Questions 78-79

Despite improvements in treatment for asthma, the death rate from this disease has doubled during the past decade from its previous rate. Two possible explanations for this increase have been offered. First, the recording of deaths due to asthma has become more widespread and accurate in the past decade than it had been previously. Second, there has been an increase in urban pollution. However, since the rate of deaths due to asthma has increased dramatically even in cities with long-standing, comprehensive medical records and with little or no urban pollution, one must instead conclude that the cause of increased deaths is the use of bronchial inhalers by asthma sufferers to relieve their symptoms.

79. Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

A. Urban pollution has not doubled in the past decade.

B. Doctors and patients generally ignore the role of allergies in asthma.

C. Bronchial inhalers are unsafe, even when used according to the recommended instructions.

D. The use of bronchial inhalers aggravates other diseases that frequently occur among asthma sufferers and that often lead to fatal outcomes even when the asthma itself does not.

E. Increased urban pollution, improved recording of asthma deaths, and the used of asthma deaths, and the use of bronchial inhalers are the only possible explanations of the increased death rate due to asthma.

参考答案：E

思路：不是解释1和2，就是解释3。隐含了1，2，3外没用其他解释的理由。

A. 支持。

B. 无关。中心是role的问题。

C. 可以算无关，也可以算削弱。

D. 加强

取非，除了1，2，3解释还有其他解释。典型的他因削弱，符合ETS 假设定义。

问题是原文中没有提到E中的and the used of asthma deaths, 我选D.

根据大全LSAT - 2- II-23，THIS IS A TYPO，ORIGINAL CHOICE SHOULD BE AS FOLLOWS：

(E) Increased urban pollution, improved recording of asthma deaths, and the use of bronchial inhalers are the only possible explanations of the increased death rate due to asthma.