PrepTest 137, Section 4, Question 3
Consumption of sugar affects the level of unmetabolized(30 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(11 more words not shown)
- APersons who are(12 more words not shown)
- BFruits, vegetables, meats,(10 more words not shown)
- CConsuming large amounts(15 more words not shown)
- DConsuming large amounts(18 more words not shown)
- ESugar passes into(7 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Maybe these people process sugar faster.
Eating sugar raises the amount of unmetabolized sugar in the blood. That makes sense: sugar enters the system before the body has finished processing it. But people who eat a lot of sugar tend to have less unmetabolized sugar than average. How can more going in leave less waiting to be processed?
The amount going in isn't the only thing that could matter. We should also ask how quickly the body processes it. Perhaps a large intake triggers a stronger response, so the sugar gets processed quickly. That could reconcile an increase following consumption with a below-average level in people who consume large amounts.
What we’re looking for
The question asks us to resolve that apparent conflict. I'd look for something explaining why the high-consumption group processes sugar differently. We can accept both observations; we don't have to decide that one must be false.
Working the answers
- A
Overweight people aren't the group described in the passage. We need to explain the finding about people who consume large amounts of sugar. The choice doesn't establish that these are the same people, and even a connection between the groups wouldn't yet explain why the unmetabolized sugar level is low.
- B
The source of the sugar doesn't resolve the puzzle. Whether the sugar comes from sweets, fruit, or another food, we're still asking why people who consume large amounts have below-average levels remaining unmetabolized. B changes which foods we picture without explaining that result.
- CCorrect
Here is the processing response we wanted. Large amounts of sugar trigger unusually high amounts of insulin, which the choice identifies as helping process the sugar. That gives us a reason the high-consumption group could have relatively little sugar left unmetabolized.
This doesn't require saying that their blood sugar never rises after eating. The initial rise can still happen. The extra processing helps explain why consuming more doesn't translate into a higher remaining level in the comparison described.
- D
This goes in the wrong direction. If the body fails to produce enough of something that processes sugar, we'd expect more sugar to remain unmetabolized, not less. D describes a possible problem from consuming lots of sugar, but it doesn't explain the below-average level we're trying to understand.
- E
This describes a general sequence: sugar enters the blood before being processed. That helps us understand the immediate increase after consumption. It doesn't distinguish people who consume large amounts from other people or explain why the former group has a lower remaining level.
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