Last visit was: 18 May 2024, 14:23 It is currently 18 May 2024, 14:23
Decision Tracker
My Rewards
Unanswered
Active Topics
New posts
New comers' posts
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel

A person is more likely to become disabled as that person ages. Among

SORT BY:
Date
Kudos
Tags:
Find Similar Topics 
Show Tags
Hide Tags
User avatar
B
YangYichen
Manager
Manager
Joined: 05 Oct 2016
Posts: 55
Own Kudos [?]: 162 [11]
Given Kudos: 11
Location: China
Concentration: Healthcare, Entrepreneurship
WE:Sales (Health Care)
Send PM
A person is more likely to become disabled as that person ages. Among [#permalink] A person is more likely to become disabled as that person ages. Among   Updated on: 29 Dec 2018, 02:15
11
Bookmarks
00:00
A
B
C
D
E

Difficulty:

65% (hard)

Question Stats:

64% (02:26) correct 36% (02:44) wrong based on 435 sessions
Hide Show timer Statistics
A person is more likely to become disabled as that person ages. Among adults in the country of East Wendell, however, the proportion receiving disability benefit payments shrinks from 4 percent among 55 to 64 year-olds to 2 percent for those aged 65 to 74 and 1 percent for those aged 75 and older. The explanation of this discrepancy is that the proportion of jobs offering such a disability benefit has greatly increased in recent years.

Which one of the following, if true about East Wendell, shows that the explanation above is at best incomplete?

(A) The treatment of newly incurred disabilities is more successful now than in the past in restoring partial function in the affected area within six months.
(B) Some people receive disability benefit payments under employer’s insurance plans, and some receive them from the government.
(C) Medical advances have prolonged the average lifespan beyond what it was 20 years ago.
(D) For a person receiving disability benefit payments, those payments on average represent a smaller share of their pre-disability income now than was the case 20 years ago.
(E) Under most employers’ plans, disability benefit payments stop when an employee with a disability reaches the usual retirement age of 65.

Show Spoiler
please leave your explanation~
ShowHide Answer
Official Answer
E

Originally posted by YangYichen on 24 Dec 2016, 23:18.
Last edited by Gladiator59 on 29 Dec 2018, 02:15, edited 1 time in total.
formatted post
User avatar
D
Kurtosis
Current Student
Joined: 13 Apr 2015
Posts: 1436
Own Kudos [?]: 4557 [1]
Given Kudos: 1228
Location: India
Send PM
GMAT ToolKit User Reviews Badge
Re: A person is more likely to become disabled as that person ages. Among [#permalink] A person is more likely to become disabled as that person ages. Among   26 Dec 2016, 10:49
1
Bookmarks
Premise: Increase in age --> More likely a person is disabled.
There has been a decrease in the proportion of people receiving the disability benefit program.
A reason for the above discrepancy is --> Proportion of jobs offering such programs has increased.

Question asks us to find another reason.

(E) Under most employers’ plans, disability benefit payments stop when an employee with a disability reaches the usual retirement age of 65. - Correct. This leads to a decrease in the number of people who get qualified into the disability benefit program, directly influencing the decrease in the proportion of people receiving the disability benefit program after the age of 65.
User avatar
B
YangYichen
Manager
Manager
Joined: 05 Oct 2016
Posts: 55
Own Kudos [?]: 162 [0]
Given Kudos: 11
Location: China
Concentration: Healthcare, Entrepreneurship
WE:Sales (Health Care)
Send PM
Re: A person is more likely to become disabled as that person ages. Among [#permalink] A person is more likely to become disabled as that person ages. Among   27 Dec 2016, 21:49
Vyshak wrote:
Premise: Increase in age --> More likely a person is disabled.
There has been a decrease in the proportion of people receiving the disability benefit program.
A reason for the above discrepancy is --> Proportion of jobs offering such programs has increased.

Question asks us to find another reason.

(E) Under most employers’ plans, disability benefit payments stop when an employee with a disability reaches the usual retirement age of 65. - Correct. This leads to a decrease in the number of people who get qualified into the disability benefit program, directly influencing the decrease in the proportion of people receiving the disability benefit program after the age of 65.

understood~at first i just didn't get the meaning of "at best incomplete"
User avatar
L
CrackverbalGMAT
GMAT Club Legend
GMAT Club Legend
Joined: 03 Oct 2013
Affiliations: CrackVerbal
Posts: 4944
Own Kudos [?]: 7669 [0]
Given Kudos: 216
Location: India
Send PM
Re: A person is more likely to become disabled as that person ages. Among [#permalink] A person is more likely to become disabled as that person ages. Among   04 Jan 2017, 01:44
Top Contributor
let us take a look at the argument.

P1:- Increase in age --> likely to be disabled.
P2:- however, the percentage of people claiming disability benefits reduces with age.

Conclusion/Explanation:- the proportion of jobs offering disability benefits has greatly increased.

We have been asked to weakenthe conclusion. This implies that we must find an alternate explanation.
(One assumption that the argument makes is that a higher percentage of people from the age group 55-64 are employed in such jobs than people from the age group 65 and older.)

A - Incorrect.
this fact then should apply to all age groups, including 55-64 and 65 and older. Hence, this answer option does not explain why the percentage declines with age.
Secondly, "restoring partial function" does not mean that the person is completely healed. (S)he might still claim disability benefits.

B - Incorrect.
This answer option does not explain why the percentage declines with age. The percentages quoted refer to the combined percentage - from government and employers.

If the answer option had said that after 65 years of age, people shift to government benefits and the criteria to avail disability benefits from the government are more strict, then this would have been a viable choice.

C - Incorrect.
This answer option does not explain why the percentage declines with age.

D - Incorrect.
Does not mean that disability benefits are NOT desirable to people who are aged 65 years and older. Disability benefits might still be a significant amount even though they represent a smaller share. (especially since such people might be retired and may not have other sources of income). Hence, this does not provide an alternate explanation.

Furthermore, the answer option says "smaller share". How much smaller? If the benefit's share of income has reduced only by a small bit, then this does not weaken the argument.

E - Correct answer.
this implies that many people who are aged over 65 cannot claim disability benefits even though they have some form of disability.
avatar
B
prabugmat
Intern
Intern
Joined: 31 Jan 2015
Posts: 27
Own Kudos [?]: 4 [0]
Given Kudos: 24
Send PM
Re: A person is more likely to become disabled as that person ages. Among [#permalink] A person is more likely to become disabled as that person ages. Among   04 Jan 2017, 20:10
This is weaken question and E weaken the conclusion perfectly.
User avatar
D
Gladiator59
Director
Director
Joined: 16 Sep 2016
Status:It always seems impossible until it's done.
Posts: 643
Own Kudos [?]: 2071 [1]
Given Kudos: 174
GMAT 1: 740 Q50 V40
GMAT 2: 770 Q51 V42
Send PM
GMAT ToolKit User Reviews Badge
Re: A person is more likely to become disabled as that person ages. Among [#permalink] A person is more likely to become disabled as that person ages. Among   29 Dec 2018, 02:22
1
Kudos

Adding official explanation

& bumping for discussion.

“The explanation…is at best incomplete” signals a weakener (if “at best” it’s incomplete, then “at
worst” it’s disproven).

The author sees a discrepancy in the fact that while each of us runs a greater risk of disability as
we age, the proportion of those receiving disability benefits is reduced with each older age group. He
explains it by suggesting that the proportion of jobs offering such benefits is a relatively recent
phenomenon. But if (E) is true—if most disability payments stop at age 65—then it would be small wonder
that the older one gets, the less likely it is that one receives such payments. (E) in and of itself would
explain the so-called discrepancy.

(A)’s assertion that disabilities are better treated now than “in the past” affects all of East
Wendell’s people across the board. So even if the improved care explains why the elderly suffer less
disability, it would leave the shrinking-proportion phenomenon untouched. The difference in the payer of
benefits, (B), also has nothing to do with the alleged discrepancy. That science extends the lifespan, (C), is
nice, but so what? That says nothing about East Wendell’s payment policies. (D), like (A), presents a fact
that affects all of East Wendell’s disabled people across the board and hence cannot be what question 18
is seeking.


Best,
Gladi
User avatar
VerbalBot
Non-Human User
Joined: 01 Oct 2013
Posts: 17320
Own Kudos [?]: 851 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Send PM
Re: A person is more likely to become disabled as that person ages. Among [#permalink] A person is more likely to become disabled as that person ages. Among   16 Dec 2023, 04:51
Hello from the GMAT Club VerbalBot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

Want to see all other topics I dig out? Follow me (click follow button on profile). You will receive a summary of all topics I bump in your profile area as well as via email.
GMAT Club Bot
gmatclubot
Re: A person is more likely to become disabled as that person ages. Among [#permalink]
16 Dec 2023, 04:51
Moderators:
GMATNinja
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
6929 posts
GMATNinjaTwo
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
238 posts
mysterymanrog
CR Forum Moderator
832 posts