Official Explanation

Argument Evaluation

The argument suggests that the greater the amount of time employees take to exercise during working hours, the fewer sick days these employees take. This is true even of employees who exercise just once a week during work hours.

Based on this evidence, the argument concludes that companies that start fitness programs will see a significant decrease in the absentee rate.

The question asks us to identify a serious weakness in the argument. The argument as stated does not address the following fundamental problem: the same employees who are frequently absent may also fail to make use of such a fitness program. If that is true, therefore, the evidence provided would give us little reason to believe that those who are currently frequently absent would be absent less often if such a program were implemented.

A. This answer choice may call into question the advisability of starting such a fitness program. That, however, is not what the argument's conclusion is about. The argument's conclusion states that company-run fitness programs will reduce absentee rates, but this choice tells us nothing about what effect, if any, such fitness programs would have on absentee rates.

B. Correct. The argument assumes that exercising during office hours will lead employees to be absent from work less frequently. However, this choice indicates that those who are frequently absent are the least likely to make use of a company fitness program. That could mean that these employees will use such fitness programs rarely, if at all. If so, we would have far less reason to believe that there would be a significant decline in the absentee rate if such a program were implemented.

C. This answer choice is outside the scope of the argument: we are not given any information about how exercise outside of work affects absentee rates.

D. This answer choice is outside the scope of the argument: the argument's conclusion is about absentee rates; the argument does not concern productivity.

E. This answer choice is outside the scope of the argument: there is no information to suggest any correlation between the length of lunch breaks and the use of fitness programs or the length of lunch breaks and rates of absence.

The correct answer is B.