Critical Reasoning

A certain drug, when taken by patients with high blood pressures, was found to lower the blood pressure to high-normal levels, or from an average of 30 percent to an average of 10 percent above normal. However a survey of patients with normal blood pressures found that almost 80 percent exercised atleast 5 days per week for 30 minutes and maintained a normal blood pressure.
Therefore, the drug is not as affective in reducing blood pressure in patients with high blood pressure as is exercise. The validity of the above conclusion depends on the truth of which of the following ?

A.None of the patients with high blood pressure exercise regularly.
B. No patient with high blood pressure successfully achieved below-normal levels with drug alone.
C. Patients with normal blood-pressure maintained healthy diets for the duration of the study.
D. Daily exercise has the same effect on the blood pressures in all patients.
E. The drug has little or no effects on patients with normal blood pressures.

Is it D??

IMO A.

IMO A.. what is OA?

IMO D

it's D. note that pts who took the drug have HIGH blood pressue and pts who excercised have NORMAL blood pressue. their conditions are different. therefore, in order to come to the conclusion that this drug doen't work , the assumption must be D.[/quote]

To airan,
please post the OA.
IMO . A

IMO D

Hi isabella,

it's D. note that pts who took the drug have HIGH blood pressue and pts who excercised have NORMAL blood pressue. their conditions are different. therefore, in order to come to the conclusion that this drug doen't work , the assumption must be D.

I dont think the question asks you to strengthen the conclusion. It is just asking on which option the validity of the conclusion depends.

If None of the patients with high blood pressure exercise regularly then u can validate the effectiveness of the drug.

Please correct me if i am wrong.

I go with D,

OA is D.

Hi,

I dont think the question asks you to strengthen the conclusion. It is just asking on which option the validity of the conclusion depends.

If None of the patients with high blood pressure exercise regularly then u can validate the effectiveness of the drug

Can any one explain my doubt ?

Regards,
Vignesh

I think the answer is D.
because A is unfounded. we don't know if patients' with high blood pressure exercise regularly or not. it was not assumed.

Is this an assumption question?

If so, A actually shd be an assumption for the argument to hold aight?? In the stimulus it is given that exercise allows the body to maintain normal blood pressure for ppl with normal blood pressure.. D says that exercise will have same effects on all ppl.. if D has to be correct and meet the conclusion, we have to once again assume that regular exercising will actually change any type of blood pressure to normal blood pressure,,

Could someone pls explain A and D? and why A is wrong? and D is correct?

thanks!

The official answer is D. But I don't understand why? Can anyone explain