aerobics experts will ultimately lose - ASSUMPTIONS

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Physical trainers have found that when aerobics experts, who tend to have relatively high metabolic rates, gain weight by increasing the number of calories they consume, their metabolisms continue to be higher than average. They will thus burn more calories at their new weight than do people for whom the new weight is normal. As a result, aerobics experts will ultimately lose the newly gained weight until their weight matches their high metabolic rate.

The conclusion of the argument above depends on which of the following assumptions?

(A) Physical trainers disagree over whether metabolic rates can be increased or decreased through the use of targeted hormone treatments.
(B) The metabolisms of people who are not aerobics experts are more variable than the metabolisms of people who have been aerobic experts.
(C) People who are at their usual weights find it equally difficult to gain or to lose weight due to the constant speed of their metabolisms.
(D) Not many aerobics experts who have gained weight by increasing caloric intake continue to consume substantially more calories than do people for whom the higher weight is normal.
(E) The number of calories that an individual burns in a day is determined by the amount consumed that day and not by the individual's current weight.


Source : KNEWTON CAT
Source: — Critical Reasoning |

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by suryapal » Fri Apr 02, 2010 4:27 am
i think the answer is A ... is it???

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by bhumika.k.shah » Fri Apr 02, 2010 4:28 am
nopes
suryapal wrote:i think the answer is A ... is it???

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by suryapal » Fri Apr 02, 2010 4:31 am
D ????????

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by bhumika.k.shah » Fri Apr 02, 2010 4:35 am
YUP :-)

HOW? why? logic! + difficulty level

detailed explanation please!
suryapal wrote:D ????????

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by suryapal » Fri Apr 02, 2010 4:48 am
this is defender assumption that eliminates the alternative cause for the conclusion ...

difficulty level : tough i guess [:P]

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by DanaJ » Fri Apr 02, 2010 4:58 am
Toughie! I'd say it's about 700-level because of the wording (it threw me off course a bit too).

A is not the answer here because there's no sign of disagreement between physical trainers nor is there any mentioning of hormones.

B is incorrect because the only comparison drawn between the metabolic rates of aerobics experts and regular people is the following: the metabolic rate of an aerobics expert is HIGHER than that of a regular person. We're not sure if there is variability within the two groups.

C is wrong for the same reason mentioned above. We don't know if normal people's metabolic rate is constant or variable over time, we just know that it's smaller than that of aerobics experts.

D is the good one here, but it takes a bit to realize this. OK, so we're told that some aerobics experts gain weight by increasing their calorie intake. Their metabolic rate stays largely the same, i.e. above that of normal people. So the conclusion here is that their new lifestyle has helped them gain weight. To lose this weight, they need to stop eating the increased number of calories. This is because, even at their higher metabolic rate, their "diet" has made them gain weight. If they keep it up, they might gain even more weight.

E has nothing to do with the argument here. There's nothing linking this option to the stimulus.