A study was designed to learn the effects of meditation on people

Question

A study was designed to learn the effects of meditation on people suffering from behavioral disorders such as uncontrollable anger and extreme anxiety. The researchers gathered two groups of patients, alike in the severity of these disorders, for this study. To the first group, techniques of meditation were taught for about a week, along with regular medication. To the other group, only the regular medications were offered for a week. When the behaviors of both the groups were observed after a week, it was found that both groups continued to exhibit similar behavioral traits as before. The researchers then concluded that meditation does not improve the effectiveness of medication in any significant way.

Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the researchers’ conclusion?

(A) The improvements in behavioral patterns are difficult to judge and the methods used to observe improvement were not very comprehensive.

(B) Continual practice of meditation for about a month is required for any beginner to internalize the meditation techniques to experience an influence on chronic behavioral issues.

(C) Only some techniques of meditation can be mastered under a training program but medication does its job well upon immediate consumption.

(D) Medication is often sufficient for patients of behavioral disorders such as uncontrollable anger and extreme anxiety for overcoming these disorders.

(E) Before the experiment, the first group had little knowledge about meditation while the second group was asked to read about the general benefits of meditation.

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gloomybison · Answer

(A) The improvements in behavioral patterns are difficult to judge and the methods used to observe improvement were not very comprehensive.
It can be difficult but it doesn't necessarily undermine researcher's arriving at a conclusion

(B) Continual practice of meditation for about a month is required for any beginner to internalize the meditation techniques to experience an influence on chronic behavioral issues.
 Correct 
Paragraph says that researchers concluded after a week that meditation has no effect. However this one says that in order to see improvements you need at least a month

(C) Only some techniques of meditation can be mastered under a training program but medication does its job well upon immediate consumption.
This one doesn't really add any value

(D) Medication is often sufficient for patients of behavioral disorders such as uncontrollable anger and extreme anxiety for overcoming these disorders.
This one is pretty much in line with researchers argument

(E) Before the experiment, the first group had little knowledge about meditation while the second group was asked to read about the general benefits of meditation.
This one doesn't really offer anything tangible

Bunuel · Answer

Experts' Global Video Explanation:

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DrNocturnal · Answer

B talks about chronic behavioral issues. That's why didn't mark it ..

Posted from my mobile device

SomethingSomw · Answer

Option B specifies that it takes a month to have 'Influence on Chronic Behavioral Issues", it does not mean that its influence on efficacy of Medicine overall should occur only after a month. Sure its up to interpretation whether the word 'influence' should encompass medication effects aswell or not, but that just means that it should not be a strong Weakener for the Argument.

Option A on the other hand casts a doubt on the Credibility of the research outcome, basically discarding the sole supporter of their conclusion. This seemed like a better answer to me.

MartyMurray ,  KarishmaB ,  ExpertsGlobal  is there any specific rule that i should be following here to make a better choice among such options?

MartyMurray · Answer

(A) is a classic trap choice in a Weaken question.

Notice that it doesn't really change what we know. It just says that judging behavioral patterns is difficult.

OK, great. It's difficult, but according to the passage, they "found that both groups continued to exhibit similar behavioral traits as before." So, it appears that the researchers succeeded in making the difficult judgments.

Simply put, the correct answer to this question can't work by saying that, actually, that was not "found" because finding that would be too difficult.

Admittedly this CR question isn't ideally written because (A) goes at little too far, saying that the "methods ... were not very comprehensive." So, (A) is close to being arguably correct. Still, given how much better (B) is, we can go with (B).

(B) is better because, rather than seeming to conflict with the stated facts, (B) brings up a new fact. Sure, there weren't any improvements, but the participants didn't even have time to learn to meditate effectively. So, it's possible that meditation would have worked well had they been given more time.

So, probably, the fact that the question could be more precisely constructed threw you off a little, but anyway, that's what's going on.

KarishmaB · Answer

Both A and B do the same thing - give you a flaw of the study conducted. I would take both to be weakeners.
(A) - ...  the methods used to observe improvement were not very comprehensive.
(B) - It takes a month to experience an influence on chronic behavioral issues (whether they directly impact the person's physiology or the way the medicine interacts - I would put all under "issues").

After reading option (B), I went back to the question stem wondering whether the question mentioned "EXCEPT" that I missed.

A study was designed to learn the effects of meditation on people

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A study was designed to learn the effects of meditation on people

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