We need to find something that helps evaluate - The patients with a view of trees returned to health faster.
Think of it like, all things considered same, it was actually the view of trees that made people better
A. Whether the trees that could be seen from the hospital rooms were, for the most part, equally healthy and well grown
There is no need to understand how the trees were in terms of health and growth as compared to each otherB. Whether the two groups of patients were well matched with respect to the nature and severity of the conditions for which they were hospitalized
This makes sense - "all things considered" i.e. the nature and severity of conditions. Note, the similarly large group just justifies the groups were both large and similar in sizeC. Whether the patients in both groups knew that their recovery times were being compared
This could give an alternate reasoning that it could be their faith or will-power but not trees. However, if that were the case, both the groups should have shown similar return to health ratesD. What proportion of all of the patients contracted an infection while in the hospital
We do not know which infection is being talked about here. Additionally, even if we consider this, it does not discriminate the 2 groups. They should have had similar resultsE. What proportion of all of the rooms in the hospitals from which the two groups were drawn had a view of trees
This doesn't help understand if the view of trees helped. Say the proportion was 1% or 90%, can we say it was not the view of trees which helped patients return to health faster?Bunuel
People get more than pleasure from seeing trees. Seeing trees can be good for people’s physical health. That this is so is shown by a comparison of a large group of hospital patients who had a view of trees from their rooms and a similarly large group of hospital patients who did not. The patients with a view of trees returned to health faster.
Which of the following would it be most useful to establish in order to evaluate the argument above?
A. Whether the trees that could be seen from the hospital rooms were, for the most part, equally healthy and well grown
B. Whether the two groups of patients were well matched with respect to the nature and severity of the conditions for which they were hospitalized
C. Whether the patients in both groups knew that their recovery times were being compared
D. What proportion of all of the patients contracted an infection while in the hospital
E. What proportion of all of the rooms in the hospitals from which the two groups were drawn had a view of trees
Source: Skills Insight