Critical Reasoning

A recent study demonstrated that parents living with children consume nearly five more grams of fat per day, on average, than do adults living without children. The higher fat intake among these parents is probably attributable to their snacking on the pizza and cookies that tend to be plentiful in households with children.

Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken this explanation of the parents' higher fat intake?

On average, households with children spend $15 more per week on pizza and cookies than do households without children.

Households with children purchase much more whole milk, which has a high fat content, than do households without children.

Children consume most of the pizza and cookies in any given household.

Parents ought to set a good example for their children, in dietary choices as in other matters.

Not all parents living with children consume more grams of fat than do adults living without children.

We have to find an ans choice that says that snacking on pizza/cookies cn nt be the main reason fr higher fat intake among parents living with children.

A - supports
B - can b a reason but it doesn't say wether the parents consume the milk.
C - Correct! If parents dont get to consume much pizza/cookie then of crs the explanation is weakened
D - irrelevant
E - its an avg result so this is expected

imskpwr wrote:A recent study demonstrated that parents living with children consume nearly five more grams of fat per day, on average, than do adults living without children. The higher fat intake among these parents is probably attributable to their snacking on the pizza and cookies that tend to be plentiful in households with children.

Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken this explanation of the parents' higher fat intake?

On average, households with children spend $15 more per week on pizza and cookies than do households without children.

Households with children purchase much more whole milk, which has a high fat content, than do households without children.

Children consume most of the pizza and cookies in any given household.

Parents ought to set a good example for their children, in dietary choices as in other matters.

Not all parents living with children consume more grams of fat than do adults living without children.

This CR links PIZZA AND COOKIES to the parents' CONSUMPTION OF FAT.
The correct answer must break this link.

Answer choice B: Households with children purchase much more whole milk, which has a high fat content, than do households without children.
The implication is that WHOLE MILK might be responsible for the parents' CONSUMPTION OF FAT, invalidating the conclusion that pizza and cookies are to blame.

The correct answer is B.

Answer choice C: Children consume most of the pizza and cookies in any given household.
Most means MORE THAN HALF. Since parents could still be consuming almost half of the pizza and cookies, the link between pizza and cookies and the consumption of fat is not weakened.

GMATGuruNY wrote:

imskpwr wrote:A recent study demonstrated that parents living with children consume nearly five more grams of fat per day, on average, than do adults living without children. The higher fat intake among these parents is probably attributable to their snacking on the pizza and cookies that tend to be plentiful in households with children.

Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken this explanation of the parents' higher fat intake?

On average, households with children spend $15 more per week on pizza and cookies than do households without children.

Households with children purchase much more whole milk, which has a high fat content, than do households without children.

Children consume most of the pizza and cookies in any given household.

Parents ought to set a good example for their children, in dietary choices as in other matters.

Not all parents living with children consume more grams of fat than do adults living without children.

This CR links PIZZA AND COOKIES to the parents' CONSUMPTION OF FAT.
The correct answer must break this link.

Answer choice B: Households with children purchase much more whole milk, which has a high fat content, than do households without children.
The implication is that WHOLE MILK might be responsible for the parents' CONSUMPTION OF FAT, invalidating the conclusion that pizza and cookies are to blame.

The correct answer is B.

Answer choice C: Children consume most of the pizza and cookies in any given household.
Most means MORE THAN HALF. Since parents could still be consuming almost half of the pizza and cookies, the link between pizza and cookies and the consumption of fat is not weakened.

bang on Mitch sir!
but i rejected C because it was weakening premise. How can we weaken a premise as it is a fact.
Instead, I picked E.

answer is B

imskpwr wrote:A recent study demonstrated that parents living with children consume nearly five more grams of fat per day, on average, than do adults living without children. The higher fat intake among these parents is probably attributable to their snacking on the pizza and cookies that tend to be plentiful in households with children.

Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken this explanation of the parents' higher fat intake?

On average, households with children spend $15 more per week on pizza and cookies than do households without children.

Households with children purchase much more whole milk, which has a high fat content, than do households without children.

Children consume most of the pizza and cookies in any given household.

Parents ought to set a good example for their children, in dietary choices as in other matters.

Not all parents living with children consume more grams of fat than do adults living without children.

Mitch,

Just curious - is this a 600 level question?

thestartupguy wrote:

imskpwr wrote:A recent study demonstrated that parents living with children consume nearly five more grams of fat per day, on average, than do adults living without children. The higher fat intake among these parents is probably attributable to their snacking on the pizza and cookies that tend to be plentiful in households with children.

Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken this explanation of the parents' higher fat intake?

On average, households with children spend $15 more per week on pizza and cookies than do households without children.

Households with children purchase much more whole milk, which has a high fat content, than do households without children.

Children consume most of the pizza and cookies in any given household.

Parents ought to set a good example for their children, in dietary choices as in other matters.

Not all parents living with children consume more grams of fat than do adults living without children.

Mitch,

Just curious - is this a 600 level question?

Manhattan says its a <500 level Q.