PrepTest 123, Section 3, Question 17
When exercising the muscles in one's back, it(58 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(7 more words not shown)
- AMuscles on opposite(19 more words not shown)
- BExercising the muscles(14 more words not shown)
- CProvided that one(17 more words not shown)
- DIf the muscles(15 more words not shown)
- EOne should exercise(18 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
I can follow the concern about balance. If the muscles on opposite sides of the spine need to pull equally, we don't want one side's development getting ahead of the other's. But does equal development require equal exercise? That's the step I want explained. The conclusion tells us how much to exercise each side. The evidence tells us how the muscles need to develop and pull. Those aren't automatically the same thing.
What if the two sides could develop evenly despite getting different amounts of exercise? Then the stated need for balance wouldn't establish the recommendation to exercise them equally. We need a connection between how we exercise the muscles and whether their development stays balanced.
What we’re looking for
The question asks for an assumption the argument requires. I'd look for that missing connection: exercising the sides unequally tends to produce the unbalanced development the argument says we need to avoid.
Working the answers
- A
Being needed isn't the same as being enough. The passage says balanced development is necessary to keep the back healthy and properly aligned. It doesn't say that balanced muscles can do the whole job on their own. Other conditions might also matter. The recommendation doesn't require this guarantee.
- BCorrect
Now the exercise recommendation connects to the evidence. Unequal exercise tends to produce unbalanced development, and unbalanced development is the problem the passage says a healthy back must avoid.
Without that connection, we could agree about the need for balanced muscles while still asking why the exercise has to be equal. B addresses that exact question. It doesn't promise that equal exercise solves every back problem; it explains why unequal exercise threatens the balance this argument relies on.
- C
This promises a generally healthy back as long as the person exercises both sides equally. That's more than the argument needs. We can say equal exercise is important for maintaining a healthy back without saying it guarantees one. Someone might exercise evenly and still have another back problem.
- D
Irreparable damage means damage that cannot be fixed. Nothing in the argument requires that extreme outcome. Unequal exercise could create an imbalance that can be corrected, and the author could still have a reason to recommend equal exercise.
- E
Daily? We haven't been given a schedule. The argument concerns the balance between the two sides, not how frequently someone should exercise. Exercising both sides equally once a week would still meet the stated recommendation about equality; E adds a separate requirement.
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