A new drug has been formulated which is intended to inhibit ulcer form

Question

A new drug has been formulated which is intended to inhibit ulcer formation by absorbing excess stomach acid. However, some researchers predict that the resulting reduced levels of stomach acid will interfere with the stomach’s ability to break down food, and the body will compensate by producing more stomach acid.

Which of the following, if true, would most strongly support the author’s argument?

A. The new drug will reduce stomach acid below levels necessary to break food down.

B. Some drugs have been effective in treating ulcers by controlling stomach acid levels.

C. Increased stomach acid production can be attributed to a number of factors.

D. A reduction in stomach acid levels is not the most effective way to treat ulcers.

E. The long-term effects of agents that absorb stomach acid have not been fully established.

VBudhew · Answer

A fills the gap and is a necessary assumption for strengthen the argument

IMO A

winterschool · Answer

A new drug has been formulated which is intended to inhibit ulcer formation by absorbing excess stomach acid. However, some researchers predict that the resulting reduced levels of stomach acid will interfere with the stomach’s ability to break down food, and the body will compensate by producing more stomach acid.

Which of the following, if true, would most strongly support the author’s argument?

A. The new drug will reduce stomach acid below levels necessary to break food down.  Correct

so produce more stomach acid to break down food, support argument

B. Some drugs have been effective in treating ulcers by controlling stomach acid levels.  Irrelevant

C. Increased stomach acid production can be attributed to a number of factors.  Incorrect

so new drug is not only factors , weakens argument
 
D. A reduction in stomach acid levels is not the most effective way to treat ulcers.  Incorrect

effective way is irrelevant

E. The long-term effects of agents that absorb stomach acid have not been fully established.  Incorrect

long-term effects is irrelevant

jn0r · Answer

Official Answer
   
 Conclusion:  The new drug will interfere with the stomach’s ability to break down food, and the body will compensate by producing more stomach acid.

Premise:  A new drug has been formulated which is intended to inhibit ulcer formation by absorbing excess stomach acid, and that this will result in reduced levels of stomach acid.

Assumptions:  There’s no other way to interpret the facts. Because a new drug has been formulated which is intended to inhibit ulcer formation by absorbing excess stomach acid, this will result in reduced levels of stomach acid. Furthermore, these resulting reduced levels of stomach acid will interfere with the stomach’s ability to break down food, and the body will compensate by producing more stomach acid. There is no other potential interpretation of this evidence.

The question stem asks which answer choice would most strongly support the author’s argument, so this is a strengthen question. The argument uses an interpretation of evidence reasoning pattern, which can be identified by the presentation of specific facts as evidence. In this case, that A new drug has been formulated which is intended to inhibit ulcer formation by absorbing excess stomach acid. However, some researchers predict that the resulting reduced levels of stomach acid will interfere with the stomach's ability to break down food.

The standard assumption of an interpretation of evidence reasoning pattern is that there is no other way to interpret the facts. Because this is a strengthen question, the correct answer will demonstrate that the evidence does lead to the conclusion. In other words, that because A new drug which is intended to inhibit ulcer formation by absorbing excess stomach acid will result in reduced levels of stomach acid, it can be concluded that the resulting reduced levels of stomach acid will interfere with the stomach's ability to break down food, and the body will compensate by producing more stomach acid. Evaluate the answer choices, looking for one that matches this idea.

Choice A: Correct. This choice is supported by the facts in the passage. If the new drug will reduce stomach acid below levels necessary to break food down, then the researchers’ prediction that the resulting reduced levels of stomach acid will interfere with the stomach's ability to break down food, and the body will compensate by producing more stomach acid is more likely to be true.

Choice B: No. Other drugs are out of scope. The passage only discusses a single new drug which is intended to inhibit ulcer formation by absorbing excess stomach acid.

Choice C: No. This answer choice weakens the argument. If Increased stomach acid production can be attributed to a number of factors, then it would be less reasonable to assume the new drug caused the increase in stomach acid production.

Choice D: No. The most effective way to treat ulcers is out of scope. The passage only discusses one way to inhibit ulcer formation.

Choice E: No. The long-term effects of agents that absorb stomach acid is out of scope. The passage only discusses one agent used to absorb excess stomach acid.

The correct answer is choice A.

ajaanrkhan · Answer

bb   Bunuel   daagh

I presumed that the author and the researchers are two different parties. The 1st sentence is by the author and what the researchers said is a contradictory point in the second line. Why are we assuming that the author is the researcher and author's argument is not the 1st line?

VerbalBot · Answer

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.

A new drug has been formulated which is intended to inhibit ulcer form

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

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

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards

GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) Questions

A new drug has been formulated which is intended to inhibit ulcer form

Prep Toolkit

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

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards