Many office buildings designed to prevent outside air from entering

Question

Many office buildings designed to prevent outside air from entering have been shown to have elevated levels of various toxic substances circulating through the air inside, a phenomenon known as sick building syndrome. Yet the air in other office buildings does not have elevated levels of these substances, even though those buildings are the same age as the "sick" buildings and have similar designs and ventilation systems.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain why not all office buildings designed to prevent outside air from entering have air that contains elevated levels of toxic substances?

(A) Certain adhesives and drying agents used in particular types of furniture, carpets, and paint contribute the bulk of the toxic substances that circulate in the air of office buildings.

(B) Most office buildings with sick building syndrome were built between 1950 and 1990.

(C) Among buildings designed to prevent outside air from entering, houses are no less likely than office buildings to have air that contains elevated levels of toxic substances.

(D) The toxic substances that are found in the air of "sick" buildings are substances that are found in at least small quantities in nearly every building.

(E) Office buildings with windows that can readily be opened are unlikely to suffer from sick building syndrome.

ID: 500250

akshayk · Accepted Answer

air in other office buildings does not have elevated levels of these substances, even though  those buildings are the same age as the "sick" buildings and have similar designs and  ventilation systems  .

They have similar ventilation systems, which points to both of them having windows that can be opened. Since both have windows that can be opened, we still need a reason to explain why some buildings have more toxic air.
So E although extremely tempting, does not help explain the difference.

(A) on the other hands does explain why some buildings have toxic air, as they use certain substances that produce toxic flames.

Hope this helps!

shailendra79s · Answer

Difference in elevated levels of toxic substances in buildings with ventilation system preventing outside air to enter ==> toxic substances generated within some of the buildings ==> (A)

alphaseeker · Answer

Although option E is the tempting choice, it fails to explain the difference.

Because, "even though those buildings are the same age as the "sick" buildings and  have similar designs  and ventilation systems."

r19 · Answer

not able to figure out why option E is wrong ? I couldn't find the flaw,please help

CAMANISHPARMAR · Answer

Option E does not explain the discrepancy because it is given in the question stem that "sick buildings" have similar designs and ventilation systems.

Option A explains this discrepancy nicely making it the best choice.

aragonn · Answer

What is the paradox ? 
Many office building are found to have sick building syndrome. Yet the air in other office buildings does not have elevated levels of these substances, even though those buildings are the same age as the "sick" buildings and have similar designs and ventilation systems.

Pre-think:

Some thing that will separate both type of buildings. So two similar type of buildings. from where the air inside both these type of builds is coming from. well, both will be having some people in them. but difference will be made if something else is also contributing to this . Sick buildings might have something in them that is increasing the pollution. Option A is on the same lines. Some buildings may have these types of furniture, carpets, and paint, while other buildings similar in age, design, and ventilation do not.

CAMANISHPARMAR · Answer

Official Answer:

Argument Evaluation

Situation  Many office buildings designed to prevent outside air from entering have elevated levels of toxic substances in their interior air, but other such buildings similar in age, design, and ventilation do not.

Reasoning  What would help to explain the difference in air quality among buildings similar in age, design, and ventilation? If office buildings are designed to prevent outside air from entering, toxic substances emitted into the interior air might not be ventilated out quickly, and thus might become more concentrated inside the building. But if such toxic substances are not emitted into a building's interior air in the first place, they will not become concentrated there, even if the building is poorly ventilated. So any factor that suggests why toxic substances are emitted into the interior air of some buildings but not others of similar age and design would help to explain the difference in the buildings' air quality.

Option A is correct: Correct.  Some buildings may have these types of furniture, carpets, and paint, while other buildings similar in age, design, and ventilation do not.

Option B to E are incorrect because:-

Reasoning for B: Since all these buildings were built during the same period, this does not help to explain the difference in air quality among buildings similar in age.

Reasoning for C: The passage concerns air quality in office buildings only, not in houses.

Reasoning for D: This does not help to explain why these toxic substances are more concentrated in some office buildings than in others.

Reasoning for E: The passage concerns the differences in air quality only among office buildings that were designed to prevent outside air from entering.

kornn · Answer

Dear  DmitryFarber   VeritasKarishma ,

I have 1 quick question on the correct choice A.

Why cannot we interpret that buildings with "similar DESIGNS" would have the same "types of furniture, carpets, and paint"?

Those items clearly affect the designs of the buildings.

Thank you in advance!

KarishmaB · Answer

Furniture and furnishings cannot be called a part of the design of the building.

Besides, check the context of the argument:

Many office buildings designed to prevent outside air from entering ... even though those buildings are the same age as the "sick" buildings and have similar designs and ventilation systems.

This implies that the office buildings are similarly designed such that they prevent outside air from entering and they have similar ventilation systems.
The buildings may not have similar designs in other aspects.

lisk123 · Answer

A:Certain adhesives and drying agents used in particular types of furniture, carpets, and paint contribute the bulk of the toxic substances that circulate in the air of office buildings.
It explains why certain buildings have air that contains elevated levels of toxic substances. In turn, it says that certain buildings don't have air with elevated levels of toxicity. 
 Correct 
(C) Among buildings designed to prevent outside air from entering, houses are no less likely than office buildings to have air that contains elevated levels of toxic substances.
The passage only talks about Office buildings , not about houses.  Wrong 
E:O(C) Among buildings designed to prevent outside air from entering, houses are no less likely than office buildings to have air that contains elevated levels of toxic substances.ffice buildings with windows that can readily be opened are unlikely to suffer from sick building syndrome.
  Office buildings with windows : not in the category of “office buildings designed to prevent outside air from entering”
 Wrong

rg2509 · Answer

In option D, isn't it implying that only around sick air building these toxic substances are found. This could be reason that around the 'non-sick air' buildings no such toxic substances are present in air.

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

(D) The toxic substances that are found in the air of "sick" buildings are substances that are found in at least small quantities in nearly every building.

This statement in a sense implies that the bad stuff is present in almost every building to some extent. The passage does not say there are 100% 'non-sick air' buildings but that "other office buildings" do not "have elevated levels of these substances" - this would mean there is bad stuff but it's in a normal range.

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Many office buildings designed to prevent outside air from entering

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