When a person is under intense psychological stress, his or her cardio

Question

When a person is under intense psychological stress, his or her cardiovascular response is the same as it is during vigorous physical exercise. Psychological stress, then, must be beneficial for the heart as is vigorous physical exercise.

The argument above relies on which of the following assumptions?

(A) Exercise is an effective means of relieving psychological stress.

(B) The body’s short-term cardiovascular response to any activity indicates that activity’s long-term effect on the body.

(C) Cardiovascular response during an activity is an adequate measure of how beneficial the activity is for the heart.

(D) Psychological stress can have a positive effect on the body.

(E) Vigorous exercise is the most reliable method of maintaining a healthy heart.

ID 16804

globaldesi · Accepted Answer

When a person is under intense psychological stress, his or her cardiovascular response is the same as it is during vigorous physical exercise. Psychological stress, then, must be beneficial for the heart as is vigorous physical exercise.

The argument above relies on which of the following assumptions?

(A)  Exercise is an effective means of relieving psychological stress.   Exercise and psychological stress are not related to each other. Hence in correct assumption

(B)  The body’s short-term cardiovascular response to any activity indicates that activity’s long-term effect on the body.  . statement in discussion, nowhere discusses about long term and short term, hence out of scope.

(C)  Cardiovascular response during an activity is an adequate measure of how beneficial the activity is for the heart.  Statement assumes that Cardiovascular response during an activity is an adequate measure . Lets negate this statement "Cardiovascular response during an activity is  not  an adequate measure of how beneficial the activity is for the heart". this weakens the conclusion. Hence correct answer.

(D)  Psychological stress can have a positive effect on the body.  Its a conclusion, not assumption

(E)  Vigorous exercise is the most reliable method of maintaining a healthy heart. . Use of strong word "most"

Blackhawks32 · Answer

Argument is assuming that cardiovascular response is a good indicator for a healthy heart and linking this to psychological stress. IMO C

Sid0403 · Answer

I think the answer should be "C". The conclusion is drawn from cardio vascular response.If we negate option C, the conclusion falls apart.

progressgmat · Answer

I agree with C. 
The argument states that psychological stress must be beneficial for the heart as is vigorous physical exercise. This is mentioned right after a discussion of cardiovascular response. It can be assumed that one's cardiovascular response during an activity is an adequate measure of how beneficial that activity is. C

gmatimothy · Answer

Experts,

I got the correct answer but I want to be able to understand all the wrong answers as well.

For (D), is it incorrect because the conclusion has a stronger remark (re: benefit to health) vs. the answer choice, which only claims stress "can have" a positive effect?

Conclusion: Stress MUST be beneficial to heart as is exercise
(D): Stress can be beneficial to our body

Thank you!

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Notice that the conclusion is that "psychological stress, then, must be beneficial  for the heart ."

Then, (D) says, "Psychological stress can have a positive effect  on the body ."

So, the way to eliminate (D) is to see that we don't have to assume that psychological stress can have a positive effect on the entire body to conclude that it can be beneficial for the heart.

I realize that the difference between "beneficial for the heart" and "can have a positive effect on the body" is not 100 percent clear because the heart is part of the body. At the same time, since the correct answer, (C), focuses on the heart and is rather clearly an assumption upon which the argument relies, we can confidently choose (C) over (D).

VerbalBot · Answer

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When a person is under intense psychological stress, his or her cardio

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