Logical Reasoning

PT112 · S1 · Q25 A 1991 calculation was made

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A 1991 calculation was made to determine what, if any, additional health-care costs beyond the ordinary are borne by society at large for people who live a sedentary life.

Conclusion (Thus)

People's voluntary choice not to exercise places a significant burden on society.

Evidence

If you voluntarily live a sedentary lifestyle, your additional health-care costs are about $1650 higher than someone without a sedentary lifestyle.

Evaluate

Given that ... someone living a sedentary lifestyle costs $1650 (on average) more in health care costs than does someone who lives a non-sedentary lifestyle,

How could we still argue that ... Choosing not to exercise is not placing a significant burden on society?

Maybe the health care costs of being sedentary are higher for society, but some other costs of sedentary lives are cheaper for society? That would help us argue that sedentary people are not significantly more expensive to society.

We could also just acknowledge that sedentary people are more expensive but argue that an extra $1650 over the course of a lifetime fails to qualify as a significant burden.

Goal

Look for some way to say that even though the health care costs are somewhat higher for a sedentary lifestyle, a sedentary lifestyle overall does not cost society a burdensome extra amount of money, compared to a non-sedentary lifestyle.

25.

Which one of the following, if true and not taken into account by the calculation, most seriously weakens the argument?

  1. Many people whose employment requires

    No Impact

    This is talking about the backstory of whether people would exercise at home if they already exercise at work. We're never distinguishing between "active at work, rest at home" and "rest at work, active at home". A sedentary life is one that is rarely active, so whether someone is exercising a lot on their job on in their leisure time, they don't qualify as sedentary either way. More importantly, this answer has nothing to do with addressing the central question of whether sedentary lifestyles overall burden society significantly.

    15% picked this

  2. Exercise is a topic that

    No Impact

    This is talking about the backstory of whether people get advice about exercising from their doctor. This answer has nothing to do with addressing the central question of whether sedentary lifestyles overall burden society significantly.

    4% picked this

  3. Correct

    Physical conditions that eventually require

    Why this is right

    This answer is offering an Alternate Explanation for why people living sedentary lifestyles have higher than average health-care costs. This argument didn't strike me as an Explain Curious Fact type argument on a first read, but we could think of it that way. Curious Fact ... why do people who live a sedentary life have health costs that are on average about $1650 higher? Author's Explanation ... it's the sedentary lifestyle that's causing those higher health costs! This answer choice ... no, there's a 3rd factor that offers an Alternate Explanation for the correlation between sedentary lifestyle and higher health care costs. The same causal factor (certain physical conditions) lead to a sedentary lifestyle and lead to higher health care costs (medical or nursing-home care).

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

    77% picked this

  4. Individuals vary widely in the

    No Impact

    This is the classic Wishy-Washy wrong answer on Strengthen / Weaken: - things change - differences exist - fluctuations occur It basically tells us nothing, unless you were previously thinking that all individuals on Earth are very similar in the amount and kind of exercise they choose.

    2% picked this

  5. A regular program of moderate

    No Impact

    This doesn't give us any way to argue that "choosing a sedentary lifestyle is not adding an economic burden to society". If anything, it seems to be saying that choosing an active lifestyle with moderate exercise would do a bunch of great things.

    1% picked this

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