PT3.S2.Q19 - Like a number of other articles

wkim2015

Can anyone explain to me how the answer for this question is (b) and not (e)? I cannot convince myself that (e) is not the right answer. Saying (b) is the right answer seems like a bit of a stretch to me. Someone please help!

Pretzel Logic

I see your comment is three years ago, so hopefully this may help others (god knows I'm getting crushed by this PT).

(B) Undermines a conclusion drawn from statistical data by offering an alternative explanation

A more moderate answer choice that seems more supported from what the passage gives us. The alternative explanation would seem to be the "expressing other types of marital frustrations in financial terms." So, the problem is not simply financial problems. It is something else. Something "alternative," like those "other types" of marital frustrations.

(E) Undermines a conclusion by showing that couples cannot accurately describe their own problems.

This seems like a rather strong assumption we cannot make based on the text we're given. It may be like when JY warns us not to use our real life knowledge for answer choices. We just cannot say here that the author is concluding that they cannot accurately describe their problems.

Also note answer choice (B) reads "undermining a conclusion drawn from statistical data..." (Statistical data references our survey).
But here in answer choice E, it's simply "undermines a conclusion," so perhaps more vague language. Often I find this can be a little sign.

dpgold24

Picked E on first pass & BR & then almost went with D when WA journaling...so adding my thinking here as well.

B: Undermines a conclusion drawn from statistical data by offering an alternative explanation - the alternative would be here that they sometimes quantify other issues in financial terms, but they are other issues. Explains why data may not be on point.

D : Undermines a conclusion drawn from statistical data by criticizing the survey for which he data was gathered. - they don't criticize the survey itself, they criticize the conclusion R jumps to with the survey

E: Undermines a conclusion by showing that couples cannot accurately describe their own problems.
It doesn't show that couples can't do this it - it is focused on the survey & the conclusion drawn from the survey, not the couples themselves. If it was a better survey it could have accounted for this, its not couples fault & our author definitely doesn't come for the survey because of this, they come at R for the conclusion he draws using the survey.