Official Guide Reading comprehension

[eee062010]

Source:
Official Guide to the GRE

Sparva, unlike Treland’s other provinces, requires automobile insurers to pay for any medical treatment sought by someone who has been involved in an accident; in the other provinces, insurers pay for nonemergency treatment only if they preapprove the treatment. Clearly, Sparva’s less restrictive policy must be the explanation for the fact that altogether insurers there pay for far more treatments after accidents than insurers in other provinces, even though Sparva does not have the largest population.

7. Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
A Car insurance costs more in Sparva than in any other province.
B The cost of medical care in Sparva is higher than the national average.
C Different insurance companies have different standards for determining what constitutes emergency treatment.
D Fewer insurance companies operate in Sparva than in any other province.
E There are fewer traffic accidents annually in Sparva than in any of the provinces of comparable or greater population.


I am actually not clear that what is the argument in the above passage?

[tommywallach]

Hey EEee,

Conclusion: Sparva's policy explain why insurers in Sparva pay for more treatments than insurers elsewhere
Premise: Sparva requires insurers to pay for all medical treatments; other provinces only require non emergency; Sparva doesn't have largest population

We want to strengthen the idea that the higher number of medical treatments paid for by insurers in Sparva is because of the policy, not something else.

A Car insurance costs more in Sparva than in any other province. (This is about cost, which has nothing to do with how many treatments they cover.)
B The cost of medical care in Sparva is higher than the national average. (Same problem as A)
C Different insurance companies have different standards for determining what constitutes emergency treatment. (This wouldn't apply to Sparva, which covers all treatments, not just emergency.)
D Fewer insurance companies operate in Sparva than in any other province. (This is irrelevant. The number of treatments is described as being paid by ALL insurers, so we don't care how many there are.)
E There are fewer traffic accidents annually in Sparva than in any of the provinces of comparable or greater population. (CORRECT. One explanation for the higher number of paid treatments is that people in Sparva get in way more accidents per person than folks in other provinces. This tells us that the opposite is true. If there are way fewer accidents in Sparva, then the reason for the increased number of treatments must be the policy.)

Hope that helps!

-t