PrepTest 142, Section 1, Question 9
Many calcium supplements contain lead, a potentially dangerous(59 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(14 more words not shown)
- ASome fruits and(15 more words not shown)
- BIt is difficult(14 more words not shown)
- CLead is only(15 more words not shown)
- DA high-calcium diet(13 more words not shown)
- EWhen calcium intake(14 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Containing lead sounds alarming, but how much lead reaches the bloodstream? The passage distinguishes trace amounts stored safely in bones from high levels in the blood. Those aren't interchangeable descriptions of the danger.
I'd want to know how much lead a supplement supplies and how it is used. A tiny exposure over a short time might present a different concern from a large exposure over a long time. Those are questions to investigate, not answers the passage has established.
What we’re looking for
Now the doctors recommend these supplements for some people despite the lead. Perhaps insufficient calcium creates an even bigger problem. Something can carry a risk and still be preferable to the alternative. To resolve the discrepancy, we need to understand why going without the supplement might be worse for those patients.
Working the answers
- A
Lead in fruits and vegetables identifies another source of exposure. It doesn't explain the doctors' comparison between taking a calcium supplement and taking none. The fact that food can contain lead gives no reason by itself to choose the supplement.
- B
We may be unable to eliminate every trace of lead from our diets. That still leaves the question of whether adding these supplements makes things better or worse. Unavoidable exposure isn't an explanation for recommending a particular additional source.
- C
Other causes of anemia and nerve damage don't remove the danger associated with lead. More importantly, they don't explain why a calcium supplement containing lead might be preferable to no supplement. The choice moves away from the comparison we need to understand.
- D
If a high-calcium diet reduces how much lead someone can safely tolerate, that makes the combination more concerning. It gives us another reason to question taking calcium along with lead, not a reason the doctors' recommendation makes sense.
- ECorrect
Here is a specific problem with too little calcium: the body draws calcium from its bones and releases previously stored lead into the blood. Skipping a supplement could therefore expose someone to the dangerous form of lead described in the passage.
The supplement may introduce some lead, yet adequate calcium could help avoid releasing lead already stored in the body. That explains why the doctors might prefer supplementation for some people. We don't need to claim every supplement is safe for everyone or that the choice gives exact amounts of lead; it supplies a reason the alternative could be worse.
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