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by gmat_perfect » Tue Mar 09, 2010 7:00 pm
Among people who experience migraine headaches, some experience what doctors call "common" migraines, whereas others experience "classical" migraines. Siblings and spouses of common migraine sufferers are themselves twice as likely as the general population to experience common migraines. Siblings of classical migraine sufferers are four times more likely than the general population to experience classical migraines, whereas spouses of classical migraine sufferers are no more likely than the general population to experience such headaches.

The information above provides the most support for which of the following hypotheses?

(A) Susceptibility to classical migraines is more dependent on hereditary factors than is susceptibility to common migraines.
(B) Unmarried adults are more likely to suffer from classical migraines than they are to suffer from common migraines.
(C) People who do not experience migraine headaches are unlikely to have spouses who are migraine headache sufferers.
(D) Children of people who suffer from common migraines are not more likely than the general population to experience a common migraine.
(E) Between one-quarter and one-half of the general population suffer from either common or classical migraine headaches.

OA: A

I have a question: Why should we not choose C? What is the main problem in C?
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Source: — Critical Reasoning |

by Phirozz » Tue Mar 09, 2010 8:38 pm
gmat_perfect wrote:Among people who experience migraine headaches, some experience what doctors call "common" migraines, whereas others experience "classical" migraines. Siblings and spouses of common migraine sufferers are themselves twice as likely as the general population to experience common migraines. Siblings of classical migraine sufferers are four times more likely than the general population to experience classical migraines, whereas spouses of classical migraine sufferers are no more likely than the general population to experience such headaches.

The information above provides the most support for which of the following hypotheses?

(A) Susceptibility to classical migraines is more dependent on hereditary factors than is susceptibility to common migraines.
(B) Unmarried adults are more likely to suffer from classical migraines than they are to suffer from common migraines.
(C) People who do not experience migraine headaches are unlikely to have spouses who are migraine headache sufferers.
(D) Children of people who suffer from common migraines are not more likely than the general population to experience a common migraine.
(E) Between one-quarter and one-half of the general population suffer from either common or classical migraine headaches.

OA: A

I have a question: Why should we not choose C? What is the main problem in C?
Have a look at last sentence ie whereas spouses of classical migraine sufferers are no more likely than the general population to experience such headaches., spouses of migraine sufferers may not experience migraine which eliminates C
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by reply2spg » Tue Mar 09, 2010 9:18 pm
This is the inference question. A is correct because there from passage it is clear that 'Siblings, and not spouse, of classical migraine sufferers from classical migraine. Siblings, and not spouse, comes in hereditary chain.
gmat_perfect wrote:Among people who experience migraine headaches, some experience what doctors call "common" migraines, whereas others experience "classical" migraines. Siblings and spouses of common migraine sufferers are themselves twice as likely as the general population to experience common migraines. Siblings of classical migraine sufferers are four times more likely than the general population to experience classical migraines, whereas spouses of classical migraine sufferers are no more likely than the general population to experience such headaches.

The information above provides the most support for which of the following hypotheses?

(A) Susceptibility to classical migraines is more dependent on hereditary factors than is susceptibility to common migraines.
(B) Unmarried adults are more likely to suffer from classical migraines than they are to suffer from common migraines.
(C) People who do not experience migraine headaches are unlikely to have spouses who are migraine headache sufferers. - This is not correct because in that case 50% of all married couples have migraine headaches, which is not mentioned in the passage.
(D) Children of people who suffer from common migraines are not more likely than the general population to experience a common migraine.
(E) Between one-quarter and one-half of the general population suffer from either common or classical migraine headaches.

OA: A

I have a question: Why should we not choose C? What is the main problem in C?
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by BlindVision » Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:29 pm
This CR gave me a migraine headache :?
Life is a Test
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by winniethepooh » Tue Jul 26, 2011 5:03 pm
What about Blind vision?
I'll try to explain!
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by SticklorForDetails » Wed Jul 27, 2011 12:11 am
gmat_perfect wrote:Among people who experience migraine headaches, some experience what doctors call "common" migraines, whereas others experience "classical" migraines. Siblings and spouses of common migraine sufferers are themselves twice as likely as the general population to experience common migraines. Siblings of classical migraine sufferers are four times more likely than the general population to experience classical migraines, whereas spouses of classical migraine sufferers are no more likely than the general population to experience such headaches.

The information above provides the most support for which of the following hypotheses?

(A) Susceptibility to classical migraines is more dependent on hereditary factors than is susceptibility to common migraines.
(B) Unmarried adults are more likely to suffer from classical migraines than they are to suffer from common migraines.
(C) People who do not experience migraine headaches are unlikely to have spouses who are migraine headache sufferers.
(D) Children of people who suffer from common migraines are not more likely than the general population to experience a common migraine.
(E) Between one-quarter and one-half of the general population suffer from either common or classical migraine headaches.

OA: A

I have a question: Why should we not choose C? What is the main problem in C?
You want to choose (C), I imagine, because it IS inferable that if you don't get migraines, your spouse is less likely to get migraines. This is a bit of the reverse of the information in the stimulus, but because it's all correlative and not causative, switching up the order is fine.

The problem is with the absolute word "unlikely." Everywhere else in this stimulus we just have comparative language -- "twice as likely" etc. For instance, if the general population has a 25% chance of experiencing migraines, I'm not sure I'd call that positively "unlikely." So the people discussed in choice (C) would still have a fair chance of experiencing migraines even without the x2 and x4 factors mentioned in the stimulus.

The difference between comparative language such as "more" and "less" vs. absolute language such as "great" and "little" is a very big difference, and you can never imply one directly from the other.
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