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555-605 Level|   Strengthen|               
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romil666
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Since the routine use of antibiotics can give rise to resistant bacter 24 Feb 2021, 06:16
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ankur2510
Hello Experts,

I have some questions with respect to the correct option and the second one that I choose, which was incorrect:

(A) Antibiotics are routinely included in livestock feed so that livestock producers can increase the rate of growth of their animals.

This states that the antibiotics are included in livestock, to increase the rate of growth...


(B) Most people who develop food poisoning from bacterially infected meat are treated with prescription antibiotics.

This mentions that the food poisonings happen because of the meat which was already infected by bacteria, and to treat that infection, people were given anti-biotics.
So, as per my understanding it is already claiming what the scientists mentioned.

"Some scientists, however, believe that most resistant bacteria in people derive from human consumption of bacterially infected meat."

Please through some light
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Hey ankur2510 ,

First, let's understand the structure of the argument:

1. Use of antibiotics gives rise to resistant bacteria. The presence of such bacteria in people could be due to the use of prescription antibiotics by humans.
2. But scientists have a different view. Their hypothesis: The presence of bacteria is because of the consumption of bacterially infected meat by a human.

The conclusion of the argument is the hypothesis of the scientist. And we have to strengthen it.

Let's look at options A and B.

Quote:
(A) Antibiotics are routinely included in livestock feed so that livestock producers can increase the rate of growth of their animals.
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If antibiotics are added to livestock, then they will give rise to resistant bacteria. Now, if people consume the meat from livestock, then resistant bacteria will enter inside humans. Scientist's hypothesis is supported. Keep A

Quote:
(B) Most people who develop food poisoning from bacterially infected meat are treated with prescription antibiotics.
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This is a classic GMAT trap. Add words or phrases from the argument so that the option looks relevant, but it actually turns out to be a weakener.

Anyways! Food poisoning because of the consumption of bacterially infected meat by people is treated with antibiotics. So antibiotics enter inside humans NOT BECAUSE of the meat's consumption BUT BECAUSE of the use of prescription antibiotics to treat food poisoning!. And this is what the scientist's hypothesis is OPPOSING. This is actually weakening our conclusion. Eliminate B

I hope this will clear your doubt. :)

Regards,
Romil.
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waytowharton
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Since the routine use of antibiotics can give rise to resistant bacter 18 Apr 2022, 13:06
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KarishmaB GMATNinja GMATNinjaTwo ExpertsGlobal5 AjiteshArun MartyTargetTestPrep

Isn't the answer to this question dependent upon meaning of derive? If 'derive' means originate, then Option B could be correct as well because then we are only concerned with the source from which the transmission began and it is the consumption of meat. People took pills because of meat; hence, meat is the source.
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Since the routine use of antibiotics can give rise to resistant bacter 18 Apr 2022, 20:25
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waytowharton
KarishmaB GMATNinja GMATNinjaTwo ExpertsGlobal5 AjiteshArun MartyTargetTestPrep

Isn't the answer to this question dependent upon meaning of derive? If 'derive' means originate, then Option B could be correct as well because then we are only concerned with the source from which the transmission began and it is the consumption of meat. People took pills because of meat; hence, meat is the source.
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The point of the argument is that there are counter beliefs - one says that use of prescription antibiotics leads to resistant bacteria in human body. The other says that most resistant bacteria in human body comes from consumption of meat (not from prescription antibiotics)
We need to strengthen the second belief (consumption of meat)

Option (A) says that cattle are given antibiotics routinely. This would explain why they may develop resistant bacteria and consuming meat may transfer this resistant bacteria to humans. So this works.

(B) People who consume tainted meat and develop food poisoning are given prescription antibiotics.
If prescription antibiotics are given, then we cannot say that meat was the reason. "Derived from meat" means comes from meat only. You need a reason that separates the two, not combines them. That shows that meat is the source of resistant bacteria in most cases, not prescription antibiotics.
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Since the routine use of antibiotics can give rise to resistant bacter 27 Jul 2022, 20:05
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Option C is not incorrect because it does a comparison between urban and rural setup. Option C means that even though meat is of comparable quality still people in urban areas have more resistant bacteria. It means it's not the meat but something else most evidently the env. i.e. urban that causes more resistant bacteria. So, actually option C weakens the argument instead of strengthening it, since as per the scientists it's the consumption of bacterially infected meat that causes resistant bacteria.
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Since the routine use of antibiotics can give rise to resistant bacter 20 May 2023, 12:30
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The scientists believe that most resistant bacteria in people come from human consumption of bacterially infected meat. To strengthen their hypothesis, we need to find a statement that provides support. Let's evaluate the options:

(A) Antibiotics are routinely included in livestock feed so that livestock producers can increase the rate of growth of their animals.
This statement suggests that antibiotics are commonly used in livestock feed, which increases the likelihood of resistant bacteria developing in animals. This supports the hypothesis that the consumption of bacterially infected meat could lead to the presence of resistant bacteria in people.

(B) Most people who develop food poisoning from bacterially infected meat are treated with prescription antibiotics.
This statement does not directly strengthen the hypothesis of the scientists. It discusses the treatment of food poisoning with antibiotics but does not provide evidence linking it to the presence of resistant bacteria in people.

(C) The incidence of resistant bacteria in people has tended to be much higher in urban areas than in rural areas where meat is of comparable quality.
This statement provides information about the incidence of resistant bacteria in urban and rural areas but does not directly strengthen the hypothesis of the scientists.

(D) People who have never taken prescription antibiotics are those least likely to develop resistant bacteria.
This statement suggests that individuals who have never taken prescription antibiotics are less likely to develop resistant bacteria. This weakens the hypothesis of the scientists since it implies that the consumption of bacterially infected meat may not be the primary source of resistant bacteria in people.

(E) Livestock producers claim that resistant bacteria in animals cannot be transmitted to people through infected meat.
This statement, if true, weakens the hypothesis of the scientists since it contradicts the idea that the consumption of bacterially infected meat contributes to the presence of resistant bacteria in people.

Based on the analysis, the statement that most significantly strengthens the hypothesis of the scientists is (A) Antibiotics are routinely included in livestock feed so that livestock producers can increase the rate of growth of their animals. It provides support for the idea that the consumption of bacterially infected meat could lead to the presence of resistant bacteria in people due to the routine use of antibiotics in livestock production.
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Since the routine use of antibiotics can give rise to resistant bacter 19 Oct 2025, 15:58
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Hello from the GMAT Club VerbalBot!

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