Many people who suffer from mid-levels of chronic pain have, on averag

Question

Many people who suffer from mid-levels of chronic pain have, on average, slightly lower blood pressure when paired with others of the same age and body characteristics. Thus, the many people without chronic pain have slightly higher blood pressure than do those with chronic pain. While high blood pressure has many documented harmful effects, this fact suggests that in human evolution, the tendency toward high blood pressure developed as a defense against chronic pain.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the force of the evidence cited?

A. It is not well understood how individuals with mid-levels of chronic pain would have fared in conditions of early humanity.
B. Diet has a significant effect on blood pressure, and many typical “comfort foods” have the effect of elevating blood pressure.
C. Many of the emotions associated with the onset of chronic pain, such as anxiety, have the effect of raising blood pressure over time.
D. People with mid-levels of chronic pain typically take anti-inflammatory drugs, which can have the effect of lowering blood pressure.
E. Chronic pain was not systematically studied until the 20th century.

KarishmaB · Accepted Answer

People with chronic pain have lower BP than others.
Hence, High BP developed as a defence against chronic pain.

Just because chronic pain and lower BP occur together, the author is assuming that high BP developed to fight chronic pain.

We need to weaken the argument.

A. It is not well understood how individuals with mid-levels of chronic pain would have fared in conditions of early humanity.
Too generic. It is not well understood how these people fared in early humanity but we can still hypothesise on what might have happened. It doesn't weaken our hypothesis.

B. Diet has a significant effect on blood pressure, and many typical “comfort foods” have the effect of elevating blood pressure.
This discusses diet and BP. We don't know how that links to chronic pain. Do people with chronic pain eat less comfort food? We don't know.

C. Many of the emotions associated with the onset of chronic pain, such as anxiety, have the effect of raising blood pressure over time.
We are talking about mid-levels of chronic pain, not the onset of chronic pain. What happens at the onset is not relevant.

D. People with mid-levels of chronic pain typically take anti-inflammatory drugs, which can have the effect of lowering blood pressure.
This helps. The drugs used for chronic pain lower BP. That could be the reason the two occur together. It makes our conclusion suspect.

E. Chronic pain was not systematically studied until the 20th century.
Irrelevant. When it was studied is immaterial. We are hypothesising about what must have happened.

Answer (D)

souvikgmat1990 · Answer

Any explanations here? As to why option B is wrong? Is it because it is making a generalized statement about "comfort food" and not including people suffering from chronic pain?

doedust · Answer

Ans D ( In my opinion)
Argument wants us to weaken the evidence ,which states that people suffering from chronic disease will have lower blood pressure (due to defense mechanism of the body to chronic disease) and it uses this fact to conclude the argument.
Only option D states another reason about why people suffering from chronic disease will have lower blood pressure

Posted from my mobile device

sunny91 · Answer

Hi,
Please explain why option d is correct and b/c are wrong?

redskull1 · Answer

Argument is telling more chronic pain = less BP but C is going the other way.

B has nothing to do with Chronic pain.

honey1 · Answer

Many people who suffer from mid-levels of chronic pain have, on average, slightly lower blood pressure when paired with others of the same age and body characteristics. Thus, the many people without chronic pain have slightly higher blood pressure than do those with chronic pain. While high blood pressure has many documented harmful effects, this fact suggests that in human evolution, the tendency toward high blood pressure developed as a defense against chronic pain.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the force of the evidence cited?

A. It is not well understood how individuals with mid-levels of chronic pain would have fared in conditions of early humanity.
B. Diet has a significant effect on blood pressure, and many typical ???comfort foods??? have the effect of elevating blood pressure.
C. Many of the emotions associated with the onset of chronic pain, such as anxiety, have the effect of raising blood pressure over time.
D. People with mid-levels of chronic pain typically take anti-inflammatory drugs, which can have the effect of lowering blood pressure.
E. Chronic pain was not systematically studied until the 20th century.
can you plz help me with this question
In option C it says with onset of chronic pain emotions associated with it causes increase in BP .so we can say that those who are suffering from chronic pain also have high BP. So it weakens the authors argument that those with high BP protect them from chronic plain as those who have high BP,because of those emotions, still suffers form chronic pain but why is this option wrong 
THANK YOU

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

Pre-thinking:

Conclusion:  In human evolution, the tendency toward high blood pressure developed as a defense against chronic pain.

Premise on which it is based:  The many people without chronic pain have slightly higher blood pressure than do those with chronic pain.

We are required to weaken the argument. Hence, we could look for one of the below:

i) An alternative cause of higher/lower blood pressure in those without/with chronic pain.
ii) Reverse causality ie; pain/no pain is caused by lower/higher blood pressure.
iii) A correlating variable which is associated with both chronic pain and lower blood pressure (or no pain and higher blood pressure).

Let us examine the answer options:

A. It is not well understood how individuals with mid-levels of chronic pain would have fared in conditions of early humanity.  This is irrelevant to the issue at hand since it does not address blood pressure at all but talks about a wide ranging "how ... would have fared." Eliminate.

B. Diet has a significant effect on blood pressure, and many typical “comfort foods” have the effect of elevating blood pressure.  This is tempting since it appears to provide an alternate cause for high/low blood pressure but does not address chronic pain at all, which is an inherent part of the premise and conclusion. Eliminate.

C. Many of the emotions associated with the onset of chronic pain, such as anxiety, have the effect of raising blood pressure over time.  The option does not tell us whether such emotions help in relieving the pain, which is essential to go along with higher blood pressure. Eliminate.

D. People with mid-levels of chronic pain typically take anti-inflammatory drugs, which can have the effect of lowering blood pressure.  Correct answer. It provides a correlating variable - the drugs are the common variable associated with both pain and lower blood pressure.

E. Chronic pain was not systematically studied until the 20th century.  This is irrelevant to the argument being made. Eliminate.

Hope this helps.

Srini

egmat · Answer

The stimulus tells us that people  WITH chronic pain have LOWER blood pressure  than those without chronic pain. You seem to be thinking the opposite!

Here's why Option C doesn't weaken:

Option C says:  Chronic pain → emotions/anxiety →  HIGHER  blood pressure

But wait! The stimulus says chronic pain patients have  LOWER  blood pressure. So if anxiety from chronic pain raises BP, why do they still have lower BP overall?

This actually   strengthens   the evolutionary argument! It suggests there must be an even stronger force (evolution) lowering their BP to overcome the anxiety effect.

Here's why Option D weakens:

Option D provides an alternative explanation:   Chronic pain patients take anti-inflammatory drugs → these drugs lower BP →  this  explains why they have lower BP (not evolution!)

The Logic Flow:

Stimulus:  Chronic pain correlates with lower BP →  Therefore  evolution gave us high BP as protection
 Option D:  Actually, medication causes the lower BP →  Therefore  it's not about evolution at all!

Common mistake:  Mixing up who has higher vs lower BP. Remember: chronic pain = lower BP in this question!

Many people who suffer from mid-levels of chronic pain have, on averag

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Many people who suffer from mid-levels of chronic pain have, on averag

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