Self-study
Modest amounts of exercise can produce a dramatic improvement in cardiovascular health. One should exercise most days of the week, but one need only do the equivalent of half an hour of brisk walking on those days to obtain cardiovascular health benefits. More vigorous exercise is more effective, but a strenuous workout is not absolutely necessary.
11.
Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the statements above?
a
Having a strenuous workout most days of the week can produce a dramatic improvement in cardiovascular health.
Strongly supported. Modest amounts of exercise most days of the week can dramatically improve heart health. Strenuous exercise is more effective than modest exercise. So, having a strenuous workout most days of the week can dramatically improve heart health.
b
Doing the equivalent of an hour of brisk walking two or three times a week generally produces dramatic improvements in cardiovascular health.
Unsupported. We’re told that doing the equivalent of 30 minutes of brisk walking most days of the week (at least 4 days) can improve heart health. We don’t know that doing the equivalent of an hour of brisk walking 2-3 times a week could produce the same improvements.
c
It is possible to obtain at least as great an improvement in cardiovascular health from doing the equivalent of half an hour of brisk walking most days of the week as from having a strenuous workout most days of the week.
Anti-supported. We’re told that strenuous exercise is more effective than modest exercise. So we cannot conclude that it’s possible to obtain at least as great an improvement in heart health from modest exercise as from strenuous exercise.
d
Aside from exercise, there is no way of improving one's cardiovascular health.
Unsupported. We know that exercise can improve cardiovascular health, but we do not know that it’s the only way to improve cardiovascular health.
e
To obtain a dramatic improvement in one's cardiovascular health, one must exercise strenuously at least occasionally.
Anti-supported. We’re told that modest amounts of exercise can produce a dramatic improvement in cardiovascular health and that although more vigorous exercise is more effective, “a strenuous workout is not absolutely necessary.”