In her old apartment, Hermione had trouble sleeping. She had difficult

In her old apartment, Hermione had trouble sleeping. She had difficulty falling asleep and would wake up several times in the night. Since Hermione moved from that apartment into her new home, she has been sleeping better. She is able to fall asleep quickly and usually stays asleep through the night.

Let's jot down the points:
H - old apt - had trouble sleeping
H - new home - better sleep

We need to find why?

All of the following, if true, could account for the phenomenon described in the passage EXCEPT -> we need to find 4 'why' answers so the 5th option would be
our answer which would either doesn't resolve the paradox or is irrelevant

A. Hermione had loud neighbors when she lived in the apartment.
INCORRECT. This is a possible reason as to why she had trouble sleeping at her old apartment.

B. Hermione was suffering from anxiety about buying a house and moving.
INCORRECT. This is a possible reason

C. Hermione discovered that she was allergic to cats and gave her cat away when she moved.
INCORRECT. This is a possible reason

D. Hermione’s apartment building was constructed prior to 1940, when stricter building codes were put into law.
CORRECT. This has no effect on the argument. Just because her building was old and had stricter laws doesn't justify the reason as to why she had trouble sleeping at her old apartment.

E. Hermione was having difficulties in her relationship with her boyfriend right before she moved.
INCORRECT. This is a possible reason

As per the argument Hermione is having trouble sleeping through night in her apartment. But since she had shifted to her new home she is able to sleep properly.

What could be the reason behind such a situation? It must be something about problems which she was facing before moving to her new home. Anything that does not explain that situation is the right answer here.

A. Hermione had loud neighbors when she lived in the apartment. – WRONG. Loud noise by neighbors must be causing her sleep problems.
B. Hermione was suffering from anxiety about buying a house and moving. – WRONG. Anxiety must have been causing the sleep problem at night.
C. Hermione discovered that she was allergic to cats and gave her cat away when she moved. – WRONG. When she moved she left the cat which she was allergic to so that explains the reason of her sleeplessness. Had she gave away the cat during her stay at the apartment she might have had been able to sleep but in that case the option would have created more anomaly.
D. Hermione’s apartment building was constructed prior to 1940, when stricter building codes were put into law. – CORRECT. Building construction and codes are irrelevant to the situation. They don’t explain the situation in any manner.
E. Hermione was having difficulties in her relationship with her boyfriend right before she moved. – WRONG. Though the option explains the situation but an assumptions needs to be made that now in her new home she is not having any problem with her boyfriend, either things are well between them or he has left.

Answer (D).

Selected D.

Information on the Construction of the building doesn’t explain anything regarding the change in sleeping pattern of Hermione.

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Enforcement of stricter building codes cannot possibly be the reason for Hermoine not being able to sleep in her old apartment in my view. No mention was made about any specific requirements in the stricter codes of 1940 that could possibly affect her ability to sleep. Hence my choice for D as the correct answer. Noise from neighbors can also disrupt her sleep.

All the other options could somehow serve as reasons why she couldn’t sleep. For example a troubled relationship could lead to sleepless nights. Discovery that she is allergic to cats meaning she has to part ways with her cat could cause her to have insufficient sleep especially before she actually follows through and give away the cat. Anxiety of buying a new home most certainly can lead to sleeplessness.

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A. Hermione had loud neighbors when she lived in the apartment. -THUS BEING UNABLE TO SLEEP-RESOLVES PARADOX
B. Hermione was suffering from anxiety about buying a house and moving.Anxiety is a leading cause of insomnia so makes sense
C. Hermione discovered that she was allergic to cats and gave her cat away when she moved.An allergy - discomfort-resolves paradox
D. Hermione’s apartment building was constructed prior to 1940, when stricter building codes were put into law.
E. Hermione was having difficulties in her relationship with her boyfriend right before she moved. Well, clearly resolves paradox , I dont think anyone needs further explanation on this :P

Ans:d

Premise;In her old apartment, Hermione had trouble sleeping. She had difficulty falling asleep and would wake up several times in the night. Since Hermione moved from that apartment into her new home, she has been sleeping better
Conclusion;
She is able to fall asleep quickly and usually stays asleep through the night.

All of the following, if true, could account for the phenomenon described in the passage EXCEPT

A. Hermione had loud neighbors when she lived in the apartment ; relevant could be cause of not sleeping well in old home
B. Hermione was suffering from anxiety about buying a house and moving relevant can be cause ; relevant could be cause of not sleeping well in old home
C. Hermione discovered that she was allergic to cats and gave her cat away when she moved ; relevant could be cause of not sleeping well in old home
D. Hermione’s apartment building was constructed prior to 1940, when stricter building codes were put into law ; irrelevant correct answer
E. Hermione was having difficulties in her relationship with her boyfriend right before she moved ; relevant could be cause of not sleeping well in old home

IMO D

In her old apartment, Hermione had trouble sleeping. She had difficulty falling asleep and would wake up several times in the night. Since Hermione moved from that apartment into her new home, she has been sleeping better. She is able to fall asleep quickly and usually stays asleep through the night.

All of the following, if true, could account for the phenomenon described in the passage EXCEPT

A. Hermione had loud neighbors when she lived in the apartment.
B. Hermione was suffering from anxiety about buying a house and moving.
C. Hermione discovered that she was allergic to cats and gave her cat away when she moved.
D. Hermione’s apartment building was constructed prior to 1940, when stricter building codes were put into law.
E. Hermione was having difficulties in her relationship with her boyfriend right before she moved.

Official Explanation

Correct Answer: D

The fact that her apartment building was constructed prior to 1940 is essentially irrelevant to her sleep difficulties in her apartment. All of the other factors, however, could logically account for her sleep difficulties and the fact that they disappeared once she moved.