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Zinc lozenges

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rx_11 Rising GMAT Star
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Zinc lozenges Post Mon Nov 29, 2010 2:36 am
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  • Lap #[LAPCOUNT] ([LAPTIME])
    Though sucking zinc lozenges has been promoted as a treatment for the common cold, research has revealed no consistent effect. Recently, however, a zinc gel applied nasally has been shown to greatly reduce the duration of colds. Since the gel contains zinc in the same form and concentration as the lozenges, the greater effectiveness of the gel must be due to the fact that cold viruses tend to concentrate in the nose, not the mouth.

    In order to evaluate the argument, it would be most helpful to determine which of the following?

    A. Whether zinc is effective only against colds, or also has an effect on other virally caused diseases
    B. Whether there are remedies that do not contain zinc but that, when taken orally, can reduce the duration of colds
    C. Whether people who frequently catch colds have a zinc deficiency
    D. Whether either the zinc gel or the lozenges contain ingredients that have an impact on the activity of the zinc
    E. Whether the zinc gel has an effect on the severity of cold symptoms, as well as on their duration


    Hi, everyone,

    I can't find the correct answer because I even don't know which sentense is the conclusion. I think this article only contains some facts with no conclusion. Guys plz have a try and cite the conclusion.

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    shovan85 Community Manager
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    Post Mon Nov 29, 2010 3:10 am
    rx_11 wrote:
    Though sucking zinc lozenges has been promoted as a treatment for the common cold, research has revealed no consistent effect. Recently, however, a zinc gel applied nasally has been shown to greatly reduce the duration of colds. Since the gel contains zinc in the same form and concentration as the lozenges, the greater effectiveness of the gel must be due to the fact that cold viruses tend to concentrate in the nose, not the mouth.

    In order to evaluate the argument, it would be most helpful to determine which of the following?
    The Red Bold part is the argument to be evaluated . This is a "relevant information" type question which is a hybrid of both Strengthen and Weaken Question. In the correct choice, one answer to the question will strengthen the argument and the opposite answer will weaken the argument.

    Our objective here is to figure out why the gel is more effective than the lozenge.

    A. Whether zinc is effective only against colds, or also has an effect on other virally caused diseases

    B. Whether there are remedies that do not contain zinc but that, when taken orally, can reduce the duration of colds
    Both lozenge and gel contains zinc, so no point in talking about remedies that do not contain zinc

    C. Whether people who frequently catch colds have a zinc deficiency

    D. Whether either the zinc gel or the lozenges contain ingredients that have an impact on the activity of the zinc

    If the gel and lozenge DO contain ingredients that impact the effectiveness of the zinc, the author's argument is weakened, since those ingredients could be responsible for the difference in effectiveness.

    E. Whether the zinc gel has an effect on the severity of cold symptoms, as well as on their duration

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    Post Mon Nov 29, 2010 4:31 am
    I'm going with B on this one.
    Premise #1- Though sucking zinc lozenges has been promoted as a treatment for the common cold, research has revealed no consistent effect.
    Counter to #1 - a zinc gel applied nasally has been shown to greatly reduce the duration of colds.
    Premise #2 - gel contains zinc in the same form and concentration as the lozenges.
    Conclusion drawn from #2 - greater effectiveness of the gel must be due to the fact that cold viruses tend to concentrate in the nose, not the mouth.
    B - If there are remedies when taken orally reduce the duration of colds then weakens the claim. If there are no remedies then zinc is the only one when taken orally reduces colds, then the argument is strengthened.

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    Post Mon Nov 29, 2010 6:58 am
    rx_11 wrote:
    Though sucking zinc lozenges has been promoted as a treatment for the common cold, research has revealed no consistent effect. Recently, however, a zinc gel applied nasally has been shown to greatly reduce the duration of colds. Since the gel contains zinc in the same form and concentration as the lozenges, the greater effectiveness of the gel must be due to the fact that cold viruses tend to concentrate in the nose, not the mouth.

    In order to evaluate the argument, it would be most helpful to determine which of the following?

    A. Whether zinc is effective only against colds, or also has an effect on other virally caused diseases
    B. Whether there are remedies that do not contain zinc but that, when taken orally, can reduce the duration of colds
    C. Whether people who frequently catch colds have a zinc deficiency
    D. Whether either the zinc gel or the lozenges contain ingredients that have an impact on the activity of the zinc
    E. Whether the zinc gel has an effect on the severity of cold symptoms, as well as on their duration


    Hi, everyone,

    I can't find the correct answer because I even don't know which sentense is the conclusion. I think this article only contains some facts with no conclusion. Guys plz have a try and cite the conclusion.
    i am going with D for this CR.
    if both zinc fel or the lozenges contain ingredients that have an impacts on the activity of the zinc, both have its effect on cold problem, thus the questions is which medicine is better and whether the the cold virus concentrate on the nose are not important, and are not at hands anymore

    ankur.agrawal Really wants to Beat The GMAT!
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    Post Mon Nov 29, 2010 8:35 am
    I Go with B. Reason:

    The understanding here is basically:

    * Zinc- is it good for treating Common Cold or not

    * Nasal or Oral - Which one is better?

    So if we ask the question: What if we use any other material other than zinc & whether it behaves the same way or not will provide us with an insight/or we can actually crosscheque whether the effects of zinc being mentioned is actually true or not.

    This should be the logic. Hope i explained it clearly.

    rkanthilal Really wants to Beat The GMAT!
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    Post Mon Nov 29, 2010 9:30 am
    I'm going with B

    P1: Though sucking zinc lozenges has been promoted as a treatment for the common cold, research has revealed no consistent effect.
    P2: A zinc gel applied nasally has been shown to greatly reduce the duration of colds.
    P3: The gel contains zinc in the same form and concentration as the lozenges
    C1: The greater effectiveness of the gel must be due to the fact that cold viruses tend to concentrate in the nose, not the mouth.

    In order to evaluate the argument, it would be most helpful to determine which of the following?

    The conclusion is that the effectiveness of the gel is due to the fact that cold viruses tend to concentrate in the nose and not in the mouth. To evaluate this conclusion we need additional information on the correlation between where a medication is applied and the effectiveness of that medication. It would be helpful if we could see other instances where a medication taken nasally is effective (this would strengthen the conclusion) or conversely instances where a medication taken orally is effective (this would weaken the conclusion).

    A. "Whether zinc is effective only against colds, or also has an effect on other virally caused diseases" Incorrect. The conclusion is about zinc's effect on colds when the medication is taken nasally. What effect zinc has on other diseases is irrelevant. It does not help us evaluate this conclusion.

    B. "Whether there are remedies that do not contain zinc but that, when taken orally, can reduce the duration of colds" Correct. The conclusion is that the zinc gel medication works because it is taken nasally. This information is helpful because if there are other medications that work when taken orally, the conclusion that the nose is the critical factor is weakened. Therefore, this information helps us evaluate the conclusion

    C. "Whether people who frequently catch colds have a zinc deficiency" Incorrect. This does not help evaluate the conclusion. If people who frequently catch colds have a zinc deficiency then any method of ingesting zinc should help treat their symptoms.

    D. "Whether either the zinc gel or the lozenges contain ingredients that have an impact on the activity of the zinc" Incorrect. The conclusion is not that the zinc gel must contain different ingredients than the zinc lozenge. The conclusion is that where the medication is applied is what makes the difference.

    Let's assume that, in fact, the zinc gel is chemically different than the zinc lozenge. Does this help us evaluate this conclusion? No. The fact that the medications are different doesn't do anything to help prove or disprove that the nose is the critical factor. Even if the medications are different the conclusion can still be true. It can still be true that cold viruses tend to concentrate in the nose and that is the reason why the gel medication is effective.

    On the other hand, maybe the gel's effectiveness is caused by the differences in the gel medication's ingredients. We don't know either way. This answer does not provide any additional information that can help us evaluate whether the nose is the critical factor. Therefore, this answer does not help us evaluate the conclusion.

    E. "Whether the zinc gel has an effect on the severity of cold symptoms, as well as on their duration" Incorrect. Whether the zinc gel has an effect on the severity of cold symptoms, as well as on their duration is not important in evaluating the conclusion. We want to know how important is it to administer the medication nasally. This answer does not provide any information in that regard.

    BellTheGMAT Rising GMAT Star
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    Post Mon Nov 29, 2010 10:06 am
    rx_11 wrote:
    Though sucking zinc lozenges has been promoted as a treatment for the common cold, research has revealed no consistent effect. Recently, however, a zinc gel applied nasally has been shown to greatly reduce the duration of colds. Since the gel contains zinc in the same form and concentration as the lozenges, the greater effectiveness of the gel must be due to the fact that cold viruses tend to concentrate in the nose, not the mouth.

    In order to evaluate the argument, it would be most helpful to determine which of the following?

    A. Whether zinc is effective only against colds, or also has an effect on other virally caused diseases
    B. Whether there are remedies that do not contain zinc but that, when taken orally, can reduce the duration of colds
    C. Whether people who frequently catch colds have a zinc deficiency
    D. Whether either the zinc gel or the lozenges contain ingredients that have an impact on the activity of the zinc
    E. Whether the zinc gel has an effect on the severity of cold symptoms, as well as on their duration

    IMO D - I would go with shovan85 reasoning. One reason for "effectiveness of gel" is proximity of virus to nose. If we can find some other reason for such effectiveness, then "conclusion" would weaken. And as per D, it states about another reason which may strengthen/ weaken such observation of effectiveness depending upon yes/ no answer.

    OA plz...

    rx_11 Rising GMAT Star
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    Post Tue Nov 30, 2010 1:25 am
    OA is D

    Thanks guys!

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    Post Fri Dec 17, 2010 6:55 am
    [quote="shovan85"]
    rx_11 wrote:
    Though sucking zinc lozenges has been promoted as a treatment for the common cold, research has revealed no consistent effect. Recently, however, a zinc gel applied nasally has been shown to greatly reduce the duration of colds. Since the gel contains zinc in the same form and concentration as the lozenges, the greater effectiveness of the gel must be due to the fact that cold viruses tend to concentrate in the nose, not the mouth.

    In order to evaluate the argument, it would be most helpful to determine which of the following?

    The Red Bold part is the argument to be evaluated . This is a "relevant information" type question which is a hybrid of both Strengthen and Weaken Question. In the correct choice, one answer to the question will strengthen the argument and the opposite answer will weaken the argument.

    Our objective here is to figure out why the gel is more effective than the lozenge.

    A. Whether zinc is effective only against colds, or also has an effect on other virally caused diseases

    B. Whether there are remedies that do not contain zinc but that, when taken orally, can reduce the duration of colds
    Both lozenge and gel contains zinc, so no point in talking about remedies that do not contain zinc

    C. Whether people who frequently catch colds have a zinc deficiency

    D. Whether either the zinc gel or the lozenges contain ingredients that have an impact on the activity of the zinc

    If the gel and lozenge DO contain ingredients that impact the effectiveness of the zinc, the author's argument is weakened, since those ingredients could be responsible for the difference in effectiveness.

    E. Whether the zinc gel has an effect on the severity of cold symptoms, as well as on their duration

    I'm not 100% with D... i think B as an option is also good... You have highlighted the greater effectiveness of the gel [/color][/b]... we should also include the portion that this must be due to the fact that cold viruses tend to concentrate in the nose, not the mouth.
    We need to evaluate the entire piece... experts please give me a convincing solution... what is the source of the q...

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    Post Fri Dec 17, 2010 12:56 pm
    This has been discussed on Manhattan forum at http://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/cr-crack-gmat-test-q-t692.html.
    D is the best answer ("best of bad").

    Thanks

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    Post Sun Jan 16, 2011 2:32 am
    Is this a Manhattan Gmat Cat Question ?

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    Post Sun Jan 16, 2011 12:22 pm
    What's the source? I go with D.

    Conclusion is, verbatim, the greater effectiveness of the gel must be due to the fact that cold viruses tend to concentrate in the nose, not the mouth. This tells us that the author thinks that it's HOW it's taken that explains the difference in effectiveness.

    (A) Whether zinc is effective only against colds, or also has an effect on other virally caused diseases

    Out of scope. We don't care about zinc's effect on other things.

    (B) Whether there are remedies that do not contain zinc but that, when taken orally, can reduce the duration of colds

    Doesn't help. If there are other remedies that can reduce the duration of colds, that doesn't really tell us about the oral ingestion of zinc tablets. Just because it works orally for one remedy, it doesn't hold true for the other.

    (C) Whether people who frequently catch colds have a zinc deficiency

    Doesn't help. If we know people who catch colds have a zinc deficiency, it doesn't matter. All we know is that zinc deficiency affects the rate of catching a cold. It doesn't help us to evaluate why nasal ingestion is better than oral ingestion.

    (D) Whether either the zinc gel or the lozenges contain ingredients that have an impact on the activity of the zinc

    Answer. This tells us whether the zinc in the tablets are affected by the differences in ingredients in the lozenges and tablets. If it's the ingredients that affects the zinc, then it doesn't matter whether it's taken orally or through the nasal passages.

    (E) Whether the zinc gel has an effect on the severity of cold symptoms, as well as on their duration.

    We don't care about the effect of zinc on the severity of the cold.

    rx_11 Rising GMAT Star
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    Post Sat Jan 22, 2011 10:00 am
    This one should be a prep question because I only do official problem. I remember that it is a prep question.

    Sorry guys, i'll post the source next time.

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    Post Sat Jan 22, 2011 5:12 pm
    The conclusion is : the greater effectiveness of the gel must be due to the fact that cold viruses tend to concentrate in the nose, not the mouth.

    D is the answer as we do not need to know about the duration but we do need to know if there are differences(chemicals,ingredients,etc.) between the lozenges or nasal products[/quote]

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    Post Thu Apr 14, 2011 10:47 am
    IMO (D).

    (A) Whether zinc is effective only against colds, or also has an effect on other virally caused diseases. --> other diseases out of scope.

    (B) Whether there are remedies that do not contain zinc but that, when taken orally, can reduce the duration of colds. --> other remedies out of scope.

    (C) Whether people who frequently catch colds have a zinc deficiency. --> point here is the comparison between zinc lozenges and gels. Zinc deficiency does not help.

    (D) Whether either the zinc gel or the lozenges contain ingredients that have an impact on the activity of the zinc --> POE - Yes.

    (E) Whether the zinc gel has an effect on the severity of cold symptoms, as well as on their duration --> symptoms, duration - Who cares?

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