Over the past three decades, the number of hospital beds available for

Question

Over the past three decades, the number of hospital beds available for inpatient psychiatric treatment in the United States has declined from 4 per 1,000 population to 1.3 per 1,000 population. Over the same period in Japan, beds increased from 1 per 1,000 population to 2.9 per 1,000 population. Also during this period, annual mortality rates for persons with mental disorders have risen substantially in the United States, while declining in Japan.

To support a conclusion that the reduction in hospital beds is principally responsible for the increase in mortality in the United States, it would be important to establish which of the following?

(A) Whether the number hospital beds available for inpatient psychiatric treatment has risen or declined in countries demographically similar to the United States.
(B) The number of hospital beds available for inpatient psychiatric treatment in the United States prior to the three-decade period under discussion.
(C) Whether other factors, such as a decreased occurrence of mental disorders, may have led to the decline in mortality in Japan.
(D) Whether mental health care is more comprehensive in the United States or in Japan.
(E) Whether other factors in the United States may have led to increased mortality for persons with mental disorders

Source : Manhattan GMAT Foundations of Verbal, 5th Edition

mikemcgarry · Accepted Answer

Dear ziyuen , I'm happy to respond. :-)

This is another fantastic MGMAT question! We want to explain the rise in " annual mortality rates for persons with mental disorders " in the US. Certainly the way the prompt is phrased suggest that decreasing the number of bed might be one factor. (I certainly suspect this is the case in the real world, and much to blame on various politicians, but that's besides the point.) In this question, we have to figure out: what do we need to know to explain this increased mortality rate in the US? To some extent, Japan is simply a distraction in this question. It's relevant to know that there are post-industrial nations in which this mortality rate has declined while it has risen in the US, but the rise in the US is what we need to explain. (A) Whether the number hospital beds available for inpatient psychiatric treatment has risen or declined in countries demographically similar to the United States. Only weakly helpful. It would be suggestive, by analogy, but it would not establish anything conclusively. This is incorrect. (B) The number of hospital beds available for inpatient psychiatric treatment in the United States prior to the three-decade period under discussion. Vaguely relevant, but not conclusive for the current rise. This is incorrect. (C) Whether other factors, such as a decreased occurrence of mental disorders, may have led to the decline in mortality in Japan. This also would be suggestive. We need to know what explains the rise in the US. This is incorrect. (D) Whether mental health care is more comprehensive in the United States or in Japan. Vague, not conclusive. This is incorrect. (E) Whether other factors in the United States may have led to increased mortality for persons with mental disorders Bingo! Something focused very specifically on what has lead to the increased mortality rate in the US. This is it! OA = (E) This is a truly superb question, because it has one clearly right answer and four tempting distractors as wrong answers. Hats off to MGMAT for this one! Does all this make sense? Mike :-)

chesstitans · Answer

"support a conclusion..." seems to determine that the question type is a strengthen question; nevertheless, it turns out that this is a mix question- assumption and strengthen question. 
Lesson: question type can be identified by options.

LoneSurvivor · Answer

From the stimulus we have two possible assumptions,

1. whether Individuals with mental disorder can only be treated in Hospitals only?----> The answer to this question either Supports the claim that decrease in no of bed has led to increase in mortality of the individuals with mental disorder .

2. Whether other factors apart from decrease in bed has led to the increase in mortality of individuals with mental disorder in United states.
 
Option E clearly represents Point 2.

+1 for E

Over the past three decades, the number of hospital beds available for inpatient psychiatric treatment in the United States has declined from 4 per 1,000 population to 1.3 per 1,000 population. Over the same period in Japan, beds increased from 1 per 1,000 population to 2.9 per 1,000 population. Also during this period, annual mortality rates for persons with mental disorders have risen substantially in the United States, while declining in Japan.

To support a conclusion that the reduction in hospital beds is principally responsible for the increase in mortality in the United States, it would be important to establish which of the following?

(A) Whether the number hospital beds available for inpatient psychiatric treatment has risen or declined in countries demographically similar to the United States.
(B) The number of hospital beds available for inpatient psychiatric treatment in the United States prior to the three-decade period under discussion.
(C) Whether other factors, such as a decreased occurrence of mental disorders, may have led to the decline in mortality in Japan.
(D) Whether mental health care is more comprehensive in the United States or in Japan.
(E)  Whether other factors in the United States may have led to increased mortality for persons with mental disorders

hientranzx · Answer

Over the past three decades, the number of hospital beds available for inpatient psychiatric treatment in the United States has declined from 4 per 1,000 population to 1.3 per 1,000 population. Over the same period in Japan, beds increased from 1 per 1,000 population to 2.9 per 1,000 population. Also during this period, annual mortality rates for persons with mental disorders have risen substantially in the United States, while declining in Japan.

To support a conclusion that the reduction in hospital beds is principally responsible for the increase in mortality in the United States, it would be important to establish which of the following?

Conclusion: In the US, reduction in hospital beds --> increase in mortality

(A) Whether the number hospital beds available for inpatient psychiatric treatment has risen or declined in  countries demographically similar  to the United States.
Irrelevant

(B) The number of hospital beds available for inpatient psychiatric treatment in the United States prior to the  three-decade period  under discussion.
Irrelevant

(C) Whether other factors, such as a decreased occurrence of mental disorders, may have led to the decline in mortality  in Japan. 
Irrelevant

(D) Whether mental health care is  more comprehensive in the United States or in Japan .
This conparision is irrelevant

(E) Whether other factors in the United States may have led to increased mortality for persons with mental disorders
  This is the correct answer
If yes: Other factors --> increase in mortality
If no: reduction in hospital beds --> increase in mortality

GulfTube · Answer

I support option D:
Here is my reasoning:

To support a conclusion that the reduction in hospital beds is  principally  responsible for the increase in mortality in the United States, it would be important to establish which of the following?

(D) Whether mental health care is more comprehensive in the United States or in Japan.

more comprehensive mental health care in US than Japan rules out poor treatment quality as one of the alternate causes of increase in mortality in the US strengthening the argument that reduction in hospital beds is the primary cause. conversely, less comprehensive mental health care in US than Japan casts doubt on reduction in hospital beds being the primary cause. Thus, this option is correct.

(E) Whether other factors in the United States may have led to increased mortality for persons with mental disorders

We are concerned with reduction in hospital beds in US being the  principal  (primary) cause. Even if other factors contributed to increase in mortality for persons with mental disorders, that does not help evaluate if reduction in hospital beds was the primary reason. Thus, this option cannot be correct. 
I would have chosen this option if the conclusion of passage was to evaluate if reduction in hospitals beds is  the  cause, whereby presence of other factors would have created doubt on that while absence of other factors would have strengthened it.

Bunuel   GMATNinja   chetan2u   KarishmaB  I would like to hear your thoughts please since every comment on this post thus far has chosen option E

chetan2u · Answer

Why D is not the answer?
We are looking for a connection ( in the US ) between decrease in availability of bed and increase in mortality. (A)
So a relation of a certain aspect between US and Japan doesnt help.
Say, mental health care is extremely comprehensive in both countries, only that Japan's is more comprehensive than US's. In this case we cannot say anything about (A). Similar will be the case when it is extremely poor in both countries, even though comparatively better in Japan.

On the other hand E gives you reason to negate other factors.

guddo · Answer

I’d say (D) is too broad because it compares the  entire mental health care system  in the U.S. and Japan. That does not directly tell us why mortality increased in the U.S.

(E) is better because the conclusion is specifically about the cause of the U.S. increase. To show that fewer hospital beds were the  principal  cause, we must check whether other U.S. factors caused the increase instead.

If another U.S. factor caused most of the increase, the bed reduction is not principal. If no other factor did, the bed explanation becomes much stronger.

Over the past three decades, the number of hospital beds available for

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