Because quitting smoking is very stressful and leads to weight gain

Question

Because quitting smoking is very stressful and leads to weight gain, it is difficult to do so. The key to quitting, however, may be as simple as replacing an unhealthy activity with a healthy one. In one study, half of those attempting to quit were assigned to a smoking-cessation program alone, and the other half were assigned to the same program plus fifteen weeks of aerobic exercise. At the one month mark, none in the first group had quit, but 40 percent of those in the second group had not smoked.

Each of the following, if true, provides some support for the argument EXCEPT:

(A) Regular exercise prevents weight gain.

(B) Each group in the study included four hundred randomly selected participants.

(C) Nonsmokers accustomed to regular exercise do not gain weight when they stop exercising.

(D) Aerobic exercise can stimulate the brain's production of endorphins, which reduce tension.

(E) Of those in the second group in the study, 38 percent had not smoked at the one-year mark.

AshutoshB · Answer

Each of the following, if true, provides some support for the argument EXCEPT:

(A) Regular exercise prevents weight gain. SUPPORTS
(B) Each group in the study included four hundred randomly selected participants. SUPPORTS by showing data is relevant for making the conclusion
C) Nonsmokers accustomed to regular exercise do not gain weight when they stop exercising.   IRRELEVANT      IMHO wud be the correct answer 
(D) Aerobic exercise can stimulate the brain's production of endorphins, which reduce tension. SUPPORTS
(E) Of those in the second group in the study, 38 percent had not smoked at the one-year mark. SUPPORTS

yash312 · Answer

IMO C

EXCEPT:

(A) Regular exercise prevents weight gain.---addresses one of the reason and hence strengthens
(B) Each group in the study included four hundred randomly selected participants.---addresses one of the reason and hence strengthens
(C) Nonsmokers accustomed to regular exercise do not gain weight when they stop exercising.---Irrelevant
(D) Aerobic exercise can stimulate the brain's production of endorphins, which reduce tension.---addresses one of the reason and hence strengthens
(E) Of those in the second group in the study, 38 percent had not smoked at the one-year mark.---addresses one of the reason and hence strengthens, but only 2% increase but still an increase

Mohitstarc · Answer

Answer should not tell about the weight gain or not
Rather about how aerobic is helping to stop smoking and diverting mind.
IMO D 
Official explaination required

Posted from my mobile device

Gladiator59 · Answer

Hi Mohitstarc , Welcome to the GMAT Club! Did you notice it is an EXCEPT question. So the correct option choice would be the one choice that does not support the argument while all other choices would do so. Let me know if you still feel the same.

arorni · Answer

Hi

I opted C due to following reasons:
Because quitting smoking is very stressful and leads to weight gain, it is difficult to do so. The key to quitting, however, may be as simple as replacing an unhealthy activity with a healthy one. In one study, half of those attempting to quit were assigned to a smoking-cessation program alone, and the other half were assigned to the same program plus fifteen weeks of aerobic exercise. At the one month mark, none in the first group had quit, but 40 percent of those in the second group had not smoked.

Each of the following, if true, provides some support for the argument EXCEPT:

(A) Regular exercise prevents weight gain.   The key to quitting, however, may be as simple as replacing an unhealthy activity with a healthy one.

(B) Each group in the study included four hundred randomly selected participants.  It gives you information about people involved in the experiment got selected on random basis for both the groups . 
(C) Nonsmokers accustomed to regular exercise do not gain weight when they stop exercising. This statement is about nonsmokers weight gain. so irrelevent
(D) Aerobic exercise can stimulate the brain's production of endorphins, which reduce tension.    Because quitting smoking is very stressful and leads to weight gain, it is difficult to do so.   
(E) Of those in the second group in the study, 38 percent had not smoked at the one-year mark. It tells us atleast 2% people left smoking in the experiment.

Regards,
Nidhi

Skywalker18 · Answer

Because quitting smoking is very stressful and leads to weight gain, it is difficult to do so. The key to quitting, however, may be as simple as replacing an unhealthy activity with a healthy one. In one study, half of those attempting to quit were assigned to a smoking-cessation program alone, and the other half were assigned to the same program plus fifteen weeks of aerobic exercise. At the one month mark, none in the first group had quit, but 40 percent of those in the second group had not smoked.

Type- strengthen EXCEPT

(A) Regular exercise prevents weight gain.- incorrect; strengthens- weight gain, which is one of the factors that makes quitting smoking difficult, is prevented by regular exercise
(B) Each group in the study included four hundred randomly selected participants. - incorrect; strengthens- unbiased study--> credible results
(C) Nonsmokers accustomed to regular exercise do not gain weight when they stop exercising. - Correct - the results of nonsmokers are not relevant here.
(D) Aerobic exercise can stimulate the brain's production of endorphins, which reduce tension. - incorrect; strengthens- this deals with the stress aspect associated with quitting smoking
(E) Of those in the second group in the study, 38 percent had not smoked at the one-year mark. - incorrect; the effects of aerobic exercise were NOT temporary-- since quitting smoking is a permanent change

Answer C

sohankorimilli · Answer

You do not know anything about the group A in option E.
What if 90% of ppl quit in group A ?

agrasan · Answer

The author's conclusion is:
When smokers are assigned to healthy program like aerobic exercise --> More likely to quit smoking

(A) Regular exercise prevents weight gain.
 Strengthens , smokers would be more attracted towards quitting smoking as their weight won't be lost, this increases the confidence that the key to quitting   ("..replacing an unhealthy activity with a healthy one")   would work.

(B) Each group in the study included four hundred randomly selected participants.
 Strengthens , random sampling increases the confidence that the study was conducted properly and there was no sample bias present in the study which can cast a doubt.

(C) Nonsmokers accustomed to regular exercise do not gain weight when they stop exercising.
 No Impact , this option is actually repeating what we are already given in the argument. It leans towards the fact that smoking (without any exercise) leads to weight gain for smokers. Thus, this has no impact for our conclusion.

(D) Aerobic exercise can stimulate the brain's production of endorphins, which reduce tension.
 Strengthens , this option increases the confidence by establishing a relation between aerobic exercise and tension reduction. 
Overall, the chain reaction is:
Aerobic exercise --> release of endorphins --> tension reduction --> Helps to quit smoking

(E) Of those in the second group in the study, 38 percent had not smoked at the one-year mark.
 Strengthens , this option increases our confidence by showing that the plan is quite effective as 40% had not smoked at the one- month  mark and 38% had not smoked at the one- year  mark

Because quitting smoking is very stressful and leads to weight gain

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Because quitting smoking is very stressful and leads to weight gain

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