Market Analyst ...SOME MANY - rehashed !!

[mmslf75]

Market Analyst: Recent research confirms that the main cause of bad breath is bacteria build-up on the tongue. The research also concludes that tongue scrapers, when used properly, can eliminate up to 40% of the bacteria from the tongue. As the effectiveness of tongue scrapers becomes more widely known, the market for less effective breath freshening products, such as mints, gums, and sprays, will decline significantly.

Which of the following provides the best evidence that the analyst's argument is flawed?
a Some breath freshening products are advertised to eliminate up to 30% of the bacteria from the tongue.
b Tongue scrapers have already been on the market for a number of years.
c Many dentists recommend regular flossing, and not the use of the tongue scraper, to combat bad breath.
d A recent survey shows that 94% of those who regularly purchase breath freshening products are aware of the effectiveness of the tongue scraper.
e Some people buy breath freshening products for reasons other than to fight bad breath.

OA is D

I know why the answer is D. However, need to understand the effectiveness of useage of SOME and MANY here.. !

I thought of E as the anwer first, but then usage of SOME and as stated in the forum, SOME accounts of anything but not all... dropped this choice...

[Testluv]

I discussed this question here: https://www.beatthegmat.com/tongue-scrabbers-t47042.html

All you need to know about "some" and "many" here are the typical interpretations I outlined in this thread:

https://www.beatthegmat.com/some-and-many-t50067.html

This:

SOME accounts of anything but not all... dropped this choice...

is incorrect. "some" means "one or more".

[mmslf75]

I discussed this question here: https://www.beatthegmat.com/tongue-scrabbers-t47042.html

All you need to know about "some" and "many" here are the typical interpretations I outlined in this thread:

https://www.beatthegmat.com/some-and-many-t50067.html

This:

SOME accounts of anything but not all... dropped this choice...

is incorrect. "some" means "one or more".

Thanks !!


Advocates insist that health savings accounts are an efficient method to reduce medical expenses. However, widespread adoption of these accounts will soon undermine the public's health. One reason for this is that most people will be reluctant to deplete their accounts to pay for regular preventive examinations, so that in many cases a serious illness will go undetected until it is far advanced. Another reason is that poor people, who will not be able to afford health savings accounts, will no longer receive vaccinations against infectious diseases.

The statements above, if true, most support which of the following?
a Wealthy individuals will not be affected negatively by health savings accounts.
b Private health insurance will no longer be available.
c Most diseases are detected during regular preventive examinations.
d Some people without health savings accounts are likely to contract infectious diseases.
e The causal relationship between an individual's health and that person's medical care has been adequately documented.


OA is D

testluv,
Based on the inputs above for some and many, request you to help on this one.
Though I am convinced with the explanation on MGMAT test (cat 4), I would like to know 2 things

#1 If SOME were to be replaced with MANY in option C
What will be the impact on the argument

#2 Does the presence of LIKELY" in C indicate that this can be a valid answer.
Had it not been for LIKELY, we would not have chosen the answer right ?

[Testluv]

#1 If SOME were to be replaced with MANY in option C
What will be the impact on the argument

It wouldn't be GMAT's style to replace the "some" in answer choice C with "many". This is because the right answer to inference is something that must be true. It is true that "some" and "many" technically both mean "at least one". However, as I said in other recent posts pertaining to the same topic, the TYPICAL interperetations are more important than the TECHNICAL ones. "Some" TYPICALLY means at least one. While "many" TYPICALLY conveys a sizeable quantity. Based on the stimulus, we can infer (it must be true that) some people without health savings accounts are likely to contract infectious diseases. But we can't say that it must be true that MANY do.

#2 Does the presence of LIKELY" in C indicate that this can be a valid answer.
Had it not been for LIKELY, we would not have chosen the answer right ?

This is a good question, and it has to do with a more important issue with inference questions. In inference questions, the right answer is something that must be true based on one or more statements in the passage. The more extreme an answer choice is, the less likely it is something that must be true. Convesely, the more tentative the language of an answer choice, the more likely it is something that must be true. This is why we should avoid choices that use extreme language in inference questions; and this is also why we should be more partial to choices that use tentative language in inference questions. "likely" makes the choice tentative. Now, I'm not saying that extreme choices are always wrong; it's just that the more extreme a choice gets, the less likely it is something that the passage proved must be true. In order for an extreme answer choice to be correct, the text of the passage that relates to that choice has to be equally as extreme (and that's pretty rare). So, in inference, if you narrow it down to two choices, always be more partial to the tentative one, and less partial to the more extreme one.

______

As an aside, it is best not to think of inference stimuli as "arguments". The reason is in "arguments" (assumption, stn/wkn, and flaw questoins), we are trying to figure out the author's assumption. But figuring out the author's assumption is a terrible thing to do in inference questions. This is because in inference questions, we have to treat the whole passage as true--we don't want to poke holes into it.

[hrishi19884]

#1 If SOME were to be replaced with MANY in option C
What will be the impact on the argument

It wouldn't be GMAT's style to replace the "some" in answer choice C with "many". This is because the right answer to inference is something that must be true. It is true that "some" and "many" technically both mean "at least one". However, as I said in other recent posts pertaining to the same topic, the TYPICAL interperetations are more important than the TECHNICAL ones. "Some" TYPICALLY means at least one. While "many" TYPICALLY conveys a sizeable quantity. Based on the stimulus, we can infer (it must be true that) some people without health savings accounts are likely to contract infectious diseases. But we can't say that it must be true that MANY do.

#2 Does the presence of LIKELY" in C indicate that this can be a valid answer.
Had it not been for LIKELY, we would not have chosen the answer right ?

This is a good question, and it has to do with a more important issue with inference questions. In inference questions, the right answer is something that must be true based on one or more statements in the passage. The more extreme an answer choice is, the less likely it is something that must be true. Convesely, the more tentative the language of an answer choice, the more likely it is something that must be true. This is why we should avoid choices that use extreme language in inference questions; and this is also why we should be more partial to choices that use tentative language in inference questions. "likely" makes the choice tentative. Now, I'm not saying that extreme choices are always wrong; it's just that the more extreme a choice gets, the less likely it is something that the passage proved must be true. In order for an extreme answer choice to be correct, the text of the passage that relates to that choice has to be equally as extreme (and that's pretty rare). So, in inference, if you narrow it down to two choices, always be more partial to the tentative one, and less partial to the more extreme one.

______

As an aside, it is best not to think of inference stimuli as "arguments". The reason is in "arguments" (assumption, stn/wkn, and flaw questoins), we are trying to figure out the author's assumption. But figuring out the author's assumption is a terrible thing to do in inference questions. This is because in inference questions, we have to treat the whole passage as true--we don't want to poke holes into it.

I agree to what you have said testluv.
But, still if we take a close look on the main idea what "C" is saying it does not look incorrect.

As per the question, below is the one reason that we should consider to be true.

"One reason for this is that most people will be reluctant to deplete their accounts to pay for regular preventive examinations, so that in many cases a serious illness will go undetected until it is far advanced"

Above thing explains that if we do not detect disease at a preliminary stage, it can cause serious illness later on(or in advance stages) and would prove more dangerous. Hence, if I say that "preliminary treatment is the most important as most or maximum number of diseases can be diagnosed through it.", it would help to support the above reason that many or most of the people will get disease. Option C states the same thing.

Also, our ultimate goal is -- to prove that more and more people will get disease if there is a widespread adoption of these accounts.

Whereas option D states that some people without HSA are likely to contract infectious diseases, this does not mean that the many people with HSA will get disease. In fact, option D makes an assumption.

For example, If I say - some students without degrees are likely to remain jobless.

But that does not mean that many people with degrees/without degrees will get job or will remain jobless.

Testluv, can you please give more explanation for why option C is incorrect?

The reason that you had explained above does not consider this point, that most people or many people getting a disease will fulfill our ultimate goal to undermine public heath, than using SOME as in D and making an converse assumption about many.

[Testluv]

Hrishi,

You should always read the question stem first and determine the type of question that it is.

The question stem here asks us to select a choice that is supported by the passage. This is an inference question. An inference is something that MUST BE TRUE based on one or more statements in the passage.

An important point about inference is that you have to treat the entire passage as TRUE. In an inference question, EVERYTHING in the passage is TRUE, and you if you are thinking about assumptions, you are making a big error. You should think about assumption in assumption, stn/wkn, and flaw questions. But the big difference with inference is that you are not trying to poke a hole in the stimulus. It's not about "assumptions" and it certainly isn't about "goals".
The right answer, again, is something that MUST BE TRUE based on one or more statements in the passage while the four wrong answers are things that could be false.

Choice C:

Most diseases are detected during regular preventive examinations.

does not have to be true. The sentence you are citing in support of choice C tells us that "in MANY cases a serious illness goes undetected until it is far advanced". This does not establish that MOST diseases are detected during regular preventive examinations. Hence, choice C, although it might be close, could still be false. (Also, the sentence you are citing discusses illnesses while the answer choice discusses diseases).

On the other hand, if you look at JUST THE LAST SENTENCE of the passage, then, clearly it supports the idea that some people without health savings accounts are LIKELY to contract infectious diseases (ie, choice D). In fact, this must be true since the purpose of vaccinations is to ward off infectious diseases; thus people not getting these vaccinations (because they can't afford these health savings accounts) will indeed be more likely to contract these infectious diseases.

And mmslf is right--without the "likely" choice D also could be false.

[hrishi19884]

Hrishi,

You should always read the question stem first and determine the type of question that it is.

The question stem here asks us to select a choice that is supported by the passage. This is an inference question. An inference is something that MUST BE TRUE based on one or more statements in the passage.

An important point about inference is that you have to treat the entire passage as TRUE. In an inference question, EVERYTHING in the passage is TRUE, and you if you are thinking about assumptions, you are making a big error. You should think about assumption in assumption, stn/wkn, and flaw questions. But the big difference with inference is that you are not trying to poke a hole in the stimulus. It's not about "assumptions" and it certainly isn't about "goals".
The right answer, again, is something that MUST BE TRUE based on one or more statements in the passage while the four wrong answers are things that could be false.

Choice C:

Most diseases are detected during regular preventive examinations.

does not have to be true. The sentence you are citing in support of choice C tells us that "in MANY cases a serious illness goes undetected until it is far advanced". This does not establish that MOST diseases are detected during regular preventive examinations. Hence, choice C, although it might be close, could still be false. (Also, the sentence you are citing discusses illnesses while the answer choice discusses diseases).

On the other hand, if you look at JUST THE LAST SENTENCE of the passage, then, clearly it supports the idea that some people without health savings accounts are LIKELY to contract infectious diseases (ie, choice D). In fact, this must be true since the purpose of vaccinations is to ward off infectious diseases; thus people not getting these vaccinations (because they can't afford these health savings accounts) will indeed be more likely to contract these infectious diseases.

And mmslf is right--without the "likely" choice D also could be false.

Thanks Testluv. Now I agree why C is wrong option but at the same time for D to be a best option "poor people" should have been used instead of "some people" since it creates ambiguity if there are poor people more than rich people or vice versa or who SOME POOR or SOME RICH got infected.

For eg- if there are 100 poor people and the last line says "poor people will get infected" so it must be all 100.

If I say SOME PEOPLE as in D (let's say 10), it does not indicate if they are RICH people or POOR people.
Yes, they can be RICH people also, because it is nowhere mentioned that rich people will not get infected in the passage.
So in case, if SOME PEOPLE are the RICH PEOPLE then D does not support the inference.

Do you agree with that? (my apologies, for getting so deep into this question)

Also, one last thing to ask you about this - do such questions usually occur in GMAT? If yes, they must be in 700-750 range.

[Testluv]

Some means at least one. If some poor people are likely to contract then it must be true that some people are likely to contract...since poor people are still people.

In other words, choice D did not have to specify "poor" in order to be something that must be true. (In other words, the right answer to inference can be under-comprehensive, so long as it is still something that must be true).

This is actually not a very difficult inference question, probably in the 600s. That said, its style is more LSAT. GMAT doesn't usually like to test nuances of some, many, etc.