PrepTest 94+, Section 4, Question 10
While the population of city X is approximately one-half that of city Y, the number of city X residents who are patients in hospitals is only one-fourth that of the number of city Y residents who are patients in hospitals.
While the population of city X is approximately one-half that of city Y, the number of city X residents who are patients in hospitals is only one-fourth that of the number of city Y residents who are patients in hospitals.
While the population of city X is approximately one-half that of city Y, the number of city X residents who are patients in hospitals is only one-fourth that of the number of city Y residents who are patients in hospitals.
While the population of city X is approximately one-half that of city Y, the number of city X residents who are patients in hospitals is only one-fourth that of the number of city Y residents who are patients in hospitals.
Each of the following, if true, contributes to an explanation of the difference in the number of residents who are patients in hospitals EXCEPT:
Preventive health programs are more prevalent in city X than in city Y.
The hospitals in city X are noted as leaders in employing outpatient treatment wherever possible.
The drinking water of city Y has dangerously high levels of pollutants, whereas this is not the case for city X.
The hospitals in city Y are of very high quality, and residents of city X are often sent there for treatment.
The lifestyle in city X is significantly less stressful than the lifestyle in city Y.
Explanations
So city X has roughly half the population of city Y. Let's use round numbers and assume city X has 50 residents and city Y has 100.
We're also told that city X has only one-fourth the hospital patients of city Y. Again, let's make sense of this using round numbers. Assume city X has 5 hospital patients and city Y has 20.
It turns out to be a Paradox (Except) question. That means we're looking for the answer choice that doesn't help explain why city X, despite being the smaller town, has far fewer hospital patients.
Let's take a look.
Nope. This totally helps us understand. If preventative health programs are more popular in X than in Y, this helps explain why fewer folks end up in the hospital in X than in Y.
Also no. This helps explain things. Outpatient care just means care provided without the need for a hospital stay. If X's hospitals prioritize outpatient care, then it makes sense why fewer folks wind up admitted to hospitals.
Whoa, no way. Sucks to be a citizen of city Y. This would totally explain why city Y's residents end up in the hospital more often than city X's.
Ah, yes. Sneaky, but this is the correct answer. The passage says, "the number of city X residents who are patients in hospitals..." That doesn't tell us which city they're patients in. If they're all heading to city Y for treatment, they still qualify as a patient in a hospital. This doesn't explain the paradox, so it's our answer.
Nope. This for sure helps explain things. If stress is significantly lower for citizens in city X than in city Y, then it helps us understand why fewer of city X's residents wind up in hospitals.
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