be caused by other things, such as prescription drugs or drowsiness. In a small way, answer choice “A” actually strengthens the argument. Don’t be confused by Strengthen answers when dealing with Weaken questions.

Answer choice “B” is completely irrelevant. The question deals with the effects of certain levels of blood alcohol content, not with how those levels were reached. How many drinks a certain person consumed to reach a given level is not pertinent to the problem. Answer choice “B” attempts to hijack the question.

Answer choice “C” is equally irrelevant. The question focuses on the short-term effects of alcohol, not on long-term medical issues. (Notice the problem asserts that a severely intoxicated individual would not have symptoms “similar” to the ones mentioned in the opening sentence of the question. All of these symptoms are short-term. Other symptoms – while potentially egregious – are irrelevant to the question.) “C” fails to focus on the logical gap between an “average” individual and a specific individual.

Answer choice “D” tells us that the metabolization rate of alcohol varies from person to person, highlighting the gap between an “average” person and a specific individual. It indicates that there are factors which could allow alcohol to remain in the bloodstream for longer than “average.” Answer choice “D” weakens the conclusion and is correct.

Answer choice “E” is also irrelevant and outside the scope of the question. The problem focuses on whether a “severely intoxicated individual with a BAC of 0.15” could experience alcohol-caused symptoms after ten hours. The potential existence of individuals incapable of reaching this limit is outside the scope of the problem.

Heavy consumption of alcohol causes impaired judgment, a loss of fine

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Heavy consumption of alcohol causes impaired judgment, a loss of fine

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