CR -seek solution

davidli8888

It is true of both men and women that those who marry as young adults live longer than those who never marry.  This dose not show that marriage causes people to live longer, since, as compared with other people of the same age, young adults who are about to get married have fewer of the unhealthy habits that can cause a person to have a shorter life, most notably smoking and immoderate drinking of alcohol.

 

Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument above?

 

1. Marriage tends to cause people to engage less regularly in sports that involve risk of bodily harm.
2. A married person who has an unhealthy habit is more likely to give up that habit than a person with the same habit who is unmarried.
3. A person who smokes is much more likely than a nonsmoker to marry a person who smokes at the time of marriage, and the same is true for people who drink alcohol immoderately.
4. Among people who marry as young adults, most of those who give up an unhealthy habit after marriage do not resume the habit later in life.
5. Among people who as young adults neither drink alcohol immoderately nor smoke, those who never marry live as long as those who marry.

   My answer: b , why not D? However the answer key is E. I guess E is for weakening rathen than strengthening the argument. Please share me your insight on this question. Thanks.

gonghao

It seems that similar to a question that have been discussed by lawyer's participation.

My opinion:

This question confesses a truth that those who married live longer than those who didin't.But the reason to this length is not marry itself but fewer bad habits ,somking for example.Now our job is to find a answer that is concering talking about a conclusion that fewer bad habits cause peoplr live longer than those who really have these bad habits.

In choice E,those who have no bad habits listed in the argument live as long as married people have no bad habits either.That means if you don't have the bad habits ,you would live the same long as those who have same customs as you do.That points out that it is bad habits not marriage itself cause people to live any longer.So ,E is the answer.

davidli8888

Thanks. The argument conclusion is: it is not the marriage but the habits make a difference in how long a life a people can live. In light of this, the answer E makes sense perfectly. Again, how important it is to catch the conclusion of an argument!

[此贴子已经被作者于2006-12-2 23:58:47编辑过]