Last visit was: 26 Apr 2026, 07:19 It is currently 26 Apr 2026, 07:19
Home
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
Back to Forum
Create Topic
555-605 (Medium)|   Weaken|      
User avatar
akela
User avatar
Joined: 30 Jan 2016
Last visit: 23 May 2023
Posts: 1,227
Own Kudos:
6,351
 [1]
Given Kudos: 128
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 1,227
Kudos: 6,351
 [1]
Physician: In an experiment, 50 patients with chronic back pain were 25 Feb 2019, 10:00
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
00:00
Start Timer
Pause Timer
Resume Timer
Show Answer
Hide
Show
History
A
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!

Difficulty:

25% (medium)

Question Stats:

77% (01:28) correct 23% (02:02) wrong based on 410 sessions

History

Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Physician: In an experiment, 50 patients with chronic back pain were divided into two groups. Small magnets were applied to the backs of one group; the other group received no treatment. Most of the patients in the first group, but very few in the second group, reported a significant reduction in pain. This shows that magnetic fields are probably effective at relieving some back pain.

Which one of the following, if true, constitutes the logically strongest counter to the physician’s argument?

(A) A patient’s merely knowing that a treatment has been applied can lead to improvement in his or her condition.
(B) Most physicians believe that medication relieves chronic back pain more effectively than magnets do.
(C) No other experiments have been done showing that magnetic fields reduce pain in any area other than the back.
(D) Some of the scientists who helped design the experiment believed even before the experiment that magnetic fields relieve back pain, but they were not directly involved in conducting the experiment.
(E) There was wide variation in the specific causes of the chronic back pain suffered by the patients in the experiment.
ShowHide Answer
Official Answer
A
Most Helpful Reply
User avatar
KarishmaB
User avatar
Joined: 16 Oct 2010
Last visit: 23 Apr 2026
Posts: 16,441
Own Kudos:
79,415
 [1]
Given Kudos: 485
Location: Pune, India
Expert
Expert reply
Active GMAT Club Expert! Tag them with @ followed by their username for a faster response.
Posts: 16,441
Kudos: 79,415
 [1]
Physician: In an experiment, 50 patients with chronic back pain were 07 Mar 2019, 05:32
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Akela
Physician: In an experiment, 50 patients with chronic back pain were divided into two groups. Small magnets were applied to the backs of one group; the other group received no treatment. Most of the patients in the first group, but very few in the second group, reported a significant reduction in pain. This shows that magnetic fields are probably effective at relieving some back pain.

Which one of the following, if true, constitutes the logically strongest counter to the physician’s argument?

(A) A patient’s merely knowing that a treatment has been applied can lead to improvement in his or her condition.
(B) Most physicians believe that medication relieves chronic back pain more effectively than magnets do.
(C) No other experiments have been done showing that magnetic fields reduce pain in any area other than the back.
(D) Some of the scientists who helped design the experiment believed even before the experiment that magnetic fields relieve back pain, but they were not directly involved in conducting the experiment.
(E) There was wide variation in the specific causes of the chronic back pain suffered by the patients in the experiment.
Show more

Small magnets were applied to one group. Most of them reported significant improvement.
No treatment was given to the other group. Very few reported improvement.

Conclusion: This shows that magnetic fields are probably effective at relieving some back pain.

We need to weaken the conclusion. The conclusion certainly seems reasonable, right? Those with magnet reported less pain while others didn't so it seems magnets helped. But we need to weaken the conclusion. Something should say that it may not have been the magnets that helped but something else that happened in group 1.

(A) A patient’s merely knowing that a treatment has been applied can lead to improvement in his or her condition.

This could be the "something else" that helped group 1 people. If merely knowing that a treatment has been applied (placebo effect) can reduce the sensation of pain, the magnets may have had nothing to do with the improvement. It may be the impact of knowing that they were treated. While group 2 people did not get any treatment and hence did not get this psychological reassurance that they were treated. Hence they did not claim a reduction in pain.

(B) Most physicians believe that medication relieves chronic back pain more effectively than magnets do.

What is more effective than magnets is irrelevant. Our conclusion just says that magnets have some impact.

(C) No other experiments have been done showing that magnetic fields reduce pain in any area other than the back.

Areas other than the back are irrelevant. The conclusion only talks about back pain.

(D) Some of the scientists who helped design the experiment believed even before the experiment that magnetic fields relieve back pain, but they were not directly involved in conducting the experiment.

Scientists involved are irrelevant.

(E) There was wide variation in the specific causes of the chronic back pain suffered by the patients in the experiment.

Causes of back pain does not matter. Most people claimed a reduction in pain so whatever worked, worked for most people.

Answer (A)
General Discussion
User avatar
janadipesh
User avatar
Joined: 10 Jun 2014
Last visit: 23 Jun 2021
Posts: 68
Own Kudos:
80
Given Kudos: 286
Location: India
Concentration: Operations, Finance
WE:Manufacturing and Production (Energy)
Posts: 68
Kudos: 80
Physician: In an experiment, 50 patients with chronic back pain were 06 Mar 2019, 11:52
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Akela
Physician: In an experiment, 50 patients with chronic back pain were divided into two groups. Small magnets were applied to the backs of one group; the other group received no treatment. Most of the patients in the first group, but very few in the second group, reported a significant reduction in pain. This shows that magnetic fields are probably effective at relieving some back pain.

Which one of the following, if true, constitutes the logically strongest counter to the physician’s argument?

(A) A patient’s merely knowing that a treatment has been applied can lead to improvement in his or her condition.
(B) Most physicians believe that medication relieves chronic back pain more effectively than magnets do.
(C) No other experiments have been done showing that magnetic fields reduce pain in any area other than the back.
(D) Some of the scientists who helped design the experiment believed even before the experiment that magnetic fields relieve back pain, but they were not directly involved in conducting the experiment.
(E) There was wide variation in the specific causes of the chronic back pain suffered by the patients in the experiment.
Show more

please explain the ans
User avatar
Skywalker18
User avatar
Retired Moderator
Joined: 08 Dec 2013
Last visit: 15 Nov 2023
Posts: 1,973
Own Kudos:
10,179
Given Kudos: 171
Status:Greatness begins beyond your comfort zone
Location: India
Concentration: General Management, Strategy
GPA: 3.2
WE:Information Technology (Consulting)
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 1,973
Kudos: 10,179
Physician: In an experiment, 50 patients with chronic back pain were 06 Mar 2019, 22:59
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Physician: In an experiment, 50 patients with chronic back pain were divided into two groups. Small magnets were applied to the backs of one group; the other group received no treatment. Most of the patients in the first group, but very few in the second group, reported a significant reduction in pain. This shows that magnetic fields are probably effective at relieving some back pain.

Which one of the following, if true, constitutes the logically strongest counter to the physician’s argument?
Conclusion- magnetic fields are probably effective at relieving some back pain

Pre-thinking- As with many causal relationships, the easiest way to weaken the conclusion is by recognizing an alternate cause. We want to think of a reason, other than the magnates, that the two groups differ. A key factor may be the fact that this was not a blind study. Participants knew if they were receiving the magnet treatment or no treatment by the nature of the study. After all, it would be hard not to notice a magnet on your back.


(A) A patient’s merely knowing that a treatment has been applied can lead to improvement in his or her condition.- Correct; the patient’s knowledge of the fact he or she is receiving treatment can impact subjective levels of pain
(B) Most physicians believe that medication relieves chronic back pain more effectively than magnets do.- incorrect; the causal argument was comparing magnet use to a complete lack of treatment. The argument does not attempt to compare types of treatment, but rather a type of treatment versus no treatment at all. The study was not attempting to determine what type of treatment is best to manage back pain, but rather could magnets work as a type of treatment to manage back pain.
(C) No other experiments have been done showing that magnetic fields reduce pain in any area other than the back.- Out of scope; the conclusion is specifically focused on “some back pain
(D) Some of the scientists who helped design the experiment believed even before the experiment that magnetic fields relieve back pain, but they were not directly involved in conducting the experiment.- incorrect; This answer choice attacks those who created the study. It sounds plausible that the developers’ beliefs could impact the results of the study. However, as we read through this answer choice, we realize that those researchers with a bias were not actually involved in carrying out the study.
(E) There was wide variation in the specific causes of the chronic back pain suffered by the patients in the experiment.- incorrect; It does not tell us, for example, that the first group consisted of patients with low back pain, while the second group consisted of patients with neck pain. It merely states that there were different types. Since it does not allow us to draw a new distinction between the two groups, it is not the correct answer choice.

Answer A

janadipesh

please explain the ans
Show more
Hi janadipesh,

Hope this helps! :)

Please read Magoosh blog in the following link for a better understanding

https://magoosh.com/gmat/2013/medical-t ... reasoning/
User avatar
VerbalBot
User avatar
Non-Human User
Joined: 01 Oct 2013
Last visit: 04 Jan 2021
Posts: 19,425
Own Kudos:
1,010
Posts: 19,425
Kudos: 1,010
Physician: In an experiment, 50 patients with chronic back pain were 24 Jun 2025, 01:07
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Automated notice from GMAT Club VerbalBot:

A member just gave Kudos to this thread, showing it’s still useful. I’ve bumped it to the top so more people can benefit. Feel free to add your own questions or solutions.

This post was generated automatically.
Moderators:
GMATNinja
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
7391 posts
AbhishekP220108
506 posts
bhanu29
361 posts