smokers and snorers

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smokers and snorers

by raunekk » Wed Jun 04, 2008 10:56 am
12.A recent study found that snoring, though not common in either group, is more common among smokers than among nonsmokers. On the basis of this evidence, the author hypothesized that smoking by itself can induce snoring.
Which one of the following, if true, casts the most doubt on the author’s hypothesis?
(A) Stress induces both snoring and smoking in certain individuals.
(B) Obesity induces many individuals to smoke.
(C) Most snorers do not smoke.
(D) Most smokers do not snore.
(E) Both smoking and snoring cause throat problems.

y d answer is A...i went for c but its wrong.
Source: — Critical Reasoning |

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by durgesh79 » Thu Jun 05, 2008 8:23 am
Lets check C with example.

Suppose there are 100 smokers, out of 10 snore - 10%
and there are 1000 non smokesr, out of 50 snore - 5%

So as per statement, snoring is more common in smokers (10% vs 5%) and most snores (50) do not smoke. Perfectly fitting the satetment. So C doesnt provide doubt on hypothesis.

Option A on the other hand, provides an alternate reason for the higher % of smokers who snore. That means the reason provided by auther is not true.

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by chidcguy » Thu Jun 05, 2008 4:11 pm
In CR, When ever there is a statement like X alone causes Y look for statements that say Z can cause Y

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by lunarpower » Fri Jun 13, 2008 12:24 am
chidcguy wrote:In CR, When ever there is a statement like X alone causes Y look for statements that say Z can cause Y
correct.

in other words, if a passage goes from a premise stating a correlation to a conclusion stating causation, then the passage MUST be based on a big assumption: namely, it casts aside all other possible explanations for the observed correlation.

therefore, simply find the answer choice that posits a reasonable alternative explanation for the correlation at hand, and you're done.
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by peter.p.81 » Wed May 11, 2016 12:18 am
I'd say C but I'm afraid more because of my intuition than any logic.