Some health officials are concerned about the current sustained increa

Question

Competition Mode Question

Some health officials are concerned about the current sustained increase in reported deaths from alcohol-related conditions, attributing this increase to a rise in alcoholism. What these health officials are overlooking, however, is that attitudes toward alcoholism have changed radically. Alcoholism is now widely viewed as a disease, whereas in the past it was considered a moral failing. It is therefore likely that more deaths are being reported as alcohol-related because physicians are more likely to identify these deaths as alcohol-related.

Which one of the following, if true, provides the most support for the argument?

(A) The frequent use of alcohol by young people is being reported as occurring at increasingly early age.

(B) In some places and times, susceptibility to any kind of disease has been viewed as a moral failing.

(C) More physicians now than in the past are trained to recognize the physical effects of alcoholism.

(D) Even though alcoholism is considered to be disease, most doctors recommend psychological counseling and support groups as the best treatment.

(E) Many health officials are not physicians.

exc4libur · Answer

argument
= alcohol deaths have incr
= due to alcohol being now named as disease
= physicians are more likely to id these deaths

strengthen
ans (C) they are more able to id such diseases, nowadays.

randomavoidplease · Answer

I pick C

But heavily confused between E as that does make sense as well.

Gauriii · Answer

Hi Verbal Expert

Please tell me why option E is not the right answer. We can clearly see that C states that more doctors have been trained, but in reality, there is no mention of any trainingfor doctors... It is just that since a new ideology has come up, that doctors ae classifying alcohol related deaths in the right way. Thanks

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

Pre-thinking:

Conclusion:  There may not be an increase in alcoholism despite more deaths being reported from alcohol-related conditions.

Premise on which it is based (why):

1) Alcoholism is now widely viewed as a disease, whereas in the past it was considered a moral failing.
2) Hence, it is likely that more deaths are being reported as alcohol-related because physicians are more likely to identify these deaths as alcohol-related, whereas earlier they wouldn't identify them as alcohol-related due to the moral implications involved.

Since we are asked to strengthen the conclusion, we are looking for an answer choice that states:

i) Earlier physicians would not record some alcohol related deaths as such.
ii) Currently physicians are more likely to record more deaths as alcohol related.

Let us assess the answer options.

(A) The frequent use of alcohol by young people is being reported as occurring at increasingly early age.  This does not give any information about recording of alcohol related deaths earlier vs today. Irrelevant. Eliminate.

(B) In some places and times, susceptibility to any kind of disease has been viewed as a moral failing.  This does not give any information about recording of alcohol related deaths earlier vs today. Irrelevant. Eliminate.

(C) More physicians now than in the past are trained to recognize the physical effects of alcoholism.  Correct answer. If more physicians are able to recognize the effects of alcoholism, they are likely to record more deaths that occur due to alcoholism as such. This satisfies (ii) above.

(D) Even though alcoholism is considered to be disease, most doctors recommend psychological counseling and support groups as the best treatment.  This does not give any information about recording of alcohol related deaths earlier vs today. Irrelevant. Eliminate.

(E) Many health officials are not physicians.  This does not give any information about recording of alcohol related deaths earlier vs today. Irrelevant. Eliminate.

Hope this helps.

ngochuyen1904 · Answer

Hi experts,
As far as I'm concerned the argument offers explanation for a phenomenon that is there is an increased deaths related alcohol:
 "Because physicians are more likely to identify these deaths as alcohol-related"

So, in option (C) More physicians now than in the past are trained to recognize the physical effects of alcoholism
C weaken the conclusion because it introduces another reason that because there are more physicians now than in the past, not because the likelihood to identify these deaths as alcohol-related

Please help me correct my thinking... Thank you
@GMATNinjia  VeritasKarishma

mehro023 · Answer

Hi, I can try to help you on this. What option C says, is that MORE physicians now are TRAINED to identify alcohol related deaths than physicians in the past. What this means is, improvements in physician training methods in the modern day have helped them identify effects of alcoholism than training methods in the past. For instance, a person may have been an alcoholic for a long time and suffered liver failure as a result. In the past, the physicians would attribute his death to liver failure and not alcoholism because of how they were trained. Today, physicians would attribute this death to alcoholism and not liver failure because of more training related to identifying the effects of alcoholism. Let me know if it made sense

-K

ngochuyen1904 · Answer

Thank you for your response! Now I'm crystal clear

Gauriii · Answer

@ Team- This is not an inference Q. Kindly put it under strengthen category.

Bunuel · Answer

_______________________
Done. Thank you.

PrinceVegeta · Answer

Some health officials are concerned about the current sustained increase in reported deaths from alcohol-related conditions, attributing this increase to a rise in alcoholism. What these health officials are overlooking, however, is that attitudes toward alcoholism have changed radically. Alcoholism is now widely viewed as a disease, whereas in the past it was considered a moral failing. It is therefore likely that more deaths are being reported as alcohol-related because physicians are more likely to identify these deaths as alcohol-related.

Which one of the following, if true, provides the most support for the argument?

Since this is a support question, check whether it is an inference/must be true question or strengthen question.
As there is a conclusion in the given argument, this is a strengthen question.

Conclusion: It is therefore likely that more deaths are being reported as alcohol-related because physicians are more likely to identify these deaths as alcohol-related.

(A) The frequent use of alcohol by young people is being reported as occurring at increasingly early age.

we are not concerned about age of people getting alcohol. This is actually irrelevant.

(B) In some places and times, susceptibility to any kind of disease has been viewed as a moral failing.

this is also irrelevant. It doesn't strengthen the conclusion in any way.

(C) More physicians now than in the past are trained to recognize the physical effects of alcoholism.

Since more are getting trained more physicians are able to recognize the effects of the disease. keep it.

(D) Even though alcoholism is considered to be disease, most doctors recommend psychological counseling and support groups as the best treatment.

we are not talking about treatment of this disease. so irrelevant. This doesn't strengthen the argument in any way.

(E) Many health officials are not physicians

this is not supporting or strengthening the conclusion

ANSWER_C

VerbalBot · Answer

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Some health officials are concerned about the current sustained increa

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