Caffeine must be as beneficial for weight loss as exercise. After all

Correct answer is D.
D. The effect an activity has on the body’s metabolism level is an adequate measure of how that activity will affect weight loss.


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Conclusion - Caffeine consumption and exercise both produce metabolism in almost the same way hence caffeine consumption must reduce weight just as exercise does.
Just negate D and see how it kills the argument.
If the effect that caffeine consumption will have on body's metabolism is not an adequate indicator of how that will affect weight loss then this argument will cease to exist.

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D. The effect an activity has on the body’s metabolism level is an adequate measure of how that activity will affect weight loss.

It bridges the Gap and is Supporter Assumption.

VERITAS PREP OFFICIAL SOLUTION:

D. Consider the gap in the argument’s logic – the premises all deal with the stimulus of metabolism, but the conclusion is about weight loss. In order for the argument to be valid, these items – metabolism and weight loss – would need to be connected. And only answer choice D connects metabolism with weight loss. Choice A gets close, but “long-term effect” doesn’t necessarily mean “weight loss”. Choice B isn’t required, as the argument isn’t saying that caffeine is effective, as a whole, just that it’s as effective as exercise (which, based on the facts presented, may or not be effective). Choice C isn’t required, as it goes outside the scope of the conclusion. And choice E is also incorrect as the conclusion only compares exercise and caffeine, it doesn’t attempt to link them together as simultaneous weight loss methods.

Caffeine must be as beneficial for weight loss as exercise. After all, when a person consumes caffeine the chemical stimulates his or her metabolism in almost the exact same way as the body does when that person is involved in physical exercise.

The argument above requires which of the following assumptions?

A. The body’s short-term response to any stimulant is an effective measure of that stimulant’s long-term effect on the body.
B. The consumption of caffeine is an effective way for a person to control his or her weight.
C. Caffeine has no negative side effects for a person’s health.
D. The effect an activity has on the body’s metabolism level is an adequate measure of how that activity will affect weight loss.
E. A person who consumes caffeine is unlikely to supplement that consumption with physical exercise or other methods of weight loss.

Adi93,

Merged topics. You knew this post was already made, as you had previously commented on it. Please do not post duplicate questions.

Mod Nightblade

Dear @GMATGuruNY,

Can you shed light why D is correct while E is wrong?

Choice E negated: A person who consumes caffeine is likely to supplement that consumption with physical exercise or other methods of weight loss.[/quote]

Here, the wight loss is not Only due to experiences which shatter the conclusion.

Where did I go wrong here?

Thanks

Mo2men,

D is most certainly correct here. Let us review:

Caffeine must be as beneficial for weight loss as exercise. After all, when a person consumes caffeine the chemical stimulates his or her metabolism in almost the exact same way as the body does when that person is involved in physical exercise.


Green = Conclusion
Blue = Premise

The argument above requires which of the following assumptions?

D. The effect an activity has on the body’s metabolism level is an adequate measure of how that activity will affect weight loss. -- Negated, this says metabolism is not a measure. When we look at the premise, this says that metabolism is equal for coffee and working out. Hence, the conclusion rests upon this premise.

E. A person who consumes caffeine is unlikely to supplement that consumption with physical exercise or other methods of weight loss. -- This says that a person who drinks coffee also works out. How does this create a comparison between the two? It doesn't. How does it smash our conclusion? It doesn't. It just talks about them going hand in hand, so we cannot know how they affect weight loss.


Does this help?

When E Is negated, it is still entirely possible that the consumption of caffeine will lead to weight loss, since -- according to the premise -- caffeine stimulates the metabolism the same way as exercise.
The negation of E offers no information about the effect of caffeine on its own.
Since the negation of E does not invalidate the conclusion, eliminate E.

Mo2men Straight D When we negate Option E our conclusion does not falls apart as caffeine consumption can still lead to weight loss on its own. Option D provides us the missing link between premise and conclusion. If you negate Option D our conclusion shall fall apart as our stem is based on chemical metabolism as it has the same effect on the body in both the cases i.e. Consumption of Caffeine and doing exercise

Hope this helps....Kindly give kudos if this helps

The correct answer: option D

Passage Analysis
- Conclusion/Claim: Caffeine must be as beneficial for weight loss as exercise
- Logic: Consumption of caffeine stimulates the metabolism in almost the same way as physical exercise

Pre-Thinking
In what scenario would caffeine not be as beneficial for weight loss as exercise?
Given: Consumption of caffeine stimulates the metabolism in almost the same way as physical exercise

What if metabolism is not a proper indicator of weight loss? i.e. what if the effect an activity (caffeine, exercise) has on metabolism does not translate to effect of that activity on weight loss?

The author is assuming that -
The impact an activity has on metabolism is an accurate measure of the impact the activity will have on weight loss.

Option Choice Analysis
A. The body’s short-term response to any stimulant is an effective measure of that stimulant’s long-term effect on the body.
Out of scope - short term or long term response is not anywhere covered in the argument - it cannot be the assumption based on which the author makes the claim

B. The consumption of caffeine is an effective way for a person to control his or her weight.
Out of scope. The argument is about the comparison between caffeine and exercise on how they fare with regard to weight loss. Effectiveness of caffeine does not impact this argument.

C. Caffeine has no negative side effects for a person’s health.
Irrelevant.

D. The effect an activity has on the body’s metabolism level is an adequate measure of how that activity will affect weight loss.
Correct, and in line with our analysis. The the impact in metabolism does not translate to an equivalent impact on weight loss, this argument breaks down. This is the correct choice.

E. A person who consumes caffeine is unlikely to supplement that consumption with physical exercise or other methods of weight loss.
This tells us that any weight loss in a person using caffeine can be attributed to caffeine, and not to exercise of any other method.

Let us try negation.
Negation: A person who consumes caffeine is likely to supplement that consumption with physical exercise/other methods. This does not necessarily break the conclusion.

Why? - Say a weight loss of 10 kgs is observed in a person who consumes caffeine and supplements with physical exercise.
It is possible that 5 kgs of weight loss can be attirbuted to caffeine only, and 5 kgs due to exercise only. What this means is that both caffeine and exercise were equally beneficial. Hence, the conclusion can still hold true.

So, this option, if negated does not definitely break the conclusion. Hence, it is not the correct choice.

Hope this helps.

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