Hello, everyone. Since I do not see another Expert response posted to this one yet, I will share my thoughts on this strange question. Off the top of my head, I cannot think of an official GMAT™ question that asks us to qualify
why someone expresses a certain view.
Bunuel
The point of the veterinarian’s response to the horse breeders is most accurately expressed by which one of the following?
There is no room for misinterpretation with this one, though. It most resembles a main idea question from an RC passage. Anyway, what does this passage lay out for us?
Bunuel
Veterinarian: A disease of purebred racehorses that is caused by a genetic defect prevents afflicted horses from racing and can cause paralysis and death. Some horse breeders conclude that because the disease can have such serious consequences, horses with the defect should not be bred. But they are wrong because, in most cases, the severity of the disease can be controlled by diet and medication and the defect also produces horses of extreme beauty that are in great demand in the horse show industry
Sentence 1 of this monologue tells us that a particular
disease that is genetically determined
prevents afflicted horses from racing.
Sentence 2 outlines the opinion of
some horse breeders that
horses with the defect should not be bred.
Sentence 3 makes a bold claim upfront in
they are wrong. There is a twofold reason: 1) the disease can, to an extent,
be controlled by diet and medication; and 2) the defect produces beautiful horses for
the horse show industry.
So, why did the veterinarian make such a response to the horse breeders?
Bunuel
(A) Racehorses that have the genetic defect need not be prevented from racing.
Is this what the veterinarian says in the last sentence? Not really. It takes a one-step-removed argument to suggest that the first part of the final line
must necessarily mean that horses with the defect should be able to race anyway. The veterinarian says nothing about racing, only that
the severity of the disease can be controlled by diet and medication. It is you who must jump to the conclusion about racing. Moreover, what was the point of the latter part of the final sentence, about horse shows, if the main idea of the argument is that horses with the defect can race? No, the veterinarian is saying that such horses are good for
some other purpose. This answer choice conveniently brushes part of the two-pronged defense of breeding diseased purebred horses aside, and it requires you to supply a reason for the response of the veterinarian that is not found in the passage. Keep looking.
Bunuel
(B) There should not be an absolute ban on breeding racehorses that have the genetic defect.
This answer choice is unassailable, easy to overlook in its simplicity. The counterargument to the conclusion of the horse breeders that
horses with the defect should not be bred is the same argument with the
not removed. And this is just what the veterinarian asserts in saying
they are wrong and providing two reasons for why the breeders are wrong. Remember,
because is a premise marker, not a conclusion. Since we are looking for the point of the response, we need not get tangled up in the premises. (They are used to justify an argument, but they do not represent the point or crux of that argument.)
Bunuel
(C) Racehorses that are severely afflicted with the disease have not been provided with the proper diet.
We are not looking to supply a conclusion. Instead, we need to put a finger on
the point the veterinarian is aiming to make. Again, this answer choice takes a premise and turns it into something it is not. Whether this
conclusion is justifiable is beside the point.
Bunuel
(D) The best way to produce racehorses of extreme beauty is to breed horses that have the genetic defect.
Most answer choices that adopt superlative language will lead to overstatements, and such rings true here. The veterinarian mentions that
the defect also produces horses of extreme beauty, but there is no comparison to other types of breeding practices. That is, we are in no position to say whether the veterinarian believes that any particular way of producing beautiful racehorses is better than any other.
Bunuel
(E) There should be no prohibition against breeding racehorses that have any disease that can be controlled by diet and exercise.
Blink, and you might miss the trap here. The veterinarian is not concerned with
any disease, but with a particular
genetic defect that is discussed in the passage. Any disease besides the one explicitly mentioned is outside the scope of the passage, not a concern of the veterinarian, and not a concern of ours. Make every word count in a CR question. The word
any here completely derails the potential for this answer choice.
I hope that helps. If anyone has further questions, I would be happy to discuss this one. Good luck with your studies.
- Andrew