Bunuel wrote:
Which of the following most logically completes the argument below?
A non-profit organization is deciding whether to deliver and administer a limited quantity of a new vaccine for malaria, a mosquito-borne disease, to Country A or Country B, two countries with equal populations that are evenly distributed geographically and equally at risk of malaria. The expected rate of success per administration is expected to be the same in each country, but the non-profit organization has limited time to administer the drug and is uncertain of reaching either population in its entirety. Country B is smaller. Therefore, administering the vaccine to Country B will be more effective than administering to Country A, since _______________.
A. the sparser population density of Country A would not be compensated for by more efficient transportation in country B
B. vaccines in Country A would have to be administered earlier in order to take effect at the necessary rate than in Country B
C. the vaccine is more suited to the equally distributed terrain and even temperatures of Country B
D. the vaccine will have wider uses in Country B than in Country A
E. administering the malaria vaccine will be a superior use of time over administering vaccines for other diseases
OFFICIAL EXPLANATION:
In our initial approach, we can see that we have a question asking for a logical continuation. The most important material seems to start with the phrase "uncertain of reaching either population in its entirety." That morsel, plus the fact Country B is smaller, gives a good reason to administer in Country B; it's otherwise equal, but denser (we might guess we are assuming they have equal populations?), so we can administer more efficiently.
Applying the filter: Choice (A) talks about population density, so it passes the filter. Choice (C) also seems related, because it involves country size, but it's in fact introducing a completely new idea. So it's not a logical continuation, as the blank demands; what goes in the blank doesn't fit as a completely new reason, but will have identifiable logical grounding in what has come earlier in the prompt. Choice (A) is the only relevant candidate in this respect. We confirm the logic. They are basically still talking about how Country B is smaller. Not only is that country smaller, but while Country A's transportation is a little better, which would help administration of the vaccine, it's not better enough to outweigh the fact that Country B is smaller and there is a population density favoring administration. Answer choice (A) is a logical continuation indeed.
The correct answer is (A). _________________