Because quitting smoking is very stressful and leads to weight gain, it is difficult to do. The key to quitting, how...

Victoria on May 6, 2021

Hi @yckim2180,

Happy to help!

While quitting smoking it difficult because it causes stress and weight gain, the stimulus concludes that the key to quitting smoking may be as simple as replacing an unhealthy activity (smoking) with a healthy one (exercising).

Why? Because, in one study, 50% of participants were assigned to a smoking-cessation program and the other 50% were assigned to the same program and fifteen weeks of aerobic exercise.

After one month, no one in the first group had quit smoking and 40% of those in the second groups had not smoked.

Answer choice (A) supports the argument because it suggests that aerobic exercise eliminates one of the reasons why quitting smoking is difficult, explaining why the second group found it easier to quit smoking.

Answer choice (B) supports the argument because it reduces the likelihood that the study was biased.

Answer choice (E) supports the argument by showing that the effects of exercise on the second group were not temporary as almost all of those who initially quit smoking still had not smoked in a year.

Hope this helps! Please let us know if you have any further questions.