According to a Study, After a Week of High-Altitude Living, Twenty Men had Slimmed Down.

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QUESTION: According to a study, after a week of high-altitude living, twenty men had slimmed down. The men, middle-aged residents of low-altitude areas, had been taken to a research station at 2,650 meters (8,694 feet) above sea level. They had unrestricted access to food and were forbidden vigorous exercise, yet they lost an average of 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds) during their one-week stay. Clearly, the lower availability of oxygen at higher altitudes, or hypobaric hypoxia, can be said to have caused the weight loss, since __________.

Which of the following would, if true, most logically complete the argument?

  1. A decrease in oxygen intake has been shown to depress appetite
  2. The men all participated in the same kinds of exercise during their stay
  3. The foods available to the men had fewer calories than the foods they usually ate
  4. Exercise at higher altitudes is more difficult than exercise at lower altitudes is
  5. Several weeks after returning home, the men still weighed less than they had before the study.

Atrocities Against Women are Always Unacceptable in Any Society - is a GMAT Critical reasoning question. This particular GMAT Critical Reasoning topic has been taken from ‘GMAT Official Guide 2022 Bundle’. In this type of question, the candidates need to provide logical conclusions based on evidence and complete the argument. GMAT critical reasoning tests the logical and analytical skills of the candidates. GMAT critical reasoning requires candidates to find the strengths and weaknesses of the argument, or find the logical flaw in the argument. The GMAT CR section contains 10 -13 GMAT critical reasoning questions out of 36 GMAT verbal questions.

Answer: A
Explanation
:
The GMAT Critical Reasoning tests a competitor's cognitive, logical, and scientific reasoning skills. The applicant must justify the correct choice by following the same correct statement or removing irrelevant arguments.

To resolve this issue of the Ascension, we must separate the dispute. The next sentence contains a proposition (must), so this is a decision and the main necessity is a reason.

Now let us check the option one by one:

  1. A Decrease in oxygen intake has been shown to depress appetite.
    Correct
    The data collected in this study help support the hypothesis that low oxygen levels are responsible for weight loss. This is shown in the passage because it indicates how they did not gain weight even though there was no food restriction because they lived in low level areas. This makes sense because their oxygen intake in the upper regions is reduced, which reduces their appetite, causing them to consume fewer calories.
  2. The men all participated in the same kinds of exercise during their stay.
    Incorrect
    This is a bad choice because oxygen and exercise are possible causes of weight loss, but there can only be two causes. The statement "laxatives are given" may mean that moderate exercise is not prohibited, or that moderate or vigorous exercise is also prohibited. However, this has nothing to do with oxygen and does not provide additional information about what was being done during the restriction. To argue that there is a cause for slightly restricting exercise requires showing that there is a real reason for it (in this case, laxatives), which means that other types of exercise remain unrestricted.
  3. The foods available to the men had fewer calories than the foods they usually ate.
    Incorrect
    It does not continue the legitimate assumption of occupying reduced oxygen in weight loss. So this is an off base choice. This contradicts the section because it focuses on food and not oxygen as the cause.
  4. Exercise at higher altitudes is more difficult than exercise at lower altitudes is
    Incorrect
    This choice suggests a reason other than oxygen. (or alternatively that lack of oxygen causes impairment of activity not listed in the section). This statement, while valid, has no final effect. That's why it's a bad decision.
  5. Several weeks after returning home, the men still weighed less than they had before the study.
    Incorrect
    Additionally, this option does not interact directly with oxygen to reduce weight. (but once we include some extra assumptions we don't want). This explanation did not make sense to us as to why the men shed pounds during their 1-week stay at the high-altitude research station. In fact, this announcement challenges the assumption that low oxygen levels are necessary for weight loss. So it's definitely not an ideal option.

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