Extract:
An Old Form of Running Is New Again
Barefoot running is a rapidly growing movement that encourages people to leave their shoes at home and take to the streets in only their bare feet. Barefoot running advocates are quick to point out that while shoe technology has advanced significantly since the advent of the modern running shoe, there has been little decline in the number of injuries that occur from running.
Humankind has been running for millions of years, and modern running shoes have existed for less than 50 years. By wearing larger shoes with excessive cushioning we are changing the biomechanics of how we run, thereby increasing the likelihood for injury. Early humans ran with a “forefoot strike,” landing closer to the balls of their feet and using their foot’s natural arch as a spring to store and release energy. Modern shoe designs encourage a “heel strike,” landing on the heel and rolling forward to the toe. Barefoot running advocates believe “heel striking” replaces your reliance on the natural mechanics of your feet with the cushioning provided by your shoes, and that this is what causes many of the injuries affecting runners today.
Critics assert that while our feet may have been designed for barefoot running, our road surfaces were not. Concrete and asphalt are much firmer than any surface where our human ancestors would have been running. Broken glass and debris also may make barefoot running a significant challenge.
There is little consensus when it comes to the safety and effectiveness of barefoot running, but even the most skeptical of podiatrists will agree that wearing heavily padded shoes too often can result in a weaker foot and leg structure. Spend some extra time walking barefoot around your house; aside from building up the muscles and tendons that strengthen your feet, you may just find yourself tempted to go for a run.
Which statement would not be inferred by the reader?
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A
Runners who take their shoes off may face some hazards.
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B
Modern running shoes may increase the odds for injury.
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C
Walking barefoot is good for the muscles and tendons.
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D
Before 1950, even Olympic runners ran barefoot.
The statement that cannot be inferred is that before 1950, even Olympic runners ran barefoot, while modern shoes existed less than 50 years, the passage never mentions Olympic runners or competitive running history.
A) Runners who take their shoes off may face some hazards
Reasonably inferred from critics' concerns about "Broken glass and debris" and "concrete and asphalt" being "much firmer" than ancestral surfaces.
B) Modern running shoes may increase the odds for injury
Reasonably inferred from advocates' argument that "heel striking... is what causes many of the injuries" and shoe technology hasn't reduced injury rates despite cushioning advances.
C) Walking barefoot is good for the muscles and tendons
Directly supported by the closing recommendation to "build up the muscles and tendons that strengthen your feet" through barefoot walking.
D) Before 1950, even Olympic runners ran barefoot
Cannot be inferred. While "modern running shoes have existed for less than 50 years" (placing their advent around 1976 given the passage's likely publication era), the text never mentions Olympic athletes, competitive running, or historical footwear practices in sports.
Conclusion
Valid inferences must extend logically from textual evidence without introducing specific historical claims absent from the passage. The Olympic runner assertion extrapolates beyond available information about shoe history into unsupported sports history.