Extract:
Concussion
A concussion is a traumatic injury to the brain that can interfere with the way the brain processes information and functions. A concussion often results in severe headaches, diminished alertness, and even unconsciousness.
While more than one million people in the United States suffer concussions every year, many believe that, like people, no two concussions are identical. Recently two professional baseball players suffered concussions. The first player was injured early in the season and tried twice to return to regular play, but was not medically cleared to play until the following year. Even after eight months, this player reported a recurring condition of “fogginess” that seemed to linger. The second player had brief symptoms of sleepiness and involuntary movement, or “shakiness.” A few days later, and after several tests, the second player reported that the effects of the concussion had subsided, and he was cleared to play.
No matter the duration of a person’s recovery, refraining from trying to do too much, too soon is vital. A specialist at Boston University’s Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy believes that someone who suffers a second concussion while still recovering from the first risks an even longer recovery.
Full recovery from concussions is possible. Problems are seldom permanent, and for most people who have had a concussion, the long-term prognosis is typically excellent. The first baseball player recently returned to his team. And though he was told by his physician that he has no greater risk than anyone else of suffering another concussion, other physicians believe that suffering one sports-related concussion increases the likelihood of suffering another.
Which statement would not be inferred by the reader?
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A
Athletes should be careful after a first concussion.
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B
Severe headache after a fall may be a sign of concussion.
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C
Sports-related concussions are riskier than other kinds.
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D
Symptoms of concussion may linger for more than six months.
The statement that cannot be inferred is that sports-related concussions are riskier than other types, as the passage never compares concussion sources or suggests sports injuries carry greater danger.
A) Athletes should be careful after a first concussion
This is reasonably inferred from the explicit warning that "refraining from trying to do too much, too soon is vital" and the specialist's caution about second-impact syndrome prolonging recovery, clearly indicating post-concussion caution.
B) Severe headache after a fall may be a sign of concussion
This is reasonably inferred from "severe headaches" being listed among common concussion symptoms combined with concussions being defined as "traumatic injury to the brain" that could result from falls.
C) Sports-related concussions are riskier than other kinds
This cannot be inferred. The passage uses sports examples simply because they provide documented cases, not to suggest sports concussions differ in severity from those caused by falls, vehicle accidents, or other trauma. No comparative risk assessment appears.
D) Symptoms of concussion may linger for more than six months
This is directly supported by the first baseball player experiencing "fogginess" that "seemed to linger" even "after eight months", well beyond the six-month threshold.
Conclusion
Valid inferences must extend logically from textual evidence without introducing comparisons, hierarchies, or distinctions absent from the original text. The passage provides no basis for ranking concussion risks by cause, making option C an unsupported extrapolation.