Bunuel wrote:
It is inaccurate to say that a diet high in refined sugar cannot cause adult-onset diabetes, since a diet high in refined sugar can make a person overweight, and being overweight can predispose a person to adult-onset diabetes.
The argument above is most parallel, in its logical structure, to which of the following?
(A) It is inaccurate to say that being in cold air can cause a person to catch a cold, since colds are caused by viruses, and viruses flourish in warm, crowded places.
(B) It is accurate to say that no airline flies from Halifax to Washington. No single airline offers a direct flight, although some airlines have flights from Halifax to Boston and others have flights from Boston to Washington.
(C) It is correct to say that over-fertilization is the primary cause of lawn disease, since fertilizer causes lawn grass to grow rapidly and rapidly growing grass has little resistance to disease.
(D) It is incorrect to say that inferior motor oil cannot cause a car to get poorer gasoline mileage, since inferior motor oil can cause engine valve deterioration, and engine valve deterioration can lead to poorer gasoline mileage.
(E) It is inaccurate to say that Alexander the Great was a student of Plato; Alexander was a student of Aristotle, and Aristotle was a student of Plato.
VERITAS PREP OFFICIAL SOLUTION:
Solution: D
This is a Method question, due to its focus on the “logical structure” of the argument. In particular, this question falls under the Mimic subtype. Mimic questions are very rare on the GMAT; they require us to apply the principles behind a Method question in order to recognize similar structure in other arguments or examples. The crucial first step is to be able to step back and look at the big picture of the original argument’s structure, independent of subject material. Remember that answer choices which mirror the original argument’s subject material should be treated with deep suspicion. They are likely sucker answers. In this problem, the original argument disproves a negative statement (intentionally using stacked negatives to confuse the novice test taker.) The argument tries to disprove a statement by showing that the relationship could happen through a related, intermediate cause. (In essence, “since X can cause Y, and Y can cause Z, then saying X cannot cause Z is inaccurate.”) We now need to find the answer choice that mirrors this general structure.
Answer choice “A” begins well enough by disproving a statement, but this statement is positive (“can cause…” instead of “cannot cause…”) and then ends with the opposite of what it needs to (“warm…places” vs. “cold air”). “A” can be eliminated.
Answer choice “B” tries to prove a statement instead of disprove a statement (“it is accurate…” instead of “it is inaccurate…”). It can be immediately eliminated.
Answer choice “C” does something very similar to “B”: it proves a statement instead of disproves one (“it is correct…” instead of “it is incorrect…”). “C” can also be immediately eliminated.
Answer choice “D” begins correctly by disproving a statement (“it is incorrect…”), so let’s look further. It also attempts to disprove a negative statement, just like the original. It’s method of disproving the initial statement is also identical: it shows that the relationship between inferior motor oil and gas mileage could happen through a related, intermediate cause (“engine valve deterioration”). “D” mirrors the original argumentative structure the closest.
While answer choice “E” begins by disproving a statement (“it is inaccurate…”), it fails to mirror the original argument in two key directions: (1) it does not disprove a negative statement (instead, it disproves a positive relationship), and (2) it does not link together two situations with an intermediate cause (instead, it describes a relationship separated by one degree – but certainly not causal.) The order of answer choice “E” seems close, but one can certainly not infer that a teacher’s pupil was also taught by the teacher’s own teacher. One condition does not cause the other condition. “E” can also be eliminated.
close
26 Mar 2024, 01:30
25%
(medium)
19%
(02:24)
wrong 
