VR # 46 marital relationships

[yooni246]

A study of marital relationships in which one partner�s sleeping and waking cycles differ from those of the other partner reveals that such couples share fewer activities with each other and have more violent arguments than do couples in a relationship in which both partners follow the same sleeping and waking patterns. Thus, mismatched sleeping and waking cycles can seriously jeopardize a marriage.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above?
(A) Married couples in which both spouses follow the same sleeping and waking patterns also occasionally have arguments that can jeopardize the couple�s marriage.
(B) The sleeping and waking cycles of individuals tend to vary from season to season.
(C) The individuals who have sleeping and waking cycles that differ significantly from those of their spouses tend to argue little with colleagues at work.
(D) People in unhappy marriages have been found to express hostility by adopting a different sleeping and waking cycle from that of their spouses.
(E) According to a recent study, most people�s sleeping and waking cycles can be controlled and modified easily.

OA is D

I'm sorry for re-raising this issue... but i can't get why B is not related.
I understand that D weakens the argument by showing that unhappy relationhip can cause the different cycle. yes.D can be answer.
However, B also can be answer by showing that the statics used is unreliable.
If "the sleeping and waking cycles of individuals tend to vary from season to season" is true, it wud mean that couples who have different cycle could have similar cycle if they were asked at different time.
where am i trapped?

[nehs]

In my opinion, the answer is D. This is a question in which we show that cause occurs if effect occurs and vice versa.

[Target2009]

In my opinion, the answer is D. This is a question in which we show that cause occurs if effect occurs and vice versa.

Agree.. Its D..

[kevincanspain]

You are right to wonder about B: B would undermine the argument if we were sure that differing sleeping cycles are in fact transitory, tending to correct themselves from season to season. The text, however, contradicts this notion, stating that couples whose cycles differed, presumably for the length of the study, had more violent arguments

[mundasingh123]

A study of marital relationships in which one partner�s sleeping and waking cycles differ from those of the other partner reveals that such couples share fewer activities with each other and have more violent arguments than do couples in a relationship in which both partners follow the same sleeping and waking patterns. Thus, mismatched sleeping and waking cycles can seriously jeopardize a marriage

We Have to weaken theconclusion here.
The Conclusion and Evidence both are generic here and are not relevant to any specific couple.
The Evidence is focussed on a generic Observation that partners having different sleeping and waking cycles are more liable to have violent arguments than Partners who share the same sleeping and waking cycles. The evidence is not focussed on 1 particular Couple.The evidence is talking about the traits and the observations and the conclusion is focussed on an Inference .
But B would be helpful only if the study were based on 100 couples or so.

[artistocrat]

Simple: flip the cause and effect, and weaken it. out of sync sleep wake cycles => jeopardized marriage TO jeopardized marriage => out of sync sleep wake cycles. BINGO!

[Tani]

aristocrat is right on. It's the simple case of: to weaken x causes y, simply say, no, y causes x.

[patanjali.purpose]

A study of marital relationships in which one partner�s sleeping and waking cycles differ from those of the other partner reveals that such couples share fewer activities with each other and have more violent arguments than do couples in a relationship in which both partners follow the same sleeping and waking patterns. Thus, mismatched sleeping and waking cycles can seriously jeopardize a marriage.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above?
(A) Married couples in which both spouses follow the same sleeping and waking patterns also occasionally have arguments that can jeopardize the couple�s marriage.
(B) The sleeping and waking cycles of individuals tend to vary from season to season.
(C) The individuals who have sleeping and waking cycles that differ significantly from those of their spouses tend to argue little with colleagues at work.
(D) People in unhappy marriages have been found to express hostility by adopting a different sleeping and waking cycle from that of their spouses.
(E) According to a recent study, most people�s sleeping and waking cycles can be controlled and modified easily.

OA is D

I'm sorry for re-raising this issue... but i can't get why B is not related.
I understand that D weakens the argument by showing that unhappy relationhip can cause the different cycle. yes.D can be answer.
However, B also can be answer by showing that the statics used is unreliable.
If "the sleeping and waking cycles of individuals tend to vary from season to season" is true, it wud mean that couples who have different cycle could have similar cycle if they were asked at different time.
where am i trapped?

Argument: Mismatch between sleeping/waking cycle leads to unhealthy relationship

Option B :The sleeping and waking cycles of individuals tend to vary from season to season. It means sleeping/waking cycle of individual vary from season to seaon ie sleeping/waking cycle does vary. This is same as RED portion of the argument above. It has no effect on the BLUE portion of the argument. Therefore even though this statement is correct it neither supports nor weaken the agrument. INCORRECT

Hope it helps

[Tani]

The correct answer must relate to the couples. Seasonal variation is out of scope. Also, we don't know that the data is unreliable. It may be very well documented and incorporated into the study.

[Sanjay2706]

IMO D