PrepTest 135, Section 1, Question 10
A new process enables ordinary table salt to(56 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(25 more words not shown)
- AIt is the(4 more words not shown)
- BIt provides support(6 more words not shown)
- CIt is a(7 more words not shown)
- DIt qualifies the(4 more words not shown)
- EIt illustrates a(5 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Adding iron to salt could be useful because people already eat salt. We wouldn't be asking them to adopt an entirely new food. But would their ordinary salt intake deliver enough iron to matter?
The statement we're asked about answers that question: people consume salt in quantities that would supply significant amounts of iron. That helps explain why fortifying salt could reduce anemia caused by too little dietary iron. If people consumed only a tiny amount, adding iron might do little for them.
What we’re looking for
There is still a practical question about getting the new salt to the people who need it. Worldwide use of ordinary salt doesn't automatically establish worldwide distribution of the fortified version. That's something we could ask when evaluating the proposal. For this role question, though, locate the conclusion and connect the highlighted fact to it. The conclusion is the potential reduction in iron-deficiency anemia; the fact about quantities gives a reason to believe that benefit is possible.
Working the answers
- A
The conclusion is that the new process could help reduce anemia due to a dietary iron deficiency. The statement about how much salt people consume explains why that outcome is plausible. It is a reason for the conclusion, not the conclusion itself.
- BCorrect
If ordinary salt consumption would deliver meaningful amounts of iron, fortified salt could address the dietary shortage described in the passage. The targeted statement therefore supports the claim that the process could help reduce this form of anemia.
- C
The author accepts the statement and uses it to support the proposed benefit. There is no attempt to show that people actually consume too little salt to obtain a useful amount of iron. That would be arguing against it; this passage does the opposite.
- D
To qualify the conclusion is to limit or modify it. For example, saying the process could help only if the fortified salt reaches those who need it would add a condition. The targeted statement doesn't impose such a limit. It supplies a positive reason to expect a benefit.
- E
The statement gives a fact about consumption, not an example of a general principle. The reasoning connects this particular way of delivering iron with a potential health benefit. No general rule is presented for the salt example to illustrate.
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