Bunuel wrote:
In the past decade, a decreasing percentage of money spent on treating disease X went to pay for standard methods of treatment, which are known to be effective though they are expensive and painful. An increasing percentage is being spent on non-standard treatments, which cause little discomfort. Unfortunately, the nonstandard treatments have proved to be ineffective. Obviously, less money is being spent now on effective treatment than treating disease X than was spent ten years ago.
Which of the following, if assumed, allows the conclusion above to be properly drawn
A. Varieties of disease X requiring expensive special treatment have become less common during the past decade
B. Nonstandard methods of treating disease X are most expensively now than they were a decade ago.
C. Of total medical expenditures, the percentage that is due treatment of disease X increased during the past decade
D.Most of the money spent on treating disease X during the last decade went to pay for nonstandard treatment
E. The total amount of money spent on treating disease X declined during the past decade
Premises:
- A decreasing percentage of money spent on treating disease X went to pay for standard methods (effective) of treatment,
- An increasing percentage is being spent on non-standard treatments (which are ineffective).
Conclusion: Less money is being spent now on effective treatment than treating disease X.
Something that jumps up right away. The premises talk about the percentage of money spent (decreasing percentage). The conclusion talks about the amount of money spent (less money). We can't deduce the conclusion until and unless we know something about the total money spent.
If total money spent is the same or less, then a decreasing percentage means that less money is being spent now.
If total money spent is more than before, a decreasing percentage could still lead to the same amount of money or even more money being spent now.
We need to strengthen the conclusion (actually be able to establish it)
A. Varieties of disease X requiring expensive special treatment have become less common during the past decade
We don't know anything about special treatments.
B. Nonstandard methods of treating disease X are most expensively now than they were a decade ago.
Irrelevant. Our point is about the total money being spent on effective vs ineffective methods.
C. Of total medical expenditures, the percentage that is due treatment of disease X increased during the past decade
We don't know whether the total medical expenditure has increased or decreased. Anyway, we need to establish that less money is being spent. This says that more money is being spent in disease X.
D.Most of the money spent on treating disease X during the last decade went to pay for nonstandard treatment
What percentage of money was spent in ether is irrelevant. It is about whether the percentage is increasing or decreasing.
E. The total amount of money spent on treating disease X declined during the past decade
This is what we needed as discussed above. If total money being spent is decreasing and its percentage being spent on effective treatment is also decreasing, then the amount of money being spent is certainly decreasing. A lower percentage of a lower amount is definitely lower.
Answer (E)