The hepatitis B virus is common..

[manassingh]

The hepatitis B virus is common in China relative to other countries in the region. The disease can easily be prevented through vaccination, regulation of barbershop and manicure practices, and health education. Yet, the incidence of this disease continues to rise in China, while it remains stable or is falling in China’s neighboring countries.

Which of the following, if true, would best explain the situation described above?
1. Illegal drug use has risen faster in China than in neighboring countries.
2. Capitalism is growing more quickly in China than in neighboring countries, and thus accompanying social problems have also increased more quickly.
3. To speed its industrial development and the education level of its citizenry, China does not burden small businesses with many regulations nor does it require its school population to have vaccinations, as neighboring countries do.
4. Medicine is socialized in China but not in neighboring countries, meaning that more people in China have access to health care than in neighboring countries.
5. Twenty years ago, a complete and accurate study by an international health agency revealed that the incidence of hepatitis B was much higher in China than in neighboring countries.

By process of elimination, i selected # 3, but not very clear. No where it is mentioned that "to speed industrial deelopment", are't we assuming something extra ?

[malikrulzz]

Don't have ans to this. But yes I went with C too. POE

[rugaral]

i think C

the argument asserts that hep. B continues to rise in China while it is falling in other areas. The correct answer should explain why this is the case.

C correctly explains the situations in China and its neighbors that have led to the increase in the incidence of HB (in the case of China), and a fall in HB in the case of its neighbors...

[RonPurewal]

No where it is mentioned that "to speed industrial deelopment", are't we assuming something extra ?[/color]

you are not understanding the nature of the question.

note the boldface red words in the question statement:
Which of the following, if true, would best explain the situation described above?

this does NOT work like "find the assumption" or "draw the conclusion", in which you're looking for an answer that MUST be true UNDER ALL CONDITIONS.

instead, you're looking at the five choices, EACH OF WHICH CAN BE ASSUMED TO BE TRUE (that's what it says), and telling what would be the effect, if any, on the argument.

--

let's put it this way:

if i had choice (c) that said this instead,
little green men have descended regularly from outer space and infected chinese people with hepatitis b; these green men have never infected anyone from any other country.
this would be the CORRECT ANSWER.
it is of course ridiculous, but, per the problem statement, we would assume that it is the case. if it is the case, then it is clearly relevant, and it clearly justifies the discrepancy cited in the passage, so it would be correct.