PrepTest 132, Section 2, Question 2
Among people who live to the age of(43 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(6 more words not shown)
- AThere is some(16 more words not shown)
- BSome of the(17 more words not shown)
- CSome of the(15 more words not shown)
- DSome people who(12 more words not shown)
- ENearly all people(12 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Living to 100 despite unhealthy habits doesn't make those habits harmless. It makes me wonder what helped these people live so long anyway. Genetics could be part of the answer. Perhaps lifestyle makes a difference to how long someone lives, while an inherited advantage helps some people reach an unusually old age. But the fact that many centenarians had unhealthy habits doesn't establish that explanation by itself.
Even “a large proportion” needs context. Suppose 30 percent of people who reach 100 had unhealthy habits, compared with 90 percent of the population overall. Thirty percent might sound large, but unhealthy habits would still be much less common among the people who reached 100. Those numbers are an example, not the study's findings. They show why this observation doesn't make lifestyle irrelevant.
What we’re looking for
We're asked to strengthen the genetic explanation. Does exceptional longevity run in families? That would be a useful place to look: relatives share genes, so a pattern among relatives could give the proposed explanation some support.
Working the answers
- A
This concerns one habit counteracting another. Even if moderate alcohol consumption offset some effects of fatty foods, that would give us a possible explanation involving behavior. It doesn't give us evidence that inherited traits help account for exceptional longevity.
- B
So some long-lived people avoid smoking and drinking but have other unhealthy habits. That fills in the description of their lifestyles. It doesn't connect their long lives with their genes, which is the claim we're trying to support.
- C
This offers another mixture of habits: exercise and diet on one side, smoking or alcohol on the other. People can have both healthy and unhealthy habits. Learning which combination some centenarians have doesn't establish a genetic contribution to their longevity.
- D
We already know unhealthy behavior often shortens lives. Some people with those habits dying before 100 fits that information. But it doesn't tell us why other people survive so much longer, or support genetics as the explanation for their exceptional lifespan.
- ECorrect
Longevity runs in these families: nearly everyone who reaches 100 has long-lived siblings. Because siblings share genes, that pattern supports the idea of an inherited advantage.
It doesn't prove that genes are the whole explanation. Siblings might also share habits or surroundings. We don't need to settle every possible cause; we need evidence that makes the genetic explanation more plausible. E provides that family connection.
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