Question: In 1988, a significant percentage of seals in the Baltic Sea died from viral disease: off the coast of Scotland, however, the death rate due to viral diseases was approximately half what it was for the Baltic seals. The Baltic seals had significantly higher levels of pollutants in their blood than did the Scottish seals. Since pollutants are known to impair marine mammal’s ability to fight off viral infection, it is likely that the higher death rate among the Baltic seals was due to the higher levels of pollutants in their blood.
Which one of the following, if true, provides the most additional support for the argument?
(A) The large majority of Scottish seals that died were either old or unhealthy animals.
(B) The strain of virus that killed Scottish seals overwhelms impaired immune systems much more quickly than it does healthy immune systems.
(C) There were slight fluctuations in the levels of pollutants found in the blood of Baltic seals.
(D) The kinds of pollutants found in the Baltic Sea are significantly different from those that have been detected in the waters off the coast of Scotland.
(E) Among marine mammals other than seals, the death rate due to viral diseases in 1988 was higher in the Baltic Sea than it was off the Scottish coast.
“In 1988, a significant percentage of seals in the Baltic Sea died” - is a GMAT critical reasoning topic. This GMAT critical comes with five options and candidates need to choose the one which is correct. GMAT critical reasoning tests the logical and analytical skills of the candidates. To answer the question, a candidate can either find a piece of evidence that would weaken the argument or have logical flaws in the argument. Candidates get 65 minutes to answer 36 MCQ questions in the critical reasoning section of the GMAT.
Answer: (E)
Explanation:
Strengthening the chasm in that causal relationship is what we want. There is a detailed explanation of the five ways to weaken a causal relationship in the PowerScore Bibles and lesson books. Find a different cause. Demonstrate that the cause has no effect when it happens. Demonstrate that the effect has no effect when it happens. Demonstrate that the relationship is reversible, or that there is a statistical issue with the data. In order to strengthen a causal relationship, we want to do the exact opposite. That is rule out a competing cause, demonstrate that the cause occurs when the effect does, demonstrate that the effect occurs when the cause occurs. Also eliminate the possibility that the relationship is reversible, or strengthen the data. In this case, our Pre-Phrase is looking for an answer option that satisfies one of those five criteria. For instance, a response option that eliminates a potential secondary cause might read: "Diet can affect a seal's capacity to fight off infection; Scottish seals and Baltic seals have identical diets."
Option (A): Wrong
This does not support the causal claim that pollutants caused the higher death rate by using any of the five techniques listed above.
Option (B): Wrong
If the word "Scottish" weren't present, this would be a good response. This doesn't really help us because our causal relationship is with the Baltic seals.
Option (C): Wrong
The causal relationship is unaffected by variations in pollutant concentrations among the Baltic seals.
Option (D): Wrong
If anything, this weakens the case. It suggests a different explanation: the higher death rate in Baltic seals may not be due to higher pollution levels, but rather to a different category of pollutants.
Option (E): Right
It reveals that among other marine mammals, a higher death rate from viral infections was associated with being in the Baltic's higher levels of pollutants. So using one of the five strategies listed above, specifically providing an additional instance of the cause leading to the effect, strengthens the argument.
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