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Recent studies have found that teenagers

by GMATsid2016 » Tue Nov 29, 2016 10:43 pm
Recent studies have found that teenagers who listen regularly to the heavy-metal band Suicidal Intentions are ten times as likely to attempt suicide as are other teenagers. It can therefore be concluded that the band's lyrics inspire teenagers to attempt suicide.

Which of the following, if true, most weakens the conclusion of the passage?

A) Teenagers, especially males, commit suicide at much higher rates than do people in any other age group.

B) Among teenagers who listen regularly to the band, only a small minority have attempted suicide.

C) The band's lyrics, which reflect existential despair and nihilism, attract teenagers who have considered attempting suicide.

D) One of the members of the band has himself attempted suicide on three different occasions.

E) Relatively few of the band's regular listeners are teenagers.

OAc

Please explain
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by MartyMurray » Wed Nov 30, 2016 9:43 am
This is a typical cause and effect GMAT CR question.

This particular type of cause and effect question works in the following way.

The argument goes this way.

A is correlated with B. So A must be the cause of B.

Then the question asks for a weakening answer choice.

The correct answer choices shows a different connection between A and B, and thus calls into question the conclusion that A causes B.

So here we go.

Premise: People who listen to certain music attempt suicide at a higher rate than do people who don't listen to the music.

Conclusion: The music inspires them to attempt suicide.

(A) The argument is about a causal type connection between the music and attempting suicide. This answer choice does not give us information about whether such a connection actually exists.

(B) This is a trap answer. Yup, only a small minority who listen to the music attempt suicide. Still, that minority is ten times the suicide attempting proportion of those who don't listen to the music. So while at first this may seem to weaken the argument, it actually makes no difference.

(C) Here it is, the classic right answer. According to this, people who listen to the music are already suicide prone. So naturally they would have a rate of suicide attempts higher than that of people who don't listen to the music. This calls into question the conclusion that the music inspires people to attempt suicide, as it shows that there is an alternative, and supported, explanation for the correlation.

(D) This does not weaken the connection between listening to the music and attempting suicide.

(E) Like B, this sounds somewhat weakening while actually changing nothing. In other words, this seems to weaken the premise, but does not, which outcome makes sense, as the premise is a stated fact. Whatever proportion of those listening to the music are teenagers, those teenagers who do listen to the music are still ten times as likely as other teenagers to attempt suicide.

So the correct, classic, right answer is C.
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by GMATsid2016 » Thu Dec 01, 2016 1:28 am
Marty Murray wrote:This is a typical cause and effect GMAT CR question.

This particular type of cause and effect question works in the following way.

The argument goes this way.

A is correlated with B. So A must be the cause of B.

Then the question asks for a weakening answer choice.

The correct answer choices shows a different connection between A and B, and thus calls into question the conclusion that A causes B.

So here we go.

Premise: People who listen to certain music attempt suicide at a higher rate than do people who don't listen to the music.

Conclusion: The music inspires them to attempt suicide.

(A) The argument is about a causal type connection between the music and attempting suicide. This answer choice does not give us information about whether such a connection actually exists.

(B) This is a trap answer. Yup, only a small minority who listen to the music attempt suicide. Still, that minority is ten times the suicide attempting proportion of those who don't listen to the music. So while at first this may seem to weaken the argument, it actually makes no difference.

(C) Here it is, the classic right answer. According to this, people who listen to the music are already suicide prone. So naturally they would have a rate of suicide attempts higher than that of people who don't listen to the music. This calls into question the conclusion that the music inspires people to attempt suicide, as it shows that there is an alternative, and supported, explanation for the correlation.

(D) This does not weaken the connection between listening to the music and attempting suicide.

(E) Like B, this sounds somewhat weakening while actually changing nothing. In other words, this seems to weaken the premise, but does not, which outcome makes sense, as the premise is a stated fact. Whatever proportion of those listening to the music are teenagers, those teenagers who do listen to the music are still ten times as likely as other teenagers to attempt suicide.

So the correct, classic, right answer is C.
Hi Marty ,

Thanks for your reply. It helps.

Just a quick question.

We have to weaken the conclusion, but really don't understand that how come C weaken. I marked E.

Please tell, where am I missing here.

Thanks,

Sid
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by MartyMurray » Thu Dec 01, 2016 4:42 am
GMATsid2016 wrote:Hi Marty ,

Thanks for your reply. It helps.

Just a quick question.

We have to weaken the conclusion, but really don't understand that how come C weaken. I marked E.

Please tell, where am I missing here.

Thanks,

Sid
E is a false weakener. Look at the logic.

Premise From The Prompt: Teenagers who listen to the music are more likely to attempt suicide than teenagers who don't listen to the music.

What E Says: Most of the people who listen to the music are not teenagers.

What E say changes nothing about the premise. While most people listening to the music are not teenagers, some teenagers listen. Those teenagers are more likely to attempt suicide than other teenagers.

If 10,000 people listen to the music and only 100 of them are teenagers, and those 100 have a rate of attempted suicide greater than that of other teenagers, then there is a correlation between teenage suicide attempts and listening to the music.

In other words, we are comparing teenagers who listen with teenagers who don't. That most people who listen are not teenagers does not affect that comparison.

Regarding C, the conclusion of the argument is that since teenagers who listen to the music have a rate of attempted suicide higher than that of those who don't, the music must be inspiring the teenagers to attempt suicide.

C weakens that argument by showing that there is another factor the could underlie the connection between suicide attempts and the music.

C says that the band's lyrics attract teenagers who ALREADY were considering suicide. Common sense would lead one to believe that someone who has considered suicide is more likely to actually attempt suicide. Right? So the teenagers who listen to the music were more likely to attempt suicide EVEN BEFORE they heard the music.

In other words, what C says indicates that rather than the music increasing the likelihood of a teenager attempting suicide, the music attracts teenagers with suicidal tendencies.

In case the logic is not crystal clear, here's an analogy.

Premise: People in line at food trucks are more hungry than people not near food trucks.

Conclusion: Food trucks must make people hungry.

Of course we know that what is actually going on is that people who are hungry are attracted to food trucks.

Back to the music.

Premise: Teenagers who listen to the music are more suicidal than teenagers who don't.

Conclusion: The music makes people suicidal.

What C Indicates: Actually, teenagers who are suicidal are attracted to the music.

Since teenagers who listen to the music were more suicidal than other teenagers even before listening to the music, we would EXPECT them to have a higher rater of attempted suicide even if the the music does not inspire them to attempt suicide.

So C undermines the validity of concluding that the music is causing attempted suicide.
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by GMATsid2016 » Thu Dec 01, 2016 10:16 pm

E is a false weakener. Look at the logic.

Premise From The Prompt: Teenagers who listen to the music are more likely to attempt suicide than teenagers who don't listen to the music.

What E Says: Most of the people who listen to the music are not teenagers.

What E say changes nothing about the premise. While most people listening to the music are not teenagers, some teenagers listen. Those teenagers are more likely to attempt suicide than other teenagers.

If 10,000 people listen to the music and only 100 of them are teenagers, and those 100 have a rate of attempted suicide greater than that of other teenagers, then there is a correlation between teenage suicide attempts and listening to the music.

In other words, we are comparing teenagers who listen with teenagers who don't. That most people who listen are not teenagers does not affect that comparison.

Regarding C, the conclusion of the argument is that since teenagers who listen to the music have a rate of attempted suicide higher than that of those who don't, the music must be inspiring the teenagers to attempt suicide.

C weakens that argument by showing that there is another factor the could underlie the connection between suicide attempts and the music.

C says that the band's lyrics attract teenagers who ALREADY were considering suicide. Common sense would lead one to believe that someone who has considered suicide is more likely to actually attempt suicide. Right? So the teenagers who listen to the music were more likely to attempt suicide EVEN BEFORE they heard the music.

In other words, what C says indicates that rather than the music increasing the likelihood of a teenager attempting suicide, the music attracts teenagers with suicidal tendencies.

In case the logic is not crystal clear, here's an analogy.

Premise: People in line at food trucks are more hungry than people not near food trucks.

Conclusion: Food trucks must make people hungry.

Of course we know that what is actually going on is that people who are hungry are attracted to food trucks.

Back to the music.

Premise: Teenagers who listen to the music are more suicidal than teenagers who don't.

Conclusion: The music makes people suicidal.

What C Indicates: Actually, teenagers who are suicidal are attracted to the music.

Since teenagers who listen to the music were more suicidal than other teenagers even before listening to the music, we would EXPECT them to have a higher rater of attempted suicide even if the the music does not inspire them to attempt suicide.

So C undermines the validity of concluding that the music is causing attempted suicide.

Hi Marty ,

Thanks for the explanation. It really helps.

Thanks,

Sid
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