LR Drill Set 2, Question 12
A particular type of genetically engineered tomato remains(73 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(5 more words not shown)
- Athe genetically engineered(19 more words not shown)
- Bthe genetically engineered(8 more words not shown)
- Cthe genetically engineered(18 more words not shown)
- Dfor salable tomatoes(27 more words not shown)
- Efor salable tomatoes(27 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Equal nutrition on the first day doesn't guarantee equal nutrition on the last day.
The engineered tomatoes stay salable for 20 days, substantially longer than ordinary tomatoes. That sounds useful. But if nutrients disappear while tomatoes sit on the shelf, a tomato that remains there longer could end up with less nutrition even though both types started with the same amount.
We're comparing each tomato at the end of its own shelf life. That isn't necessarily the same number of days after arrival. Keep those two clocks separate.
What we’re looking for
To complete the argument, we need a condition about nutrient retention over those different spans. Starting equal will get us to ending equal only if the relevant loss is equal too. The answer should establish that comparison, not merely tell us the tomatoes still look good or still contain some nutrients.
Working the answers
- A
Both types could retain some nutrition while retaining very different amounts. One could have nearly all of its original value and the other very little. We need equality at their respective endpoints, not merely a positive amount afterward.
- B
Looking the same doesn't establish containing the same nutrients. Two tomatoes could be visually indistinguishable while their nutritional values differ. The question concerns what remains inside them after time on the shelf, not whether a shopper can identify them by sight.
- C
Their growing time and size don't tell us how nutrition changes after they reach the store. We already know they start their shelf lives with equal nutritional value. The missing information concerns what happens afterward, not how long farming took or how large they became.
- D
This discusses why equally nutritious tomatoes might have different prices. It does not show that these two types are equally nutritious at the ends of their shelf lives. Price differences due to flavor or appearance leave the nutrient-retention question unanswered.
- ECorrect
Compare the same proportion of each type's shelf life. Suppose ordinary tomatoes lasted ten days. Five days would then be halfway through their life, just as ten days is halfway through the engineered tomatoes' 20-day life. E says the two retain as much nutritional value at comparable stages.
The endpoint is the stage we need: 100 percent of each shelf life has elapsed. Since the two types started with equal nutrition and retain equal amounts at that stage, buyers at those endpoints get equal nutritional value.
This is not a claim that the tomatoes lose nutrients at the same daily rate. In the illustration, they would reach corresponding stages on different days. The answer matches stages of shelf life, which is what makes it fit the conclusion.
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