A public health official reported that 60 percent of the

Question

A public health official reported that 60 percent of the children at summer school have never had the measles or chicken pox, and that of this 60 percent not one child has ever been observed to eat the cheese served in the school lunches. From this he concluded that children who abstain from cheese products will protect themselves from most childhood disease.

Each of the following, if true, would strengthen the official's argument EXCEPT: 
 A. Medically speaking, whatever serves to inhibit measles and chicken pox will generally inhibit the entire spectrum of childhood diseases. 
 B. The observations the official carried out were extremely accurate, and all those observed to abstain from cheese at school did, in fact, abstain. 
 C. The children's eating habits are the same at school as anywhere else, and those who abstain from cheese products at school do so in general. 
 D. Recent research has pointed to a deficiency in cheese products as one of the major causes of measles and chicken pox infections. 
 E. Most cheeses and cheese products harbor bacteria that are known to be causative agents for many childhood diseases, such as measles and chicken pox.

Am still not convinced with their OA

Need help..

IanStewart · Accepted Answer

When I read the sentence above, I have no idea what it means. I can only guess they intend the above to mean that those with a *diet* deficient in cheese products are more susceptible to measles or chicken pox infection. But the word 'deficiency' can mean two different things. It can mean a 'lack' or 'shortage' in something, but it can also mean a 'shortcoming' in something. That is, the above sentence could equally well mean that the cheese products themselves have some flaw or shortcoming which causes measles. That's how I interpreted the sentence on a first reading, and of course with that interpretation, this answer choice implies that those exposed to cheese products would then be more likely to contract measles.

So the writing here is so imprecise, answer choice D can mean two exactly opposite things. It's a badly written question, and no real GMAT question is ever so careless with language.

viks4gmat · Answer

pretty simple

This is a opposite answer... the official concludes that avoiding cheese will help avoid measles and other diseases... where as D says a defeciency in chees products make people more prone to measles

A : A is a conclusion from the premise which says children who avoid cheese products will avoid measles and chicken pox.. and then finally concludes that these children will avoid most childhood diseases.

- so if A were true the official's conclusion about children managing to avoid most diseases will be true:  strengthen - out

B: this says that the data used to predict the outcome is correct... so it  strengthen's the fact to some extent.. but if you are still not convinced.. : hold it

C : confirms that people who dont eat cheese products at school are usually the this way and dont abstain from cheese at school only :  strengthen  because the conclusion is based on the assumption that people who dont eat cheese will not fall sick

D : this says that people who generally dont eat cheese will have greater probability to contact measles.. so the author's conclusion that staying away from cheese helps prevent measles is wrong :  weaken

E: If cheese products have bacteria that cause measles and other diseases, children will be protected if they abstain from eating cheese :  strengthen

so the clear winner is D... hope this helps... btw why do you disagree?

viks4gmat · Answer

btw i see this is your first post - so Welcome to GC!!!

rvinodhini · Answer

Thanks viks4gmat...

I was confused with the usage of the word deficiency in option D...
My inference when i read the sentence was that, cheese products have some flaw which causes measles..so my conclusion...does not weaken the argument...

Thanks Ian for the explanation...Hope we dont get such q's in the exam

gmatprav · Answer

"deficiency in cheese products" means "lack of cheese products in the diet"? Is this proper meaning of the statement? I disagree with this meaning.

The statement sounds like there is some problem with cheese products that is causing diseases. Hence D cannot be correct. Anyone else?

rsvelc · Answer

Conclusion says:
From this he concluded that children who abstain from cheese products will protect themselves from MOST childhood disease.
Emphasis on  MOST .

Assumptions should address that cheese not only affects children through measles and chickenpox but also many others.
A: Strengthens, Addresses entire spectrum - out 
B: There is no inaccuracy in the data collected to examine and conclude to make the conclusion go wrong. Strengthens, out.
C: If the children ate cheese at home, that would affect the conclusion altogether since the data collected to be examined is incorrect. The option says the opposite. Strengthens. out.
E: States that cheese is responsible for many diseases. Strengthens. out.

D: Doesn't address many/most of the diseases but only measles and chicken pox. (Doesn't weaken but misses the point which conclusion states)

D is correct answer.

VerbalBot · Answer

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