How can one attack a premise!..A premise is a fact! Confused

Just a tip Mukherjee: When you hide the official answer, don't hide the OA part just the actual letter. When you hide the whole thing no one knows what is under the black bar.

Also, please post the actual text of the argument rather than a screen shot. It is very easy to find each of these questions posted somewhere else and just copy and past.

Also VERY IMPORTANT please post the source of the question. ESPECIALLY if you have some deep question/ disagreement with it. It is important to know that it is not an Official Question if we are going to have a disagreement with the question itself. In this case I am going to suggest that the question needs to be edited, if it where an official question I would not do this.

It took me 10 seconds to Google this question. It appears that this question is M-GMAT and other people have also questioned the OA. I have pasted the text below.

The number of new cases of tuberculosis diagnosed in Country X increased dramatically this year. The country's news media have speculated that the sharp increase in new cases is the result of the tuberculosis outbreak that occurred in neighboring Country Y last year. Health officials in Country X have therefore proposed that all visitors from Country Y must submit to a medical examination before entering Country X.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly suggests that the proposed medical examinations will not help curb the spread of tuberculosis in Country X?

a) Country Z, which also neighbors Country Y, has not experienced an increase in cases of tuberculosis.
b) Current medical technology is not capable of detecting all carriers of tuberculosis.
c) Country X does not have the resources to examine all visitors from Country Y.
d) Tuberculosis is not spread through human contact.
e) Citizens of Country Y will not travel to Country X if the proposal is implemented


OA is D

I am guessing from your subject line that you think you need to attack a premise on this question?

You need to be more specific. I cannot see that you would be attacking any premise with the OA - D. D states that "Tuberculosis is not spread through human contact." Which premise does this attack? I do not see any premise that says it is spread through human contact. You need to be clear when you ask a question like this. It will help us know where you have gone wrong.

If you still think that D attacks a premise please let us know which one!

The major problem that people have had with this question has been the definition of "contact" from choice D: "Tuberculosis is not spread through human contact."

Most people who have a problem with this question define contact as physical. So a hand shake or a kiss. They go on to say that tuberculosis may be spread though coughing, sneezing, etc. Which they define as not being "contact" but more like "proximity."

Here is what Joe from M-GMAT had to say (this is one of their questions so he was explaining/defending it):

I think that this questions works well, as the A and B might have differing effectiveness based on a lot of other factors. But if D is true and human contact does not spread the disease, then how would preventing people with TB into the country stop people from getting TB? This would be like banning people who have chopped off their thumbs from entering into a country to stop the spreading of chopped off thumbs.

I think human contact is very different from physical contact. If someone is prohibited from human contact, that means that person is not allowed to see/speak/communicate with another person. If someone is prohibited from physical contact, that just means they aren't allowed to touch someone else.

Aside from the part that about chopping off thumbs, which has nothing to do with disease and is not a good analogy, that provides something of an answer to the coughing and the sneezing part.

However, I suggest that this question could use a bit of editing. Whatever the ideal U.S. usage of the phrase - if people are giving a correct alternative definition of contact and that is the sole reason that they are missing the question then it needs to be edited.

You don't want people missing the question because of vocabulary. The reasoning on this question is easy. If as another M-GMAT instructor indicated we should rephrase answer choice D as ""something other than human beings transmits TB..." Then no one would miss this question! So if the only reason people miss the question is because of misunderstanding vocabulary and not because of difficult reasoning then it needs a bit of editing.

I have written plenty of questions and the key to a great question is editing.