A physically active lifestyle has been shown to help increase longevity. In the Wistar region of Bellaria, the average age...
GMAT Critical Reasoning : (CR) Questions
A physically active lifestyle has been shown to help increase longevity. In the Wistar region of Bellaria, the average age at death is considerably higher than in any other part of the country. Wistar is the only mountainous part of Bellaria. A mountainous terrain makes even such basic activities as walking relatively strenuous; it essentially imposes a physically active lifestyle on people. Clearly, this circumstance explains the long lives of people in Wistar.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
Passage Analysis:
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
| A physically active lifestyle has been shown to help increase longevity. |
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| In the Wistar region of Bellaria, the average age at death is considerably higher than in any other part of the country. |
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| Wistar is the only mountainous part of Bellaria. |
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| A mountainous terrain makes even such basic activities as walking relatively strenuous; it essentially imposes a physically active lifestyle on people. |
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| Clearly, this circumstance explains the long lives of people in Wistar. |
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Argument Flow:
The argument starts with a general principle (physical activity increases longevity), then presents an observation (Wistar has longer lifespans), identifies what makes Wistar unique (mountains), explains how this uniqueness creates physical activity (mountains make daily life strenuous), and concludes this explains the longer lifespans.
Main Conclusion:
The mountainous terrain in Wistar explains why people there live longer than in other parts of Bellaria.
Logical Structure:
The argument uses causal reasoning: \(\mathrm{Physical\ Activity} \rightarrow \mathrm{Longevity}\) (general principle) + \(\mathrm{Mountains} \rightarrow \mathrm{Forced\ Physical\ Activity}\) (specific mechanism) + Wistar has Mountains (unique factor) = Mountains explain Wistar's longer lifespans. The logic assumes that the mountainous terrain is the cause of both increased physical activity and the observed longevity difference.
Prethinking:
Question type:
Weaken - We need to find information that reduces our belief in the conclusion that mountainous terrain explains the long lives of people in Wistar
Precision of Claims
The argument makes a causal claim that mountainous terrain (which forces physical activity) explains why Wistar has considerably higher average age at death than any other part of Bellaria
Strategy
To weaken this argument, we need to find alternative explanations for why Wistar people live longer, or show that the physical activity explanation doesn't hold up. We can attack the causal connection between mountains/physical activity and longevity in Wistar specifically, or show other factors are responsible for the longevity difference
This choice tells us that healthcare quality is equal across all regions in Bellaria since the government pays all medical expenses. While this eliminates healthcare access as an alternative explanation, it doesn't weaken the mountain terrain explanation - it actually strengthens it by ruling out other factors. This doesn't attack the core reasoning of the argument.
The argument doesn't claim that diet explains the longevity difference in Wistar - it specifically argues that physical activity from mountainous terrain is the cause. Saying that diet isn't significantly better in Wistar doesn't challenge the physical activity explanation, so this is irrelevant to weakening the argument.
This is our correct answer. If many Wistar residents moved there in middle age or retirement, their longevity was likely determined before they arrived in Wistar, not by the mountainous terrain. This suggests that people who were already healthy and likely to live longer chose to move to Wistar, rather than Wistar causing people to live longer. This directly challenges the causal relationship the argument proposes.
This information about Wistar being a vacation destination doesn't affect the argument about permanent residents. The argument is about people who live in Wistar, not tourists who visit temporarily. Vacation activities don't explain why permanent residents have higher average age at death.
Recreational spending levels don't relate to the argument's claim about mandatory physical activity from mountainous terrain. The argument isn't about recreational activities but about how mountains make basic daily activities more strenuous. This spending information is irrelevant to the core reasoning.