Critical Reasoning

Recently, many critics of the U.S. government have pointed out that this country is the only industrialized nation without a national vaccine laboratory and suggested that this lack makes the American public more vulnerable than other advanced nations to diseases such as avian flu or other flu epidemics. When asked at a press conference, a government official said these critics were disloyal and thus wrong about the public's vulnerability. To support his claim, he cited the international pre-eminence of American doctors and hospitals as well as the middle ranking of the United States among United Nation member nations in the health categories of infant mortality, life span, and nutrition. He also added that all of the Europeans that he knew preferred to undergo major medical treatments in the United States rather than in the socialized medical systems in place in their home countries. All of the following are flaws in the official's logic EXCEPT:

"¢ The official accepts that the quality of physicians and hospitals is a major factor, albeit not the only one, affecting the public's vulnerability to disease.
"¢ The critics could be disloyal but not wrong.
"¢ The Europeans that the official cited are overwhelmingly wealthy males over the age of fifty.
"¢ The official relies on health statistics that are based on a complete accounting of deaths, injuries, and illnesses suffered by the American public from all causes, including the ten percent attributable to infectious diseases.
"¢ The UN health ranking that the official cited is based on an almost complete survey of the nations of the world.

[spoiler]OA: Please discuss each answer choice in detail and let me know the reason for wrong and right option[/spoiler]

"¢ The official accepts that the quality of physicians and hospitals is a major factor, albeit not the only one, affecting the public's vulnerability to disease. --> flaw.

"¢ The critics could be disloyal but not wrong. --> flaw.

"¢ The Europeans that the official cited are overwhelmingly wealthy males over the age of fifty. --> Is it relevant? Some prefer to go to to the US. For keeps. But major treatments and vaccination. There's a gap here.

"¢ The official relies on health statistics that are based on a complete accounting of deaths, injuries, and illnesses suffered by the American public from all causes, including the ten percent attributable to infectious diseases. --> If the list is comprehensive, it should not be a flaw.

"¢ The UN health ranking that the official cited is based on an almost complete survey of the nations of the world. --> an almost complete leaves scope for a lot of imagination. If US is one out of say 2 countries in a list, which when completed should have 200, then the argument falls apart.

IMO (D). OA?

IMO E

D) Official relies on health statistics but he never mentioned them when asked.

E) almost complete survey of the nations of the world. (Almost means around 90%) Which supports his claim.

IMO A.

"¢ The official accepts that the quality of physicians and hospitals is a major factor, albeit not the only one, affecting the public's vulnerability to disease. - CORRECT. The official accepts this point and of course does not go down as a flaw.

"¢ The critics could be disloyal but not wrong. -Yes, this is a flaw in the official's reasoning.

"¢ The Europeans that the official cited are overwhelmingly wealthy males over the age of fifty. - Yes, a flaw indeed !!

"¢ The official relies on health statistics that are based on a complete accounting of deaths, injuries, and illnesses suffered by the American public from all causes, including the ten percent attributable to infectious diseases. - OUT . His reliance on health statistics does not mean that the critics are wrong- He is referring to other causes of death which are out of the scope of the argument as the argument is concentrating on a vaccine laboratory. Therefore this is a flaw.

"¢ The UN health ranking that the official cited is based on an almost complete survey of the nations of the world. - OUT. The critics could well be right. Thus a flaw.

OA ?

prashant.mishra wrote:IMO A.

"¢ The official accepts that the quality of physicians and hospitals is a major factor, albeit not the only one, affecting the public's vulnerability to disease. - CORRECT. The official accepts this point and of course does not go down as a flaw.

"¢ The critics could be disloyal but not wrong. -Yes, this is a flaw in the official's reasoning.

"¢ The Europeans that the official cited are overwhelmingly wealthy males over the age of fifty. - Yes, a flaw indeed !!

"¢ The official relies on health statistics that are based on a complete accounting of deaths, injuries, and illnesses suffered by the American public from all causes, including the ten percent attributable to infectious diseases. - OUT . His reliance on health statistics does not mean that the critics are wrong- He is referring to other causes of death which are out of the scope of the argument as the argument is concentrating on a vaccine laboratory. Therefore this is a flaw.

"¢ The UN health ranking that the official cited is based on an almost complete survey of the nations of the world. - OUT. The critics could well be right. Thus a flaw.

OA ?

Hi Prashant,

Can you please explain a little more on option E???????

aspirant2011 wrote: Hi Prashant,

Can you please explain a little more on option E???????

Sure. Lets look into the critics viewpoint here...

Conclusion of the critics: USA is the only industrialized nation without a national vaccine laboratory and suggested that this lack makes the American public more vulnerable than other advanced nations to diseases

What does E say? The official uses the rankings to support his claim. But the rankings could in itself be a very misleading factor. What do the rankings say? Do they say that the USA stands equal to the "OTHER ADVANCED NATIONS"- Is USA compared to other nations similar to its nature ?? Could it not happen that the USA has middle rankings but on top of the chart are nations which are not industrialized? Other industrialized nations fall much lower in the ranks?

Another way to think is like this. The critics could well say to the US official: "Hey, we know that the USA hols a middle rank in the list of UN nations on parameters like infant mortality.. etc.. But UK which is another advanced nation falls last on that.. !!" Therefore, we cant conclude that the rankings he uses in support of his claim, actually support his claim !!

Hope this helps.

I am for A.

What's the OA?

prashant.mishra wrote:

aspirant2011 wrote: Hi Prashant,

Can you please explain a little more on option E???????

Sure. Lets look into the critics viewpoint here...

Conclusion of the critics: USA is the only industrialized nation without a national vaccine laboratory and suggested that this lack makes the American public more vulnerable than other advanced nations to diseases

What does E say? The official uses the rankings to support his claim. But the rankings could in itself be a very misleading factor. What do the rankings say? Do they say that the USA stands equal to the "OTHER ADVANCED NATIONS"- Is USA compared to other nations similar to its nature ?? Could it not happen that the USA has middle rankings but on top of the chart are nations which are not industrialized? Other industrialized nations fall much lower in the ranks?

Another way to think is like this. The critics could well say to the US official: "Hey, we know that the USA hols a middle rank in the list of UN nations on parameters like infant mortality.. etc.. But UK which is another advanced nation falls last on that.. !!" Therefore, we cant conclude that the rankings he uses in support of his claim, actually support his claim !!

Hope this helps.

Thanks I got it .....I missed out the part only industrialised nation ......OA is A

IMO A

I think option B as right ans.

This huge paragraph can be split into 2 statement,
Statement 1: Critics are right.
Statement 2: Officials are right

Question asks for an answer which strengthen the critics.

Statement B says Critics are disloyal but not wrong.

Experts pls advise

What is the toughness standard of this question on GMAT level. HIgh , medium or low.

It was losser for me

There is a problem with this question

see https://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/rec ... t1089.html

zaarathelab wrote:There is a problem with this question

see https://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/rec ... t1089.html

Thanks for posting the above thread......