More women than men suffer

Answer choices

1. A

   Correct91% picked this

   A decrease in estrogen, rather than longer life span, may explain the higher occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease in

   Why this is right

   This is our best match for "this theory may be wrong". It's a little unusual that this answer would include the alternate explanation (that low estrogen is the real cause), but that was an implied conclusion, supported by the final two sentences. It should make us happy that "may explain" in the answer nicely captures the strength of "this theory may be wrong".

   Skill tested: Main Conclusion · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

   91%
2. B

   Unstated3% picked this

   As one gets older, one’s chances of developing Alzheimer’s

   The quickest way to eliminate this is that it isn't at all a match for "this theory [that longer life span explains why more women get Alzheimer's] may be wrong". This doesn't mention women at all. The correct answer on Main Conclusion will be replicating the meaning of one of the explicit claims. None of the claims in this argument say that "as you get older, your chance of developing Alzheimer's increases".

   3%
3. C

   Unstated Inference1% picked this

   Women who go through menopause earlier in life than do most other women have an increased risk

   This isn't at all a match for "this theory [that longer life span explains why more women get Alzheimer's] may be wrong". This doesn't mention longer life span at all. The correct answer on Main Conclusion will be replicating the meaning of one of the explicit claims. None of the claims in this argument talk about early menopause. This answer might appeal to people who feel like we could infer this idea from the paragraph, but that's forgetting our job: find the explicit claim that is the main conclusion.

   1%
4. D

   Unstated Inference5% picked this

   The conversion of testosterone into estrogen may help safeguard men from

   This isn't at all a match for "this theory [that longer life span explains why more women get Alzheimer's] may be wrong". This doesn't mention longer life spans or women. This answer, like (C), feels like an inference we could derive from what was said, but this wasn't said. It's also technically not even that solid an inference. It's not the conversion that helps men, exactly; it's the fact that they have plenty of testosterone to convert in the first place. Women run low on estrogen. Men have a high, stable supply of testosterone, which can be converted.

   5%
5. E

   Unstated1% picked this

   Testosterone is necessary for preventing Alzheimer’s disease in

   This isn't at all a match for "this theory [that longer life span explains why more women get Alzheimer's] may be wrong". This doesn't mention longer life spans or women. This also tries to bait students into picking an answer that goes beyond what was actually said. In this case, it's also an extremely strong claim (necessary?) that we could support even if there were an Inference question.

   1%