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life expectancy

Expert replies
by ket » Wed May 20, 2009 12:46 pm
This is a question from OG 12

"Life expectancy" is the average age at death of the entire live-born population. In the middle of the nineteenth century, life expectancy in North America was 40 years, whereas now it is nearly 80 years. Thus, in those days, people must have been considered old at age that we now consider the prime of life.

Which of the following, if true, undermines the argument above?

a. In the middle of the nineteenth century, the population of North America was significantly smaller than is today.

b. Most of the gains in life expectancy in the last 150 years have come from reductions in the number of infants who die in their first year of life.

c. Many of the people who live to an advanced age today do so only because of medical technology that was unknown in the nineteenth century.

d. the proportion of people who die in their seventies is significantly smaller today than is the proportion of people who die in their eighties.

e. More people in the middle of the nineteenth century engaged regularly in vigorous physical activity than do so today.


--- I don't like any of the answers, I am confused.

When the question is about undermining the argument what are we to attack the conclusion or the premises or whatever we can? :D do you have any recommendations?

I don't have OA right now I'll have it by tomorrow.
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Source: — Critical Reasoning |

Re: life expectancy

by vinaynp » Wed May 20, 2009 12:58 pm
ket wrote:This is a question from OG 12

"Life expectancy" is the average age at D€@th of the entire live-born population. In the middle of the nineteenth century, life expectancy in North America was 40 years, whereas now it is nearly 80 years. Thus, in those days, people must have been considered old at age that we now consider the prime of life.

Which of the following, if true, undermines the argument above?

a. In the middle of the nineteenth century, the population of North America was significantly smaller than is today.

b. Most of the gains in life expectancy in the last 150 years have come from reductions in the number of infants who die in their first year of life.

c. Many of the people who live to an advanced age today do so only because of medical technology that was unknown in the nineteenth century.

d. the proportion of people who die in their seventies is significantly smaller today than is the proportion of people who die in their eighties.

e. More people in the middle of the nineteenth century engaged regularly in vigorous physical activity than do so today.


--- I don't like any of the answers, I am confused.

When the question is about undermining the argument what are we to attack the conclusion or the premises or whatever we can? :D do you have any recommendations?

I don't have OA right now I'll have it by tomorrow.
This question is there in OG11 as well.

The key is that life expectancy is the average age and not the maximum age of a person. So, It is possible that people can live till 80 years in the middle of nineteenth century. The argument assumes that maximum age of person is 40 years old. We need to show why the life expectancy was only 40 years.

Only B) helps to answer this question. Hence, my answer.
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by ket » Wed May 20, 2009 1:06 pm
Thanks Vinaynp

Your answer seems to me logical... I just couldn't arrive at what assumption the sentence was making... I'll know OA tomorrow and will post it.
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My Version

by amazonviper » Wed May 20, 2009 4:30 pm
A) -> Irrelevant since with a higher number we can still have the same Avg life expectancy.
B)-> Clearly says that the INFANT deaths have been significant earlier (which greatly brings down the average) and has reduced now (which increases the average).
C)-> Role of Technology is irrelevant to this passage.
D)->Totally irrelevant.
E)-> Totally irrelevant since there is nothing about physical activities in the passage.

So, IMHO the answer should be B . Please let me know if my understanding is correct. I am open to other means to approach the answer. :-)


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"Winner never QUIT...Quitters never WIN "
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by mason77 » Sun May 15, 2016 2:23 pm
it should be B
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