Critical Reasoning

Studies have shown that elderly people who practice a religion are much more likely to die immediately after an important religious holiday period than immediately before one. Researchers have concluded that the will to live can prolong life, at least for short periods of time.

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the researchers conclusion?

(A) Elderly people who practice a religion are less likely to die immediately before or during an important religious holiday than at any other time of the year.
(B) Elderly people who practice a religion appear to experience less anxiety at the prospect of dying than do other people.
(C) Some elderly people who do practice a religion live much longer than most elderly people who do not.
(D) Most elderly people who participate in religious holidays have different reasons for participating than young people do.
(E) Many religions have important holidays in the spring and fall, seasons with the lowest death rates for elderly people.

OA : A

Hi Verbal Experts - can you please share your thoughts on this CR ?

Although I got this one right, I'd like to know whether my understanding on why EXACTLY Option C is WRONG is correct or not ?

IMO,in C, it says that SOME ELDERLY PEOPLE who do practice a religion live much longer..., whereas the ARGUMENT talks about the ELDERLY PEOPLE in GENERAL. So, concluding about ELDERLY PEOPLE in GENERAL on the basis of what SOME ELDERLY PEOPLE do is NONSENSICAL (or AT LEAST NOT PROPER).

Correct me please if wrong.

P.S: Also,could you please shed some light that how the Option C would be perceived if it were JUST ELDERLY PEOPLE who do practice a religion live much longer... (i.e. SOME is dropped!) ?

IMO,in C, it says that SOME ELDERLY PEOPLE who do practice a religion live much longer..., whereas the ARGUMENT talks about the ELDERLY PEOPLE in GENERAL. So, concluding about ELDERLY PEOPLE in GENERAL on the basis of what SOME ELDERLY PEOPLE do is NONSENSICAL (or AT LEAST NOT PROPER).

Sure, that's reasonable. "Some" is an arbitrary number. If, say, three elderly people exhibit some characteristic, we surely can't deduce that elderly people in general have this characteristic.

P.S: Also,could you please shed some light that how the Option C would be perceived if it were JUST ELDERLY PEOPLE who do practice a religion live much longer... (i.e. SOME is dropped!) ?

It would still be problematic. The conclusion is that the will to live can prolong life. If someone is hanging on just long enough to enjoy a holiday, that would be consistent with this conclusion. But if religious people are simply living longer in general, there could be a number of factors in play. Perhaps religious people live longer because a spiritual practice lowers stress levels; maybe having a tightly knit religious community confers health benefits, etc. Put another way, this argument isn't just about people living longer, it's about what the timing of their deaths suggest about their will to live.

DavidG@VeritasPrep wrote:

IMO,in C, it says that SOME ELDERLY PEOPLE who do practice a religion live much longer..., whereas the ARGUMENT talks about the ELDERLY PEOPLE in GENERAL. So, concluding about ELDERLY PEOPLE in GENERAL on the basis of what SOME ELDERLY PEOPLE do is NONSENSICAL (or AT LEAST NOT PROPER).

Sure, that's reasonable. "Some" is an arbitrary number. If, say, three elderly people exhibit some characteristic, we surely can't deduce that elderly people in general have this characteristic.

Thanks for confirming!

DavidG@VeritasPrep wrote:

P.S: Also,could you please shed some light that how the Option C would be perceived if it were JUST ELDERLY PEOPLE who do practice a religion live much longer... (i.e. SOME is dropped!) ?

It would still be problematic. The conclusion is that the will to live can prolong life. If someone is hanging on just long enough to enjoy a holiday, that would be consistent with this conclusion. But if religious people are simply living longer in general, there could be a number of factors in play. Perhaps religious people live longer because a spiritual practice lowers stress levels; maybe having a tightly knit religious community confers health benefits, etc. Put another way, this argument isn't just about people living longer, it's about what the timing of their deaths suggest about their will to live.

I think, I'm able to understand your point. The point here is NOT comparing the elderly people who do practice a religion and elderly people who do not in terms of living longer. Rather in this ARGUMENT, CONCLUSION is will to live can prolong life, so FOCUS should be PARTICULARLY on this aspect. And based on this consideration A is a far better choice than EVEN the MODIFIED C. Right ?

I think, I'm able to understand your point. The point here is NOT comparing the elderly people who do practice a religion and elderly people who do not in terms of living longer. Rather in this ARGUMENT, CONCLUSION is will to live can prolong life, so FOCUS should be PARTICULARLY on this aspect. And based on this consideration A is a far better choice than EVEN the MODIFIED C. Right ?

Precisely.