Critical Reasoning

A study of marital relationships in which one partner's sleeping and waking cycles differ from those of other partner reveals that such couples share fewer activities with each other and have more violent arguments than do couples in a relationship in which both partners follow the same sleeping and waking patterns . Thus, mismatched sleeping and waking cycles can seriously jeopardize a marriage.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above?

A) Married couples in which both spouses follow the same sleeping and waking patterns also occasionally have arguments that can jeopardize the couple's marriage.

B) the sleeping and waking cycles of individuals tend to vary from season to season.

C) the individuals who have sleeping and waking cycles that differ significantly from those of their spouses tend to argue little with colleagues at work.

D) people in unhappy marriages have been found to express hostility by adopting a different sleeping and waking cycle from that of their spouses.

E) according to a recent study, most people's sleeping and waking cycles can be controlled and modified easily.

OA D .. I chose A ..

Kindly provide explanations..!

Whenever u see such questions following a pattern:

X causes Y

and asked to weaken then always the potential answers can be

1) X does not causes Y

2) Y causes X

3) Z causes Y

Op D, the OA is same as (2) above.

Op A is clearly wrong. Always try to understand the feel of the question. The argument language is such that the argument is generalizing something, strongly saying (x causes Y). Op A's language is not undermining a general idea. again see the language, occasionally have arguments that can (means may be) affect marrige...see i can offer other explanation also, but believe me, if u feel the argument by trying to emphasis on the language then u can drop the Op'ns fast.

sainagalla wrote:A study of marital relationships in which one partner's sleeping and waking cycles differ from those of other partner reveals that such couples share fewer activities with each other and have more violent arguments than do couples in a relationship in which both partners follow the same sleeping and waking patterns . Thus, mismatched sleeping and waking cycles can seriously jeopardize a marriage.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above?

A) Married couples in which both spouses follow the same sleeping and waking patterns also occasionally have arguments that can jeopardize the couple's marriage.

B) the sleeping and waking cycles of individuals tend to vary from season to season.

C) the individuals who have sleeping and waking cycles that differ significantly from those of their spouses tend to argue little with colleagues at work.

D) people in unhappy marriages have been found to express hostility by adopting a different sleeping and waking cycle from that of their spouses.

E) according to a recent study, most people's sleeping and waking cycles can be controlled and modified easily.

OA D .. I chose A ..

Kindly provide explanations..!

Here the author confuses the 2 events, which may be correlated, with one caused the other.

According to the argument:
mismatched sleeping and waking cycles -->jeopardize a marriage

We can weaken the above by many ways, namely:
1. Alternate Explanation
2. Cause occurred, but the effect didn't
3. Effect occurred, but the cause didn't
4. Reverse causation
5. Evidence does not support the Causation.

A --> Same sleeping and walking Cycle IRRELEVANT
B --> Seasonal sleeping and walking Cycle IRRELEVANT
C --> Colleagues at work IRRELEVANT
D --> Reverse causationCORRECT
E --> IRRELEVANT