1 min 56 sec.
Journalist: Recent studies have demonstrated that a regular smoker who has just smoked a cigarette will typically display significantly better short-term memory skills than a nonsmoker, whether or not the nonsmoker has also just smoked a cigarette for the purposes of the study. Moreover, the majority of those smokers who exhibit this superiority in short term memory skills will do so for at least eight hours after having last smoked.
Main point-
regular smoker who has just smoked a cigarette is better (for eight hours at short-term memory skills) than a non-smoker whether or not that person has smoked a cigarette
If the journalist’s statements are true, then each of the following could be true EXCEPT:
In a could-be-true question - we need to look for an option that is definitely false given the argument. ANything that has even a slight chance of being true should be discarded(A) The short-term memory skills exhibited by a nonsmoker who has just smoked a cigarette are usually substantially worse than the short term memory skills exhibited by a nonsmoker who has not recently smoked a cigarette
Cannot be inferred to be false given the info. Discard (B) The short-term memory skills exhibited by a nonsmoker who has just smoked a cigarette are typically superior to those exhibited by a regular smoker who has just smoked a cigarette
BINGO - this is exactly opposite to the given fact and hence absolutely false as per given argument(C) The short-term memory skills exhibited by a nonsmoker who has just smoked a cigarette are typically superior to those exhibited by a regular smoker who has not smoked for more than eight hours
Can not predict and hence could be true. Discard(D) A regular smoker who, immediately after smoking a cigarette, exhibits short-term memory skills no better than those typically exhibited by a nonsmoker is nevertheless likely to exhibit superior short-term memory skills in the hours following a period of heavy smoking
Discard. Who cares what happens after the hours - also - very vague. So this cannot definitely be ruled out.(E) The short-term memory skills exhibited by a regular smoker who last smoked a cigarette five hours ago are typically superior to those exhibited by a regular smoker who has just smoked a cigarette
Comparison between two people in the same group - "regular smokers who have smoked" - hence we cannot infer anything. COuld be true. DiscardBest,
Gladi
_________________
Regards,
Gladi
“Do. Or do not. There is no try.” - Yoda (The Empire Strikes Back)