Advertisement: Researchers studied a group of people trying to lose we

Question

Advertisement: Researchers studied a group of people trying to lose weight and discovered that those in the group who lost the most weight got more calories from protein than from carbohydrates and ate their biggest meal early in the day. So anyone who follows our diet, which provides more calories from protein than from anything else and which requires that breakfast be the biggest meal of the day, is sure to lose weight.

The reasoning in the advertisement is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the advertisement overlooks the possibility that

(A) eating foods that derive a majority of their calories from carbohydrates tends to make one feel fuller than does eating foods that derive a majority of their calories from protein

(B) a few of the people in the group studied who lost significant amounts of weight got nearly all of their calories from carbohydrates and ate their biggest meal at night

(C) the people in the group studied who increased their activity levels lost more weight, on average, than those who did not, regardless of whether they got more calories from protein or from carbohydrates

(D) some people in the group studied lost no weight yet got more calories from protein than from carbohydrates and ate their biggest meal early in the day

(E) people who eat their biggest meal at night tend to snack more during the day and so tend to take in more total calories than do people who eat their biggest meal earlier in the day

Bunuel · Accepted Answer

EXPLANATION FROM Fox LSAT

The advertisement takes two characteristics of people who lost weight (high protein, big breakfast) and draws the conclusion that as long as you do those two things, you are sure to lose weight. This is patently ridiculous. What if the people who lost weight also ran five miles three times a day? It’s possible that exercise was the dominant factor here, and that the dietary factors were purely coincidental. Furthermore, it’s also possible that the people who did  not  lose weight in the study ate an even  higher  percentage of protein than did the ones who lost weight, and ate an even  bigger  breakfast! Does the argument say otherwise? No, it doesn’t.

Be critical . This advertisement, like most LSAT arguments, makes no sense.

We’re asked to find a flaw in the argument, an “overlooked possibility.” I’m hoping one of our predictions above might be right on target.

A) I don’t see how “feeling fuller” has anything to do with the argument. It wasn’t mentioned in the argument. Plus there’s no connection in this answer choice to actually losing weight. We’d have to speculate that “feeling fuller leads to losing weight.” We don’t know that, because it wasn’t presented as a premise. Since we’re looking for something that crushes the given logic, this ain’t it.

B) The point isn’t that this isn’t the  only  diet. The point is “this diet works.” Even if B is true, it doesn’t prove that this particular advertised diet won’t work. So this can’t be the answer.

C) This could be it, because it’s similar to our “what about exercise?” objection above. If this is true, then it directly connects the people who lost weight in the study to an additional factor (exercise) that is unrelated to diet. Still, even if this is true, it doesn’t prove that the diet doesn’t work. (It only proves that exercise  does  work.) We’ll pick C if we hate everything else.

D) At first this seemed irrelevant, because some things that work generally don’t work for everyone. But, on further consideration, this looks pretty good. The conclusion was, “Anyone who follows our diet is sure to lose weight.” That’s absolute: the ad is claiming it works for everyone. But if D is true, then in the study, there were people who followed the magical high protein / big breakfast prescription and did not lose weight! So how, then, can the advertisement be sure that the high protein / big breakfast diet will work? This is the best answer so far.

E) This would seem to be a strengthener rather than a weakener.

Our answer is D.

Sumi1010 · Answer

This is a very common weakening problem structure.

- There is an study suggesting something 
- Based on the study, there is a hard-toned conclusion (comprises of words Must, Sure, certainly, All etc).

The approach to tackle such problem is very common sensical.
 Ask -  Does the sample/group in the study adequately represent the common/all/mass claimed in the conclusion?

Look for the gap that says that study group is not the right representative.

(A) eating foods that derive a majority of their calories from carbohydrates tends to  make one feel fuller  than does eating foods that derive a majority of their calories from protein
 "feeling fuller" has nothing to do with losing actual weight.  
(B)  a few  of the people in the group studied who lost significant amounts of weight got nearly all of their calories from carbohydrates and ate their biggest meal at night
 This choice just says that there is some exception. 
Study says -  Doing X resulted in Y. 
Conclusion is :  If you do X, you will surely get Y.  
This choice says :  Even if some people did not do X, they got Y. 
Does this say that Doing X will not result Y? 
No. 
(C) the people in the group studied  who increased their activity levels  lost more weight, on average, than those who did not, regardless of whether they got more calories from protein or from carbohydrates
 This choice says that getting calories from protein is NOT the ONLY way to reduce weight. 
But, getting calories from protein is still the way to reduce the weight. 
(D) some people in the group studied lost no weight yet got more calories from protein than from carbohydrates and ate their biggest meal early in the day
 Conclusion is :  If you do X, you will surely get Y.  
This choice says :  In the study, some people did X, they did NOT got Y. 
Thus, the study does not actually represent the common case claimed in the conclusion. 
This weakens the conclusion. 
(E)  people who eat their biggest meal at night  tend to snack more during the day and so tend to take in more total calories than do people who eat their biggest meal earlier in the day
 The argument does not talk about such people. It talks about those who take biggest meals at earliest.

Thus  D.

100mitra · Answer

Correct Option D  
Advertisement: 
 Information:  
- Researchers studied a group of people trying to lose weight 
- discovered that those in the group who lost the most weight 
 Premise:  Got more calories from protein than from carbohydrates
- ate their biggest meal early in the day. 
 Conclusion:  
- Diet provides more calories from protein than from anything else 
- requires that breakfast be the biggest meal of the day, 
- is sure to lose weight.
 Assumption:  Biggest meal breakfast will give more protein and lose weight

The reasoning in the advertisement is  most vulnerable to criticism  on the grounds that the advertisement overlooks the possibility that

(A) eating foods that 
- derive a majority of their calories from carbohydrates 
- tends to make  one feel fuller than does eating foods  that 
- derive a majority of their calories from protein
 Wrong:  This focus on more calories from carbohydrates, not on breakfast, or protein or intake, this doesn’t contribute anything to conclusion or dent assumption.

(B) a few of the people in the group studied 
- who  lost  significant amounts of  weight  got nearly 
- all of their calories  from carbohydrates  and 
- ate their  biggest meal at night 
 Wrong:  The other part of another conclusion, but lack to find flaw in increase of protein and reduction of carbohydrates, and big meal breakfast advantage or disadvantages

(C) the people in the group studied 
-  who increased their activity levels  lost more weight, on average, than those 
-  who did not,  regardless of whether they got more calories from protein or from carbohydrates
 Wrong:  This stem gives more focus on Activity led to weight loss, not the Diet

(D) some people in the group studied 
-  lost no weight  yet got more calories 
-  from protein  than from carbohydrates and
- ate their  biggest meal early in the day 
 Correct:  this raises the question and led to criticism, what make weight not loss, as per diet, and why it did not work on all the people, who plan to do similar diet

(E)  people who eat their biggest meal at night  tend to snack more during the day and so tend to take in more total calories than do 
 people who eat their biggest meal earlier in the day 
 Wrong:  Irrelevant to conclusion to follow diet, it more emphasis on comparison between day eater and night eater

VerbalBot · Answer

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