PrepTest 134, Section 2, Question 15
Researchers had three groups of professional cyclists cycle(80 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(8 more words not shown)
- AThe higher the(15 more words not shown)
- BThe effect that(24 more words not shown)
- CFor professional cyclists,(27 more words not shown)
- DPhysical factors, including(11 more words not shown)
- EModerate cycling tends(12 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Keep track of who is riding the bikes: these are professional cyclists. The recommended maximum for recreational cyclists is the benchmark used to describe the three exercise intensities; it doesn't turn the participants into recreational cyclists.
At the lowest tested intensity, most participants report feeling less depressed and angry afterward. At the middle intensity, most don't report those benefits. At the highest, most report feeling worse. That's a meaningful difference in reported mood as the intensity changes.
What we’re looking for
I'm not going to turn those three results into a rule about every possible workout. The question asks what is most strongly supported. Let's look for a cautious claim about these professional cyclists and the relationship between cycling intensity and mood, while checking each answer for something the study never measured.
Working the answers
- A
This stretches the observed pattern into a general rule: as pulse rate rises in sustained exercise, psychological benefit falls. We only have three tested intensity levels in cycling. We don't know what happens at untested levels or in other kinds of exercise. A trend across these three groups doesn't establish an unrestricted higher-rate, lower-benefit relationship.
- BCorrect
The reported effects on mood differ at the different cycling intensities, so it is reasonable to say that intensity plays at least some part. This stays with professional cyclists and with mood, the population and outcome the study actually addresses. Tends to depend at least in part also leaves room for other factors and for individuals who respond differently.
- C
Best requires comparisons the study never made. The lowest tested level produced the best reported mood results of these three groups, but what about another intensity below 60 percent? What about a different kind of exercise? We can't crown this the best exercise for improving mood merely because it did best among the three tested cycling conditions.
- D
The study doesn't measure the relative contributions of physical and psychological factors to depression. Different mood reports after different intensities might suggest a physical influence, but they don't quantify that influence against psychological causes. As much is a comparison we haven't been given.
- E
Physical benefit isn't the outcome reported here. A demanding workout could improve fitness while leaving someone temporarily frustrated or unhappy, and a pleasant workout needn't provide the greatest physical benefit. We have the cyclists' reports about depression and anger, not a comparison of their physical gains.
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