A New Medical Procedure Replaces all Three of the Tiny Bones in the Inner Ear with a Single Piece of Ultra-Thin Fiberglass.

Question: A new medical procedure replaces all three of the tiny bones in the inner ear with a single piece of ultra-thin fiberglass. The procedure has been found to greatly improve hearing in people who have experienced damage to these bones, though it is useless to people whose hearing loss stems from a neurological malfunction. This procedure will benefit a relatively small percentage of the hearing-impaired population.

Which of the following can be concluded from the argument above?

1. It is possible to hear without the use of the three tiny bones in the inner ear.
2. Most hearing loss is due to neurological malfunctioning.
3. More people have impaired hearing because of the neurological damage to the tiny bones of the inner ear.
4. Hearing loss due to neurological damage is more severe than hearing loss due to damage to the tiny bones in the inner ear.
5. The use of fiberglass cannot help people who have lost hearing due to neurological damage.

Answer: A
Explanation: This is a GMAT critical reasoning question. We have to find the option that can be concluded from the above argument.

Let’s look into all the available options and select the one that is suitable for the given passage.

Option A: It is possible to hear without the use of the three tiny bones in the inner ear.
Option A states that it is possible to hear without the use of the three bones present in our inner ear. The passage says that the procedure improves hearing in people who have tiny bones in the inner ear damage. It indicates that people will still be able to hear even though the hearing quality will not be very good. This statement shows that it is possible for people who have damaged the bones in their inner ear to hear. So, Option A is correct.

Option B: Most hearing loss is due to neurological malfunctioning.
Option B states that most hearing loss issues happen due to neurological malfunctioning. We can not say most people because it is nowhere mentioned in the argument above. The argument says that this will not help people with neurological hearing loss. It says nothing about other causes of hearing loss. So, Option B is incorrect.

Option C: More people have impaired hearing because of the neurological damage to the tiny bones of the inner ear.
According to Option C, more people suffer from the impaired hearing because of the neurological damage to the bones in their inner ear. This statement is similar to the second option, just phrased differently. We are not talking about the causes of hearing loss, we are talking about how it will not help people with neurological hearing disabilities. So, Option C is incorrect.

Option D: Hearing loss due to neurological damage is more severe than hearing loss due to damage to the tiny bones in the inner ear.
Option D states that the hearing loss that happens due to neurological damage is more severe than hearing impairment due to damage to the bones in the ear. This statement is irrelevant as the argument does not talk about which type of hearing loss is generally more severe. This can not be the conclusion as it does not talk about how neurological hearing loss can not be treated by this procedure. So, Option D is incorrect.

Option E: The use of fiberglass cannot help people who have lost hearing due to neurological damage.
Option E states that the usage of fiberglass can not help people who have lost their hearing ability due to some neurological damage. This statement is specifically stated in the argument. So, it can not be the conclusion of the passage. Option E is incorrect.

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