EXCEPT Qs play havoc in my mind,EXPERTS Please help

Expert replies

sachindia: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 258; Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2012 4:39 amFollowed by: 3 members; Location: Bengaluru, India; Thanked: 6 times; GMAT Score:640

by sachindia » Mon Aug 20, 2012 5:35 pm

Some people have been promoting a new herbal mixture as a remedy for the common cold. The mixture contains,
among other things, extracts of the plants purple coneflower and goldenseal. A cold sufferer, skeptical of the
claim that the mixture is an effective cold remedy, argued, "Suppose that the mixture were an effective cold
remedy, Since most people with colds wish to recover quickly, it follows that almost everybody with a cold would
be using it. Therefore, since there are many people who have colds but do not use the mixture, it is obviously not
effective." Each of the following is an assumption required by the skeptical cold sufferer's argument
EXCEPT:
A. Enough of the mixture is produced to provide the required doses to almost everybody with a cold.
B. The mixture does not have side effects severe enough to make many people who have colds avoid using it.
C. The mixture is powerful enough to prevent almost everybody who uses it from contracting any further colds.
D. The mixture is widely enough known that almost everybody with a cold is aware of it.
E. There are no effective cold remedies available that many people who have colds prefer to the mixture.

OA is C but not sure how to go about such Qs

Please help us get a strategy for EXCEPT Qs . ..

Regards,
Sach

Source: Beat The GMAT — Critical Reasoning | Mon Aug 20, 2012 5:35 pm

vk_vinayak: Legendary Member; Posts: 502; Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 11:36 pmFollowed by: 21 members; Thanked: 99 times

by vk_vinayak » Mon Aug 20, 2012 8:58 pm

sachindia wrote:Some people have been promoting a new herbal mixture as a remedy for the common cold. The mixture contains, among other things, extracts of the plants purple coneflower and goldenseal. A cold sufferer, skeptical of the claim that the mixture is an effective cold remedy, argued, "Suppose that the mixture were an effective cold remedy, Since most people with colds wish to recover quickly, it follows that almost everybody with a cold would be using it. Therefore, since there are many people who have colds but do not use the mixture, it is obviously not effective."

Each of the following is an assumption required by the skeptical cold sufferer's argument
EXCEPT:
A. Enough of the mixture is produced to provide the required doses to almost everybody with a cold.
B. The mixture does not have side effects severe enough to make many people who have colds avoid using it.
C. The mixture is powerful enough to prevent almost everybody who uses it from contracting any further colds.
D. The mixture is widely enough known that almost everybody with a cold is aware of it.
E. There are no effective cold remedies available that many people who have colds prefer to the mixture.

OA is C but not sure how to go about such Qs

Please help us get a strategy for EXCEPT Qs . ..

I deal with EXCEPT questions using POE.

Suppose a question asks: Which of the following Strengthens, Except ... It means that four options strengthen, and one doesn't. So, If I find an answer that strengthens, I'll eliminate it.

The above question is Assumption Expect question. So, four options will provide assumption, and one doesn't. So, we just need to cross off four options that give us the assumption. Remaining one is the answer.

We can clearly see that A/D/E are the assumptions for this argument. Eliminate them.
Now choosing between B and C:

The person says that people are not using the medicine (herbal) because it is not effective. He assumes that it is the only reason for people to not use it. So, he thinks (or assumes) that there are no other reason for people to not use the medicine (herbal). That's what B does. It blocks alternative explanation. So, B is indeed an assumption. Cross off B.

C remains.

So, dealing with Except questions is not that different from dealing with Strengthens/Weakens/Assumption questions:

Strengthens Except: 4 options strengthen the argument. Eliminate them. Remaining one is our answer.
Weakens Except: 4 options weakens the argument. Eliminate them. Remaining one is our answer.
Assumption Except: 4 options provide required assumptions for the argument. Eliminate them. Remaining one is our answer.

- VK

I will (Learn. Recognize. Apply)

hjafferi: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 83; Joined: Sun Aug 19, 2012 12:42 am

by hjafferi » Mon Aug 20, 2012 11:40 pm

IMO C

Great explanation vk

Between b and C, I chose C because the Skepticals believe that they would be using the medicine continuously suggesting that the medicine is not powerful enough to prevent any further colds from happening.

sachindia: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 258; Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2012 4:39 amFollowed by: 3 members; Location: Bengaluru, India; Thanked: 6 times; GMAT Score:640

by sachindia » Tue Aug 21, 2012 6:04 am

Folks ,
Thanks a lot for replying. But I am not able to understand how the assumptions are assumptions

Argument is

if med effective-> people ll use it
=> not many using -> so its not effective.

Now,
a) if Enough of the mixture is produced to provide the required doses to almost everybody with a cold,
and they are still not using it, then how can you say its not effective? when they will use it, they might find it effective.

Let me negate.
Enough of the mixture is not produced to provide the required doses to almost everybody with a cold,
thats why they are not using it.. so you cant say its not effective.. so conclusion breaks.
(I guess I am not getting it. )

and hence this is an assumption.

similarly ,negating B : The mixture does have side effects severe enough to make many people who have colds avoid using it.

it has side effects , so people are not using it. so how can u say that its not effective? conclusion breaks.

and hence this is an assumption.

now if you negate C: The mixture is not powerful enough to prevent almost everybody who uses it from contracting any further colds.
So its not effective.
it doesnt break the conclusion and hence is not an assumption. hence this is our answer.

I get it now..
Thanks folks!!

Regards,
Sach

mohan514: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 82; Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2012 8:33 pm; Location: india

by mohan514 » Fri Aug 24, 2012 9:54 am

thats a good question which tricked me...
now i understand the answer..

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