Explanation
Reading the question: Usually, in a strengthen question,
we will look for the greatest weakness and then a strengthener that patches
that weakness, because there is no greater way to strengthen an argument. But
here we have a NOT question, so the correct answer is likely to be a weakener or be irrelevant. We'll use a basic filter: what
answer choice weakens the idea that getting married makes a woman sleep longer
and hence live longer?
Applying the filter: (A) patches a weak connection between
dying prematurely and having a longer life expectancy. So (A) is a strengthener
and hence is NOT the answer. Choice (B) also strengthens the argument, because
it removes a problem and the prompt mentions specifically sleeping "up to 8
hours." So (B) is out. Choice (C) also removes a problem, that of an unintended
consequence. So (C) is out. Choice (D) patches a weak connection between
soundness of sleep and amount of sleep, so it's a strengthener and is out.
Choice (E) may sound irrelevant initially, but it weakens the argument. It's
saying that getting married isn't the cause of sleeping better; the cause,
rather, is being the type of person, psychologically, who's likely to get
married. It weakens the causal argument by establishing a different cause than
the one given. The correct answer is (E).
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