The mortality rate among married men is significantly lower than that

Question

The mortality rate among married men is significantly lower than that of single men in the same age group. Because of that statistic, some may argue that married men lead safer lifestyles and do not frequently engage in risky hobbies. However, this inference is faulty since the causes of death for married and single men are not established and there are factors other than accidents related to high-risk activities that contribute to the mortality rate of both groups.

In the argument above, the two boldfaced portions play which of the following roles?

In the argument above, the two boldfaced portions play which of the following roles?

A. The first states a position that is based upon evidence provided in the argument; the second offers evidence that undermines the weight of that position.

B. The first is evidence that supports the conclusion of the argument; the second is that conclusion.

C. The first states a position that the argument as a whole opposes; the second provides evidence in support of that position.

D. The first and the second each provide evidence in support of the position that the argument seeks to establish.

E. The first is a premise upon which the argument depends; the second provides evidence that the argument is faulty

Carcass · Answer

Hi WillGetIt,

good question. However, do not forget to add tags to the same. In such way the question pop up easily during a search on the board.

back to the question.

The two bold parts are in contrast. As such, B C and D are out because they go in the same direction.

Between A and E, the latter does not say that the argument is faulty but undermine it. Infact at a closer look the second bold says: the are resons other than those the argument or statistic says. In other words, the argument is undermined but not destroyed. So A is the best answer to this question.

Regards

WillGetIt · Answer

Dear Carcass,

Thanks for suggestion. OK will keep in mine. posted in hurry!!!

Regarding your analysis my thoughts are as follows:

1. In bold face question there is no need to analyze the answer choices from any other perspective (strengthen/weaken etc..) except the role played by bold face text

2. You correctly narrowed down to A and E but excluded E due to wrong analysis. Basically E is incorrect because the "First Bold Face" in not a premise rather it is a "Conclusion". If the choice E read as follows, it would be correct:

The first is a CONCLUSION of the argument; the second provides evidence that the argument is faulty

Hope it helps!!!

Carcass · Answer

Thanks to pointed out your thoughts. However, I have not analyzed this question under the weaken / strenght technique. I always follow the unfolding of the argument as whole. Then I draw my conclusions. (See your first point)

Also, I didnt mention that the first bold is NOT the conclusion. I only said that the argument NOT completely destroy the argument because we have or could have other reasons than those mentioned. Also, statistics are statistics: could not being true all the way around.

This is what I think when approach a bold.That's it

Regards

shakticnb · Answer

second bold face part starts with word since and we now that since is premise indicator.

we come to choices a and c

first part of statement c is incorrect
answer A

Bunuel · Answer

VERITAS PREP OFFICIAL SOLUTION:

Correct Answer: A

The mortality rate for married men is much lower as compared to that of single men. The first boldfaced portion takes this evidence to support its claim that married men must have safer lifestyles. The second then offers counterevidence that there may be factors other than risky activities that could be contributing to the disparity in death rates. The answer that best describes the roles in this way is answer choice A. B- The first portion does not play the role of evidence, but is actually a conclusion. The second does not play the role of a conclusion; it instead offers a possibility that undermines the previous boldface portion. Therefore answer choice B is incorrect. C- The second portion does not support the position of the first but rather opposes it. Therefore answer choice C is incorrect. D- The first portion does not provide evidence that supports the position of the argument. Therefore answer choice D is incorrect. E- The first is a conclusion, not a premise. Therefore answer choice E is incorrect.

shubham2312 · Answer

hi can someone share what according to them is the conclusion of the argument.

According to me this inference is faulty is the conclusion 
but as per the official solution given by veritas the 1st bold face is the conclusion.

i am having a bit of confusion over this someone kindly explain.

Kinshook · Answer

First underlined:  married men lead safer lifestyles and do not frequently engage in risky hobbies 
is a position/conclusion based on evidence provided in the argument.
Second underlined:  causes of death for married and single men are not established and there are factors other than accidents related to high-risk activities that contribute to the mortality rate of both groups 
provides evidence to undermine the first

IMO A

RohitSaluja · Answer

Yes, Shubham, the main conclusion of the argument is "this inference is faulty" and not the first boldface, it is just a position which as per argument some people take.

abhishekmayank · Answer

Hi  carcass ,

I am not fully convinced with the option A :

The first states a position that is based upon evidence provided in the argument

I fail to understand as to what evidence the option A is mentioning about ? No where I find that there is any evidence to suggest that married men indulge in risky activities.

rsrighosh · Answer

In such bold faced question.. what do we mean by "position" in the given options.
I thought the first bold faced is a premise that supports the first sentence.
Can anybody guide me?

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

rsrighosh
A position is the stand someone takes on an issue, as in "what is your position on gun control?" In the context of CR, this usually means that we are looking at a conclusion, either the author's or an opposing view. In this case, the first bold represents an opposing position to that of the author. We can tell because the author introduces that part with "some may argue" and then attacks that position. You may be seeing the first bold as a premise because it seems to explain the first sentence, but that first sentence is presented as fact and therefore needs an explanation, not support. It's a fairly common approach to start with some fact and then get into a debate on how best to explain it. So the structure looks like this:
*Here's a thing that's happening.
*Some people think this is happening because of X (first bold)
*But this view is wrong.
*Here's why (second bold)

Here's an interesting question with a similar structure: https://gmatclub.com/forum/in-countries ... l#p1222508

NaveenGJ · Answer

To determine why Option A is the correct choice for this question and not Option E, let's break down the roles of the boldfaced statements and the logic of the argument itself:

Analysis of the Argument

The first boldfaced statement :

" Married men lead safer lifestyles and do not frequently engage in risky hobbies ." 
 This statement is presented as a possible interpretation or conclusion derived from the initial evidence that married men have a lower mortality rate than single men.   
  The second boldfaced statement :

" Causes of death for married and single men are not established and there are factors other than accidents related to high-risk activities that contribute to the mortality rate of both groups ." 
 This statement challenges the assumption made in the first boldfaced statement by suggesting that there isn't enough evidence to definitively claim that lifestyle choices related to risk are the cause of the observed difference in mortality rates.    
 Option A: Why It's Correct

"The first states a position that is based upon evidence provided in the argument; the second offers evidence that undermines the weight of that position."

The first boldfaced statement is indeed a position or a conclusion drawn from the initial statistic provided (lower mortality rates among married men). 
 The second boldfaced statement introduces additional information that undermines this position by pointing out that the actual causes of death haven't been established and other factors could be influencing the mortality rates.  
This choice correctly identifies that the first statement is a derived position (not a direct piece of evidence itself) and that the second directly challenges the sufficiency and relevance of the reasoning in the first.

Option E: Why It's Not Correct

"The first is a premise upon which the argument depends; the second provides evidence that the argument is faulty."

The first boldfaced statement is not a premise of the overall argument but rather a position that some might take based on the mortality rate statistic. The overall argument does not depend on this statement being true; rather, it's presented as a hypothesis that is being questioned. 
 The second boldfaced statement does not imply that the overall argument is faulty; instead, it supports the main thrust of the argument by providing reasons to doubt the initial interpretation (that married men live safer lives).  
This choice mischaracterizes the first statement as a foundational premise rather than a position that the argument aims to critique. It also incorrectly implies that the second statement shows the argument itself to be faulty, rather than just the position presented in the first statement.

Conclusion

Thus, Option A accurately captures the dynamic between the two statements and the overarching logic of the argument, making it the correct choice, whereas Option E misinterprets the structural roles of the statements within the argument

The mortality rate among married men is significantly lower than that

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The mortality rate among married men is significantly lower than that

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615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

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