Studies have shown that elderly people who practice a religion are muc

Question

Studies have shown that elderly people who practice a religion are much more likely to die immediately after an important religious holiday period than immediately before one. Researchers have concluded that the will to live can prolong life, at least for short periods of time.

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the researchers conclusion?

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the researchers' conclusion?

(A) Elderly people who practice a religion are less likely to die immediately before or during an important religious holiday than at any other time of the year.

(B) Elderly people who practice a religion appear to experience less anxiety at the prospect of dying than do other people.

(C) Some elderly people who do practice a religion live much longer than most elderly people who do not.

(D) Most elderly people who participate in religious holidays have different reasons for participating than young people do.

(E) Many religions have important holidays in the spring and fall, seasons with the lowest death rates for elderly people.

GMATNinja · Accepted Answer

Since we are trying to strengthen the researchers' conclusion, let's start with their conclusion: "the will to live can prolong life, at least for short periods of time." The researchers base that conclusion on the following evidence: "elderly people who practice a religion are much more likely to die immediately after an important religious holiday period than immediately before one."

This is best explained with a somewhat somber example.

Grandma has lived a long and happy life, but she is getting old and faces many health problems associated with old age. She is not expected to survive another year, and in fact her death could come any day. 
 Grandma is Jewish, and Passover is an important Jewish holiday period. This year, Passover will take place early April. 
 According to the study, Grandma is much more likely to die right after the holiday period than right before the holiday period. 
 The implication is that Grandma  wants  to be alive for Passover. Maybe without this goal she would die in March, but knowing that Passover is coming up, Grandma  wills  herself to hold on until the holiday period is over. Once the holiday is over, she can die peacefully.

Obviously Grandma cannot change the fact that her death is imminent. But if the researchers are right, she CAN prolong her life just enough to enjoy one last Passover. This doesn't imply that she'll be able to extend her life for years and years to enjoy several more Passovers. But if Passover is only a couple weeks or months away, then perhaps she can use the will to live to prolong her life for a short period of time.

Now we need something that would strengthen the researchers' conclusion:

Dying just before or during the holiday would be the WORST case scenario for these people. So if they actually have the power to prolong their lives for short periods of time, surely they would try to use that power to avoid dying just before or during the holiday. If the researchers are right, then elderly people would be able to will themselves to stay alive until the holiday period is over. As a result, we should see lower than average death rates just before and during holiday periods (the worst time to die).

Choice (A) tells us that this is indeed the case, suggesting that these people actually  were  able to avoid dying just before or during important religious holidays. This strengthens the researchers' conclusion, so keep this one.

We aren't interested in anxiety levels of elderly people. Regardless of whether they were more or less anxious, were elderly people who practice a religion able to will themselves to stay alive for important holidays? (B) doesn't tell us either way, so eliminate this one.

Since (C) only talks about SOME elderly people who do practice a religion, there's no way to conclude that religious people, in general, live longer than non-religious. Regardless, the researchers are only concerned with ability to prolong life for  short periods of time . Perhaps religious people generally live longer (for a variety of reasons), but can they use the will to live to prolong their lives for a few extra weeks or months? Overall life expectancy statistics have no bearing on the researchers' conclusion, so (C) can be eliminated.

We don't care about the reasons for participating in religious holidays. We are only concerned with the ability to prolong one's life in order to live through another holiday. (D) is irrelevant and can be eliminated.

Notice that the second part of (E) refers to elderly people in general, not just elderly people who practice a religion. Also, many religions might ALSO have important holidays in the summer and winter. So, with (E), we can't even safely conclude that death rates, in general, are lower during holiday seasons.

Even if we could, what about death rates  within  those holiday seasons? Are death rates lower immediately before and during the holidays? Without this specific information, the conclusion is not supported. Eliminate (E).

(A) is the best answer.

greenoak · Answer

Another A.

Premise: religious elderly people die less before or during religious holiday.
Assumption: they didn’t die before or during the holiday because of their will to live
Conclusion: will to live can prolong life
 
(A) Elderly people who practice a religion are less likely to die immediately before or during an important religious holiday than at any other time of the year. 
 Additional evidence: death probability for religious elderly people is less for the period before or during religious holiday that for any other time of the year (not only for the period after the holiday). This evidence strengthens premise -> strengthens the conclusion.

(B) Elderly people who practice a religion appear to experience less anxiety at the prospect of dying than do other people.  (Anxiety is not necessary connected to the ability to prolong life.)

(C) Some elderly people who do practice a religion live much longer than most elderly people who do not.  (this is true only for ‘some’ people. However, it is not enough to make a generalization.)

(D) Most elderly people who participate in religious holidays have different reasons for participating than young people do.  (The reasons for participating in holidays are not connected either to the ability to prolong life or to the will to live)

(E) Many religions have important holidays in the spring and fall, seasons with the lowest death rates for elderly people.  (This in fact weakens the conclusion, since it provides alternative explanation: death rates in spring and fall may be lower for another reason)

dimri10 · Answer

premise is:
elderly people who practice a religion are much more likely to   die immediately after an important religious holiday   period than immediately before one
the conclusion is:
   at least for short periods of time.

so they die right after a holiday-it's the premise and they can make it for a short term.so the holiday that come after the holiday does not really matter. how can you conclude that they live forever.

premise: religion makes power of will for a short time so the eldery are likely to die only after a holiday and not before.

so if you say that eldery are not likely to die before/during a holiday you strenghten the conclusion

ChrisLele · Answer

Studies have shown that elderly people who practice a religion are much more likely to die immediately after an important religious holiday period than immediately before one. Researchers have concluded that the will to live can prolong life, at least for short periods of time.

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the researchers conclusion?

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the researchers conclusion?

(A) Elderly people who practice a religion are less likely to die immediately before or during an important religious holiday than at any other time of the year.

This supports the conclusion that the 'will to live' influences whether someone perishes. Presumably (and I guess we have to make a tiny assumption here), religious people have surge in the will to live during religious holidays. Therefore, they are less likely to die right before or during the religious holiday.

(B) Elderly people who practice a religion appear to experience less anxiety at the prospect of dying than do other people.

This is too general.

(C) Some elderly people who do practice a religion live much longer than most elderly people who do not.

We are focused not on the longevity per se, but when exactly people die.

(D) Most elderly people who participate in religious holidays have different reasons for participating than young people do.

Out of scope.

(E) Many religions have important holidays in the spring and fall, seasons with the lowest death rates for elderly people.

There could be other seasonal variations in deaths of the elderly. We would have to control for these before making any causal inferences between religious holidays and mortality.

Hope that helps!

sayantanc2k · Answer

The conclusion is that will to live prolongs life. The premise is that religious people are more likely to die after a religious occasion than before.

The religious people intend to participate in a religious occasion - this intent creates a will to live at least till the day of the occasion. This will in turn makes them live till the day. However as soon as the day is over the intent to participate is gone and hence the will to live also reduces, thus religious people die immediately after the day of the occasion. Hence A is correct.

C is wrong because the argument does not claim that practising religion increases life span - the argument is about whether the will to live prolongs life.

spetznaz · Answer

Experts - I have a very fundamental doubt here ... Can an option that only repeats the premise be a valid strengthen choice ?

wildhorn · Answer

It doesn't just repeat the premise. It adds more detail to the premise, detail that goes on to strengthen that premise and therefore the argument.

mallya12 · Answer

All other answers choices except A are wrong. But isn't A just stating the premise in different words i.e "studies have shown that elderly people who practice a religion are much more likely to die immediately after an important religious holiday period than immediately before one."

How is this providing new information

How is this providing new information

GMATNinja · Answer

To answer the question, we need to strengthen the conclusion that "the will to live can prolong life, at least for short periods of time."

The researchers' evidence for this conclusion is that "elderly people who practice a religion are much more likely to die immediately after an important religious holiday period than immediately before one."

Take another look at answer choice (A):
 
The passage compares likelihood of death immediately before a major holiday to immediately after a major holiday. This answer choice provides a different comparison -- the likelihood of death right before a religious holiday to "any other time of the year." So how does this impact the strength of the researchers' conclusion?

It actually fills in a pretty big gap in the information in the passage. If we only know that the elderly are more likely to die after a holiday than before one, how do we know that they are actually extending their life to last through the holiday, rather than the holiday causing their early demise?

Here's an example: imagine that a particular religious holiday involves eating a large amount of cake. (Mmm... cake.) Immediately following the holiday, many elderly people die from a cake overdose (or a heart attack or whatever). Instead of their will to live through the holiday prolonging their lives, their death rate has actually  increased  from the normal rate immediately following the holiday. Obviously, this is a problem for the researchers' conclusion.

Answer choice (A) resolves this issue nicely. By showing that the death rate before the holiday is lower than the death rate for the rest of the year, the statement makes it clear that the elderly are prolonging their lives rather than dying prematurely after enjoying their holiday.

I hope that helps!

Raxit85 · Answer

GMATNinja ,  MartyTargetTestPrep ,  VeritasKarishma ,  chetan2u ,  AjiteshArun ,  EMPOWERgmatRichC   nightblade354  (other experts),

Please find my below logic for option A and C and let me know the gap.

Premise: Studies have shown that elderly people who practice a religion are much more likely to die immediately after an important religious holiday period than immediately before one. --->  Means practicing religion impacts the death time positively (extension). 
Conclusion: Researchers have concluded that the will to live can prolong life, at least for short periods of time. --->  Will to live a bit long is at play. (will causes bit of extension of life).

(A) Elderly people who practice a religion are less likely to die immediately before or during an important religious holiday than at any other time of the year. --->  Nothing new, as fact already mentioned that elders practicing religion are more likely to live till post religious holiday than pre/during religious day as it can be inferred from the fact (as opposite situation). So, no new information that can strengthen the conclusion. But still, let me be conservative and hold it.

(C) Some elderly people who do practice a religion live much longer than most elderly people who do not. --->  There are some elder people can live much longer than those elders who does not perform such practices. In worst case, let me say 1 in 100 (as if worst cases is through then, better case will be automatically true). I understand that practicing religion bolsters the will to live longer, at least 1%. Then, definitely that 1 % of will is at play, at least in minute degree. So, it is strengthening the conclusion that will is playing its role to increase the living days.

I'd go with C as A offers nothing new info but C is strengthening the case.
 
Thanks in advance.

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

(C) is virtually meaningless.

Think about it. (C) says that "some elderly people" who practice a religion live much longer than most elderly people who do not practice a religion. OK, great. So, some people who practice a religion live super long. Well, it's also the case that some people who practice a religion do not live longer than most other people, and, probably, it's also the case that some people who practice a religion don't live even as long as most other people.

All (C) does is mention some fraction of religious people who happen to live longer than most people who don't practice a religion. Of course some will live much longer than average. Maybe 10 percent do. Maybe 20 percent do. What about the rest?

In general, of any category of people, some, maybe three, maybe millions, will live much longer than most people not in that category.

The fact that some fraction of religious people live for longer than most non-religious people does absolutely nothing to strengthen the support for the conclusion, which is that the will to live can prolong life. We have no reason to believe that these people who live longer than most other people are living longer because of their will to live.

(A) on the other hand shows that people really do tend to stick around for holidays, and that information supports the contention that the will to live keeps people alive.

KarishmaB · Answer

Elderly people who practice a religion are much more likely to die immediately after an important religious holiday period than immediately before one.

Conclusion: The will to live can prolong life, at least for short periods of time.

The premise tells us that elderly people are more likely to die immediately after a religious period than before. The reasons could be many - perhaps religious periods involve a lot of work which stresses them, perhaps family comes together during religious holidays and after that they feel content and ready to leave the world, perhaps before the religious period they are happy and looking forward to it etc
The point is that the deaths could be fewer than average before religious periods or more than average after religious periods. 
The conclusion concludes that the will to live prolongs life, at least for a short time.
We need to provide support to it.

(A) Elderly people who practice a religion are less likely to die immediately before or during an important religious holiday than at any other time of the year.

Correct. It seems that before and during religious festivals deaths are fewer than average. So it is more likely that the will to live and excitement of religious festivities keeps them going.

(B) Elderly people who practice a religion appear to experience less anxiety at the prospect of dying than do other people.

Irrelevant. We are talking about religious people and their death rate only.

(C) Some elderly people who do practice a religion live much longer than most elderly people who do not.

The age to which people live is irrelevant. We are discussing whether an old religious person on the cusp is more likely to die before or after a festival. Whether he dies at 70 or 75 yrs of age is not the question.

(D) Most elderly people who participate in religious holidays have different reasons for participating than young people do.

Irrelevant

(E) Many religions have important holidays in the spring and fall, seasons with the lowest death rates for elderly people.

Our discussion is about immediately before vs immediately after the festival. At both times the season would be the same hence this is irrelevant.

adityaganjoo · Answer

GMATNinja What if there is some divine intervention, and not the will to live, that reduces the possibility of elderly people dying just before the religious holidays? What if there is something else, but not the will to live? Why did we assume that only their will to live is at play here?

GMATNinja · Answer

The question asks us which answer choice "would  most strengthen  the researchers' conclusion." In other words, we don't need an option that 100% PROVES that the researchers' conclusion must be correct -- we just need the option that strengthens the conclusion more than the other answer choices do.

You're right that (A) doesn't PROVE that the will to live is the ONLY factor at play. That's totally ok, though -- the information in (A) still closes a gap in the argument (check out  this  post for an additional explanation). The other answer choices don't strengthen the argument at all, so (A) is the winner.

I hope that helps!

Niha01 · Answer

GMATNinja I was stuck between A and E and chose E at the end. This is the difficulty that I face as the questions get tougher. How do I deal with this dilemma between two final answer choices and come up with the correct one ultimately. What am I missing here and how do I improve my approach to get 700+ questions correct. Please help.

GMATNinja · Answer

It's not that uncommon to be stuck between two answer choices -- after all, it could be that the person who wrote the question only had one great idea for a "tempting" incorrect answer choice.

Unfortunately, a near-miss is still a miss on the GMAT. “Close” might be a great result if you’re playing shuffleboard, horseshoes, or Russian roulette, but  it doesn’t mean anything on a multiple choice test . You're not necessarily close to a score breakthrough just because you’ve narrowed your critical reasoning or reading comprehension questions down to the last two options.

If you miss a GMAT CR or RC question, it’s probably because you misread or misinterpreted something, either in the answer choices or in the passage itself. Even if you feel like you’re “close” on the majority of your misses, stay focused on  the fundamentals : read with laser-like precision, practice hard using official GMAT and LSAT questions, and concentrate on honing your ability to distinguish between similar-sounding answer choices.

Eventually, you can get substantially better at catching the nuances of GMAT verbal passages, questions, and answer choices. On the majority of GMAT verbal questions, you’ll still be forced into a difficult choice between the last two answers. But as you strengthen your ability to understand the phrasing and logic behind CR and RC questions, you’ll choose the correct option more and more frequently.

I hope that helps a bit!

Nasha90 · Answer

Thanks for the explanation gmatninja.

Rickooreo · Answer

ReedArnoldMPREP   KarishmaB   MartyTargetTestPrep   GMATNinja

All other answers choices except A are wrong. But isn't A just stating the premise in different words. 
If I evaluate A with linking it to conclusion, it doesn't affect the conclusion at all

(A) Elderly people who practice a religion are less likely to die immediately before or during an important religious holiday than at any other time of the year.

Conclusion : Researchers have concluded that the will to live can prolong life

Option A nowhere talks about willingness to live.

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

The conclusion is supported by a comparison between the following two things.

- how likely elderly people are to die immediately before an important religious holiday

- how likely elderly people are to die immediately after an important religious holiday

Choice (A) provides an additional point of comparison.

- how likely elderly people are to die immediately before or during an important religious holiday

- how likely elderly people are to die any other time of the year

By providing the information that "elderly people who practice a religion are less likely to die immediately before or during an important religious holiday than at any other time of the year," choice (A) indicates that there is some key difference between the situation before and during religious holidays and that during the rest of the year that keeps these people alive. While we don't know for sure that the difference is the result of their will to live, choice (A) does indicate that something is going on, providing more reason to believe that "the will to live can prolong life, at least for short periods of time."

Studies have shown that elderly people who practice a religion are muc

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