Modest amounts of exercise can produce a dramatic improvement in cardiovascular health. One should exercise most days...

Annie on December 16, 2019

Hi @Ryan-Mahabir,

This question asks you to pick the answer choice which is “most strongly supported” by the passage provided. That means the passage provides the premises and you’re looking for the conclusion. Here’s a breakdown:

Premise: Moderate exercise can dramatically improve cardiovascular health.
Premise: A half hour of brisk walking most days of the week is enough for cardiovascular benefits.
Premise: More vigorous exercise is better, but a strenuous workout isn’t absolutely necessary.
Conclusion: ??

Answer Choices:
(A) is correct. The premises tell us that brisk walking is enough to see benefits, and that the more vigorous the exercise the better. These two ideas are combined in this conclusion, as it tells us that strenuous workouts will result in dramatic improvement. This answer choice is tricky because premise 3 tells us that a strenuous workout isn’t necessary. But, while it may not be necessary to see some results, it doesn’t tell us that a strenuous workout still is not the best. This conclusion tells us that, and it follows logically from the argument.

(C) is incorrect. This sentence flips around the argument. It states that 30 minutes of brisk walking will get you the same, or better, results than a strenuous workout. The premises have not told us this, rather premise 2 tells us that the more vigorous the workout, the better its is for you. So, this statement is not supported by the premises.