Lunacorp and Salem Industries are two sanitation firms that employ an

Question

Lunacorp and Salem Industries are two sanitation firms that employ an equal number of workers who work the same number of hours per week. According to each company’s end of year report, the employees of Lunacorp took fewer sick leaves last year than did the employees of Salem Industries. Therefore, employees of Lunacorp are less likely to fall ill than are employees of Salem Industries.

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

A. Lunacorp’s expenditure on new job-related medical claims is greater than Salem Industries’.
B. Salem Industries holds more health inspections than does Lunacorp.
C. Salem Industries’ infirmary is more modern than Lunacorp’s.
D. Salem Industries provides sanitation services for environments that are more hazardous for its employees to work in than does Lunacorp.
E. Salem Industries provides more types of health-care benefits than does Lunacorp.

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Suyash750 · Answer

Ans - D because it explains how Salem Industries employees are exposed to hazardous environment compared to the latter.

laborumplaceat · Answer

D is correct.
A: We are not concerned about the expenditure on medical claims.
B: Health inspections cannot help us predict that which employees are less likely to fall ill. They at best can only help find when an emplyee gets ill and not how frequent.
C: Being modern does not help.
D: this is correct.
E: more health care benefits has no relation with how likely can people fall ill.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

Both companies have equal number of workers, same hours. Lunacorp employees took fewer sick leaves last year.

Conclusion:  Lunacorp employees are less likely to fall ill.

Potential weakness:  Sick leave differences could be due to something other than actual illness such as company policies, job hazards making people actually sick more often, different sick leave reporting rules, fear of taking leave even if sick, etc.

We are asked to strengthen the conclusion that fewer sick leaves = less illness.

A. Lunacorp’s expenditure on new job-related medical claims is greater. 
This suggests Lunacorp employees might actually have more job-related injuries/illnesses (costing more), which would weaken the conclusion, not strengthen.

B. Salem Industries holds more health inspections. 
More inspections could identify more illness, maybe increasing sick leave usage, but not necessarily proving actual illness difference; weak strengthener at best.

C. Salem’s infirmary is more modern. 
If more modern, maybe easier/more tempting to take sick leave for minor issues but that could weaken the conclusion if we think  “modern infirmary”  doesn’t cause illness, just facilitates leave. Not directly relevant to illness likelihood.

D. Salem Industries provides sanitation services for environments that are more hazardous for its employees to work in than does Lunacorp. 
This directly suggests Salem employees are exposed to more health risks, so they likely get sick more often, strengthens the idea that the difference in sick leaves reflects a difference in actual illness rates. This rules out alternative explanations (like both equally healthy but different leave policies).

E. Salem provides more types of health-care benefits. 
Better benefits might encourage taking sick leave (because it’s paid), or might reduce illness (preventive care). But if more benefits = less illness, that would weaken the conclusion; if more benefits = easier to take leave for same illness, that also weakens. So ambiguous; not a clear strengthener.

Answer: D

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Video explanation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNs4z1EqpZI

Lunacorp and Salem Industries are two sanitation firms that employ an

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Lunacorp and Salem Industries are two sanitation firms that employ an

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