Weaken Q --> all Op seems incorrect

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Weaken Q --> all Op seems incorrect

by atulmangal » Sun May 22, 2011 5:12 am
Source:-- Knewton

During periods when a large number of patients are admitted to a hospital, more qualified nurses are hired and more money is spent on nurse training than when the number of patients in a hospital is low. Thus, the average number of mistakes made by nurses should be lower during periods when there is a large number of patients in a hospital than when there is a small number of patients in a hospital and less money is available to hire qualified nurses and provide training to all nurses.

Which of the following, if true about a hospital during a period in which a large number of patients are admitted, casts the most serious doubt on the conclusion drawn above?


(A) Its nurses demand higher wages than they do at other times.

(B) Its nurses have less time to spend with each patient than they have at other times.

(C) Its staff members are less likely to lose their jobs then they are at other times.

(D) Its management provides opportunities for patients to provide feedback about their nurses.

(E) Its training program for nurses is very rigorous

OA is probably all of u find Op B

I think none of the Options is correct, though i agree that only Op B is a close choice but still how can Op B be correct. See, the author clearly mentions that " more qualified nurses are hired and more money is spent on nurse training" that means its possible since nurses are more qualified and trained thats why they spent less time on patients, so saying this that since they spend less time thats why there are chances of mistake...is this correct??? Or i am unnecessarily assuming something?????
Source: — Critical Reasoning |

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by Ashley@VeritasPrep » Sun May 22, 2011 7:24 am
Hi there,

You make a good point about why the fact that less time may be spent per patient MIGHT not lead to fewer mistakes being made. However, remember that on a Weaken question, your job is just to "cast the most serious doubt on the conclusion drawn," i.e. to expose why the conclusion might not logically follow; you do NOT need to prove the conclusion plain wrong. As you say, (B) is the only answer that is relevant enough here, and if (B) is true, it indeed shows that the conclusion is a not-totally-justified stretch.

Showing just that -- that the conclusion is a not-totally-justified stretch -- is all we need to do. The fact that it's still possible that fewer mistakes will be made during periods of high patient-population does no damage to (B)'s correctness, since the correct answer on a Weaken question is under no obligation to disprove the conclusion.

Hope that helps!

Ashley Newman-Owens
GMAT Instructor
Veritas Prep

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by atulmangal » Sun May 22, 2011 7:45 am
Hi Ashley

Thanks for your post. I got your point.

Thanks
Atul