Physiologist: The likelihood of developing osteoporosis is greatly increased by a deficiency of calcium in the diet. Dairy products usually contain more calcium per serving than do fruits and vegetables. Yet in countries where dairy products are rare, and fruits and vegetables are the main source of calcium, the incidence of osteoporosis is much lower than in countries where people consume a great deal of calcium from dairy products.
"Surprising" Phenomenon
Why is the rate of osteoporosis much lower in countries where fruits and veggies are the main source of calcium than in countries where people get a lot of calcium from dairy products, even though dairy products usually contain more calcium per serving than do fruits and vegetables, and the chance of getting osteoporosis increases from calcium deficiency?
Objective
The correct answer should suggest a difference between the people in countries in which fruits/veggies are main source of calcium and the countries in which dairy products provide a lot of the calcium. This difference should help explain the lower rates of osteoporosis in the fruits/veggie-focused countries.
A
A healthy human body eventually loses the excess calcium that it takes in.
This doesn’t differentiate between the fruits/veggie-focused countries and the dairy-focused countries.
B
Many people who eat large quantities of fruits and vegetables also consume dairy products.
The comparison involves people in countries “where dairy products are rare.” So, we’re focused on countries where the typical fruit/veggie-eater wouldn’t be able to consume lots of dairy.
C
There are more people who have a calcium deficiency than there are who have developed osteoporosis.
This doesn’t help differentiate between the fruits/veggie-focused countries and the dairy-focused countries.
D
People who have calcium deficiencies are also likely to have deficiencies in other minerals.
This doesn’t help differentiate between the fruits/veggie-focused countries and the dairy-focused countries.
E
The fats in dairy products tend to inhibit the body’s calcium absorption.
This suggests that people in the dairy countries might get less calcium than the people in the fruit/veggie countries. Although dairy has more calcium, it makes the calcium more difficult to absorb. This might explain the fruit/veggie countries’ lower osteoporosis rate.
Most respondents to a magazine survey who had recently listened to a taped reading of a certain best-selling novel said that they had enjoyed the novel, while most respondents who had recently read the novel themselves said they had not enjoyed it. These survey results support the contention that a person who listens to a taped reading of a novel is more likely to enjoy the novel than a person who reads it is.
Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
The author hypothesizes that people who listen to a taped reading of a novel are more likely to enjoy it than those who read it. She supports this with a survey in which most respondents who listened to the taped reading of a certain novel said that they enjoyed it, while most who read it said that they did not.
Notable Assumptions
The author assumes that the sample of respondents are representative of all readers or listeners. She also assumes that the difference in enjoyment between readers and listeners of this novel applies to all novels.
A
Most of the respondents who had listened to a taped reading of the novel had never read it, and most of the respondents who had read the novel had never listened to a taped reading of it.
Whether people had previously read or listened to the novel doesn’t change the fact that most respondents who listened to it enjoyed it and most who read it didn’t. We can’t assume that their responses would’ve been different if they’d previously read or listened to the novel.
B
Most people can read a novel in considerably less time than it would take them to listen to a taped reading of it.
We can’t assume that the time it takes to read or listen to a book affects how much people enjoy the book. Thus, (A) doesn’t weaken the author’s argument, which relies on respondents’ reported enjoyment.
C
When people are asked their opinion of a best-selling novel that they have read or listened to on tape, they are more likely to say that they enjoyed the novel than that they did not enjoy it.
(C) doesn’t distinguish between readers and listeners; it only says that people are more likely to report enjoying the novel whether they read it or listened to it. But the author’s argument is about the difference in responses between readers and listeners.
D
Many novels that are available in text versions are not available in audio versions.
This is true, but it doesn’t weaken the author’s argument. The fact that not all novels are available in audio versions does not challenge the conclusion that people people who listen to a novel are more likely to enjoy it than those who read it.
E
The novel in question, unlike most novels, included dialogue in many different dialects that are more understandable when heard than when read.
This weakens the author’s argument by highlighting the assumption that the survey results regarding this novel can be generalized to draw a conclusion about all novels. Just because this novel might be more enjoyable to listen to doesn’t mean all novels are.