Several studies have shown that

Answer choices

1. A

   No Impact6% picked this

   The staff in some of the hospitals studied had earned more advanced degrees, on average, than the staff

   This answer doesn't directly address the core issue of why mortality rates differ. Even if staff have more advanced degrees, it doesn't necessarily mean they provide better or worse care. More advanced degrees could strengthen or undermine the argument, but without knowing how it impacts care, it's irrelevant.

   6%
2. B

   Correct85% picked this

   Patient populations vary substantially in average severity of illness from hospital

   Why this is right

   If patient populations vary substantially in average severity of illness from hospital to hospital, then it provides a strong alternate explanation for the mortality rate differences. A hospital may have a higher mortality rate not because of inferior quality of care, but because it admits patients with more severe health issues.

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

   85%
3. C

   No Impact2% picked this

   The average number of years that staff members stay on at a given job varies considerably from

   This factor doesn't clearly impact the author's conclusion. It might barely support that staff stability correlates with care quality, but there’s no clear connection provided here to mortality rates specifically.

   2%
4. D

   No Impact4% picked this

   Approximately the same surgical procedures were performed in each of the hospitals covered

   Even if the same procedures were performed, it doesn’t necessarily mean that differences in mortality rates aren't due to staff quality. This fact doesn’t provide any new information that would weaken the quality of care explanation.

   4%
5. E

   No Impact4% picked this

   Mortality rates for hospital patients do not vary considerably from one region of the

   The lack of regional variation in mortality rates doesn't impact the argument about differences between hospitals. The comparison is irrelevant to the conclusion about quality of care across different hospitals. Answer (B) effectively provides an alternate explanation by suggesting patient severity as a reason for differing mortality rates, rather than just the quality of care.

   4%