PrepTest 107, Section 1, Question 6
These days, drug companies and health professionals alike(62 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(7 more words not shown)
- AIf a person(14 more words not shown)
- BSmoking in moderation(14 more words not shown)
- CA high-cholesterol diet(9 more words not shown)
- DThe only way(19 more words not shown)
- EThe risk of(11 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Can people do anything about their cholesterol, or is it simply something they have?
That question matters if professionals are going to focus their attention on it. The passage connects more cholesterol in the blood with a greater risk of dying from a heart attack, then explains why the topic matters: heart disease is the leading single cause of death in North America. Finally, it gives us three things that can influence cholesterol levels: smoking, drinking, and exercise.
Notice what we haven't been told. We don't have amounts, and we don't have a separate explanation of how each activity changes cholesterol. We shouldn't fill those gaps with what we know about health. The useful connection here is simpler: these behaviors can affect cholesterol, which bears on the risk of a fatal heart attack.
What we’re looking for
We're asked what follows from the passage. I'd look for a modest conclusion that changing behavior can affect that risk. A choice that adds a precise comparison, an exclusive cause, or a guarantee of safety needs more information than we've received.
Working the answers
- A
Lower risk isn't necessarily low risk. Someone could have low cholesterol but still face a substantial risk for another reason. The passage gives a relationship between cholesterol and risk; it doesn't say cholesterol is the only thing that matters or that a low level makes the person's overall risk low.
- B
We don't know how moderate smoking compares with heavy smoking. The passage says smoking can influence cholesterol, but it doesn't measure the effect of different amounts. Equal risk is possible, but so is unequal risk. We cannot select one based on the information given.
- C
Heart disease is identified as the leading single cause of death. A high-cholesterol diet isn't. In fact, diet isn't one of the three factors discussed. This choice substitutes a particular proposed dietary cause for the disease itself without establishing that it is responsible for the deaths.
- D
Nothing limits smoking's influence to this one route. Even if changing cholesterol is one way smoking affects risk, there could be other ways. The word 'only' would require us to rule them out, and the passage never does.
- ECorrect
Smoking, drinking, and exercise are aspects of lifestyle that can influence cholesterol levels. The passage connects those levels with the risk of a fatal heart attack. Together, those facts support the conclusion that certain lifestyle changes can alter the risk. E doesn't claim every change helps or prescribe exactly how much of an activity is best.
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