Critical Reasoning

Recent advances in surgical procedures have not decreased the average time for recovery from medical operations. Compared to ten years ago, the average post-operative hospital stay for patients undergoing surgery at the ten largest hospitals has actually increased by four days. Although mortality rates for operative procedures are much lower, patients are requiring more time to recover from these procedures. Clearly, the quality of operative and post-operative care is declining. The medical community should be very concerned about this grave problem.


All of the following, if true, weaken the argument above EXCEPT:


a)Operative and post-operative mortality rates are the most accurate indicators of quality of medical care.
b)Fewer than thirty percent of beds in the largest hospitals are occupied by patients recovering from surgery.
c)In the past ten years, innovations have allowed previously inoperable conditions to be treated successfully by major surgery.
d)Every year, many surgical procedures that previously required hospital stays are simplified enough that they can safely be performed in outpatient clinics.
e)Average surgical recovery time, measured by hospital stay plus time spent disabled from normal activities at home, has decreased by twelve percent in the last ten years.

The correct answer is b but how??

In other words, which of the following doesnt weaken the argument.

a)Operative and post-operative mortality rates are the most accurate indicators of quality of medical care. Recovery time is the indicator.
b)Fewer than thirty percent of beds in the largest hospitals are occupied by patients recovering from surgery. Lets say for example 29% of beds in the largest hospitals are occupied by patients recovering from surgery today. We are not told what % of beds were occupied 10 years ago. The number could be 10%,15%, 20% etc. Therefore this option doesnt weaken the argument.
c)In the past ten years, innovations have allowed previously inoperable conditions to be treated successfully by major surgery. The argument is about recovery time and quality of operative and post-operative care not innovation.
d)Every year, many surgical procedures that previously required hospital stays are simplified enough that they can safely be performed in outpatient clinics. The argument is about recovery time and quality of operative and post-operative care not where the operation is done.
e)Average surgical recovery time, measured by hospital stay plus time spent disabled from normal activities at home, has decreased by twelve percent in the last ten years. The argument is that the recovery time increase whereas this option is saying the opposite.

What is the role of the other answer choices? I think they don't weaken the argument...

talaangoshtari wrote:What is the role of the other answer choices? I think they don't weaken the argument...

Hi talaangoshtari,

The other choices (a,c,d,e) weakens the argument.There are 2 ways to weaken an argument:
case 1) you say something opposite of the argument
case 2) you do not say anything to support the argument

For example: the argument is that I am 6 ft tall. To weaken the argument, we have
case 1) I am 4ft tall
case 2) I weigh 200 pounds

For this question:
option a) does not say anything to support the argument / says something opposite of the argument
option c) does not say anything to support the argument
option d) does not say anything to support the argument
option e) says something opposite of the argument