A study of the medical records of people below the age of forty found that those whose spouses have died have a significantly lower chance of surviving to forty than do those with living spouses. This suggests that the emotional stress of being widowed severely affects widows and widowers health.
Which of the following, if true, case most doubt on this study's support for the conclusion suggested above?
B) (correct answer)
The study did not exclude deaths caused by accidents in which both members of a married couple received fatal injuries
E) Medical examinations of newly widowed people generally show them to be no less healthy than the population at large.
The bold part is the conclusion. I find that answer choice e weakens the conclusion. answer choice b weakens the premise. however the correct answer is answer b. can someone explain what is wrong with e? are we suppose to weaken the premise?
Which of the following, if true, case most doubt on this study's support for the conclusion suggested above?
B) (correct answer)
The study did not exclude deaths caused by accidents in which both members of a married couple received fatal injuries
E) Medical examinations of newly widowed people generally show them to be no less healthy than the population at large.
The bold part is the conclusion. I find that answer choice e weakens the conclusion. answer choice b weakens the premise. however the correct answer is answer b. can someone explain what is wrong with e? are we suppose to weaken the premise?
