carcass wrote:
There are two ways in which an athlete can maximize his performance on the field— by improving his physical stamina or by improving his mental stamina. Research has clearly shown that physical stamina is much more important than mental stamina in boosting an athlete’s performance. Thus, if an athlete is working at improving his physical stamina, he is doing the most he can to maximize his performance on the field.
Which of the following most strengthens the above argument?
(A) According to another research, when athletes with comparable levels of mental stamina compete on the field, the one with the higher physical stamina invariably comes out the winner.
(B) A combination of physical and mental stamina cannot boost the performance of the athlete any more than than physical stamina can by itself.
(C) Critics of the researchers mentioned in the argument claim that these researchers considerably overestimate the importance of physical stamina in maximizing the performance of an athlete.
(D) There are other aspects, apart from stamina, that also play a significant role in maximizing the performance of an athlete on the field.
(E) If an athlete focuses more on developing his mental rather than physical stamina, he is likely to perform poorly on the field.
Official Explanation
Answer: B
The argument states that there are two ways of doing something and that one of the ways is more effective than the other. On the basis of this, it concludes that if someone is using this better way, then he is doing the most he can to maximize the results. The assumption obviously is that the person cannot use both the ways together. For example, it is possible that if an athlete were to improve both his physical and his mental stamina, he can boost his performance even more than by just working on his physical stamina. The argument assumes that this will not be the case. B states this best and should be the correct answer.
(A) This just further confirms the researcher’s observation. However, the fact still stands that what if the athlete were to work at improving both—his physical and his mental stamina. Would his performance improve even more then?
(C) This weakens the argument by suggesting that the researchers’ conclusion may have been erroneous.
(D) The other aspects are outside the scope of the argument.
(E) This can probably be an inference from the argument but it cannot be the assumption.
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