Question

When facing various challenges, people in today’s digital world heavily rely on private, online informationseeking behaviour. Individuals who experience depression will often attempt to understand their predicament and seek remedy by searching the Internet for depression-related information and treatment. A recent report says that there exists evidence of many searches comprising the word depression, during and just after the elections, in country Y. So, it can be concluded that the election is experienced by many people in country Y as a truly psychologically traumatizing event—and as such as being potentially depressionogenic.
Which of the following statements MOST seriously weakens the conclusion drawn in the passage?

• A. A survey in country Y shows that an election can cause a significant increase in the average level of depression.
• B. Depression-related advertisements are on the rise during and just after the election in country Y.
• C. Many people do not use the Internet in country X.
• D. Election is a festival in some countries, people happily choose their leader by casting votes.
• E. Per day sale of anti-depression drugs is constant across the years in country Y.

Answer 1

Answer: (E)

The question is asking us to identify the statement that most seriously weakens the conclusion drawn about the election in country Y being a psychologically traumatizing event that contributes to depression among its people. Let's analyze each option step-by-step:

1. Option: A survey in country Y shows that an election can cause a significant increase in the average level of depression.
   • This option supports the conclusion by suggesting that elections can indeed lead to a significant increase in depression. Therefore, it strengthens rather than weakens the conclusion.
2. Option: Depression-related advertisements are on the rise during and just after the election in country Y.
   • While this provides a possible reason for increased searches regarding depression, it does not necessarily weaken the conclusion that elections are depressionogenic. It merely provides additional context.
3. Option: Many people do not use the Internet in country X.
   • This information is about a different country (country X) and does not directly relate to the situation in country Y. Hence, it does not weaken the conclusion about elections in country Y.
4. Option: Election is a festival in some countries, people happily choose their leader by casting votes.
   • While this indicates that elections can be festive in certain cultures, it does not provide direct evidence against the conclusion concerning the psychological impact of elections in country Y.
5. Option: Per day sale of anti-depression drugs is constant across the years in country Y.
   • This option provides evidence that the level of depression, as indicated by drug sales, has not increased during or after elections in country Y. If elections led to increased depression, we would expect a rise in anti-depression drug sales. Thus, this option directly undermines the conclusion drawn in the passage.

Based on the analysis, the correct answer is: Per day sale of anti-depression drugs is constant across the years in country Y. This option provides a stable indicator (drug sales) that the depression levels do not fluctuate significantly during elections, contradicting the conclusion that elections are depressionogenic.

Answer 2

The conclusion in the passage suggests that elections in country Y are psychologically traumatizing, potentially leading to depression, as evidenced by increased online searches about depression around election times. To weaken this conclusion, we need to identify an alternative explanation that suggests the elections are not the cause of increased depression levels. Consider the available options:

A survey in country Y shows that an election can cause a significant increase in the average level of depression.

Depression-related advertisements are on the rise during and just after the election in country Y.

Many people do not use the Internet in country X.

Election is a festival in some countries, people happily choose their leader by casting votes.

Per day sale of anti-depression drugs is constant across the years in country Y.

The correct statement that most seriously weakens the conclusion is:

Per day sale of anti-depression drugs is constant across the years in country Y.

This option suggests that despite an increase in online searches about depression, the actual consumption of anti-depression drugs has not changed. This implies that the increased searches may not reflect an actual increase in depression rates. Instead, they could be influenced by other factors such as heightened awareness due to advertising or seasonal trends, rather than the elections being psychologically traumatizing.