In the realm of behavioral change therapy, assessing where clients sta

Question

In the realm of behavioral change therapy, assessing where clients stand in terms of readiness for change is critical. Asking for a stage of change too soon can easily derail the process, confirming for many clients their worries that they cannot change—now or ever. It is imperative that therapists internalize and apply assessment skills for evaluating a patient's progress through the stages of readiness for change, as the duration of these stages can vary from patient to patient. If clients are still in the precontemplative stage, which is characterized by a lack of awareness of or interest in the need for change, introducing an action plan is often a waste of time. Only when clients have moved at their own pace through the contemplation stage—only when they have weighed the risks of not changing and faced the insecurities that change brings—are they ready to enter the preparation stage, establishing reasonable goals and organizing a plan to achieve those goals. Some therapists rush clients through preparation and into plans of action, but unprepared clients are often not committed to these plans. Such patients are likely to abandon the plans in the action stage and almost certainly will not reach the behavior maintenance stage. The larger the life change—for example, losing 50 pounds to manage diabetes or quitting smoking—the more carefully the therapist must manage the preaction stages of readiness for change.    1 
 1. Which of the following statements is supported by the passage?

I. The pace at which clients move from precontemplation to action is individualized.
II. Linear progression through the stages of change is necessary for the patient to succeed in making lasting lifestyle changes.
III. Clients who enter the maintenance stage have completed the integration of changed behaviors into their lives.

A. I Only
B. II Only
C. III Only
D. I and II Only
E. II and III Only

2 
 2. It can be most reasonably inferred from the passage that

A. people who make lifestyle changes with the assistance of a therapist succeed more often than people who make lifestyle changes unassisted
B. people in the preparation stage have already passed through the precontemplative stage
C. the preaction stages of change readiness are more important than the action stages
D. therapists often rush clients through the precontemplation and contemplation stages of change
E. health issues are the most likely motivation for important lifestyle changes

RC Butler 2023  -  Practice Two RC Passages Everyday.   
Passage # 289 Date: 22 Aug-2023
 This question is part of RC Butler 2023 .  Click here for Details

Ruchi007 · Answer

Sajjad1994  Explanation for #2 please?

simran01 · Answer

why (iii) is wrong in ques 1?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. Which of the following statements is supported by the passage?

Explanation

Analyze the question stem

This question asks for something supported by the passage, so it's an Inference question.

Research the relevant text

There's no clue as to where to research, so be ready to research each choice as needed. Do review the passage map to have the author's main points firmly in mind.

Make a prediction

Similarly, there's no way to make a specific prediction, but the correct answers will likely be in line with the purpose of the passage: to show that proper movement through the stages of readiness will help with change.

Evaluate the answer choices

(I)  is supported by the statement  "the duration of these stages can vary from patient to patient"  and is correct.

(II)  is supported by the passage's emphasis on sequential progression through the phases of change without rushing through or skipping stages, which could potentially derail the change process.

(III)  is not supported by any detail in the passage; the maintenance stage of change readiness is mentioned but not described, and there's no indication that once a client reaches this stage, their change has become permanent and is complete.

TAKEAWAY:  In open-ended questions, use the purpose of the passage to guide your evaluation of the choices.

Answer: D

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. It can be most reasonably inferred from the passage that

Explanation

Analyze the question stem

This is an Inference question.

Research the relevant text

There's no indication of where to research, so keep the purpose of the passage in mind and be ready to research each answer choice.

Make a prediction

You can't make a specific prediction, but choices that depart from the author's assertion that enough time must be spent in each stage for change to be successful will be incorrect.

Evaluate the answer choices

(B)  is supported by passage's description of the precontemplative stage as preceding the contemplative stage, followed by the assertion that  "only when clients have moved at their own pace through the contemplation stage . . . are they ready to enter the preparation stage."  So, to get to the preparation stage, the patient must have gone through the precontemplative stage first.

(A)  is unsupported by the passage, which does not compare working with a therapist to working without one. All it does is explain how a therapist can encourage change, but it doesn't claim that this is the only way to change.

(C)  also has no support in the passage, which claims that the preaction stages should not be rushed but does not comment on whether they are more or less important that the action stages. Again, this is not a comparison the author makes.

(D)  is partially correct but not in line fully.

Option (E)  is not directly discussed in the passage. While health issues like managing diabetes are mentioned as examples of larger life changes, the passage doesn't explicitly state that health issues are the most likely motivation for lifestyle changes.

Answer: B

JoeKan1234 · Answer

1. Which of the following statements is supported by the passage?

I. The pace at which clients move from precontemplation to action is individualized.
II. Linear progression through the stages of change is  necessary  for the patient to succeed in making lasting lifestyle changes.
III. Clients who enter the maintenance stage have completed the integration of changed behaviors into their lives.

A. I Only
B. II Only
C. III Only
D. I and II Only
E. II and III Only

I doubt that II can be inferred.

The fact that rushing clients through preparation and into plans of action does not necessarily mean that linear progression through the stages of change must be performed for the patient to succeed in making lasting lifestyle changes. it is still possible that linear progression is not necessary even if rushing clients can cause problems.

The passage mentions " rush clients through preparation and into plans of action, but unprepared clients are often not committed to these plans. Such patients are likely to abandon the plans in the action stage and  almost  certainly will not reach the behavior maintenance stage". "almost" means rushing is likely to make clients stop at a stage, but it is still possible that clients will proceed. Therefore, not rushing (or linear progression) cannot be inferred from the passage as necessary for the success.

To me, "necessary" means that a premise must be fulfilled to move on to the next stage.

In the realm of behavioral change therapy, assessing where clients sta

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

In the realm of behavioral change therapy, assessing where clients sta

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

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From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards