Explain or Resolve - "Paradox" Flashcards
(8 cards)
Raisins are made by drying grapes in the sun.
Although some of the sugar in the grapes is
caramelized in the process, nothing is added.
Moreover, the only thing removed from the grapes is
the water that evaporates during the drying, and
water contains no calories or nutrients. The fact that
raisins contain more iron per calorie than grapes do
is thus puzzling.
Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain why raisins contain more iron per calorie than do grapes?
(A) Since grapes are bigger than raisins, it takes
several bunches of grapes to provide the same
amount of iron as a handful of raisins does.
(B) Caramelized sugar cannot be digested, so its
calories do not count toward the calorie
content of raisins.
(C) The body can absorb iron and other nutrients
more quickly from grapes than from raisins
because of the relatively high water content of
grapes.
(D) Raisins, but not grapes, are available
year-round, so many people get a greater
share of their yearly iron intake from raisins
than from grapes.
(E) Raisins are often eaten in combination with
other iron-containing foods, while grapes are
usually eaten by themselves.
(B) Caramelized sugar cannot be digested, so its
calories do not count toward the calorie
content of raisins.
When astronomers observed the comet SchwassmanWachmann 3 becoming 1,000 times brighter in
September 1995, they correctly hypothesized that its
increased brightness was a result of the comet’s
breaking up—when comets break up, they emit large
amounts of gas and dust, becoming visibly brighter as a
result. However, their observations did not reveal comet
Schwassman-Wachmann 3 actually breaking into pieces
until November 1995, even though telescopes were
trained on it throughout the entire period.
Which one of the following, if true, most helps to
resolve the apparent conflict in the statements above?
(A) Comets often do not emit gas and dust until
several weeks after they have begun to break up.
(B) The reason comets become brighter when they
break up is that the gas and dust that they
emit refract light.
(C) Gas and dust can be released by cracks in a
comet even if the comet is not broken all the
way through.
(D) The amount of gas and dust emitted steadily
increased during the period from September
through November.
(E) The comet passed close to the sun during this
period and the gravitational strain caused it
to break up.
C) Gas and dust can be released by cracks in a
comet even if the comet is not broken all the
way through.
It is clear that humans during the Upper Paleolithic
period used lamps for light in caves. Though lamps
can be dated to the entire Upper Paleolithic, the
distribution of known lamps from the period is
skewed, with the greatest number being associated
with the late Upper Paleolithic period, when the
Magdalenian culture was dominant.
Each of the following, if true, contributes to an explanation of the skewed distribution of lamps EXCEPT:
(A) Artifacts from early in the Upper Paleolithic
period are harder to identify than those that
originated later in the period.
(B) More archaeological sites have been discovered
from the Magdalenian culture than from
earlier cultures.
(C) More efficient lamp-making techniques were
developed by the Magdalenian culture than
by earlier cultures.
(D) Fire pits were much more common in caves
early in the Upper Paleolithic period than
they were later in that period.
(E) More kinds of lamps were produced by the
Magdalenian culture than by earlier cultures
(E) More kinds of lamps were produced by the Magdalenian culture than by earlier cultures
Scientists agree that ingesting lead harms young
children. More lead paint remains in older apartment
buildings than newer ones because the use of lead paint
was common until only two decades ago. Yet these
same scientists also agree that laws requiring the
removal of lead paint from older apartment buildings
will actually increase the amount of lead that children
living in older apartment buildings ingest.
Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy in the scientists’ beliefs?
(A) Lead-free paints contain substances that make
them as harmful to children as lead paint is.
(B) The money required to finance the removal of
lead paint from apartment walls could be
spent in ways more likely to improve the
health of children.
(C) Other sources of lead in older apartment
buildings are responsible for most of the lead
that children living in these buildings ingest.
(D) Removing lead paint from walls disperses a
great deal of lead dust, which is more easily
ingested by children than is paint on walls.
(E) Many other environmental hazards pose
greater threats to the health of children than
does lead paint.
(D) Removing lead paint from walls disperses a
great deal of lead dust, which is more easily
ingested by children than is paint on walls.
Most antidepressant drugs cause weight gain. While
dieting can help reduce the amount of weight gained
while taking such antidepressants, some weight gain
is unlikely to be preventable.
The information above most strongly supports which one of the following?
(A) A physician should not prescribe any
antidepressant drug for a patient if that
patient is overweight.
(B) People who are trying to lose weight should
not ask their doctors for an antidepressant
drug.
(C) At least some patients taking antidepressant
drugs gain weight as a result of taking them.
(D) The weight gain experienced by patients taking
antidepressant drugs should be attributed to
lack of dieting.
(E) All patients taking antidepressant drugs
should diet to maintain their weight.
(D) The weight gain experienced by patients taking antidepressant drugs should be attributed to lack of dieting.
If Slater wins the election, McGuinness will be
appointed head of the planning commission. But
Yerxes is more qualified to head it since she is an
architect who has been on the planning commission
for fifteen years. Unless the polls are grossly
inaccurate, Slater will win.
Which one of the following can be properly inferred from the information above?
(A) If the polls are grossly inaccurate, someone
more qualified than McGuinness will be
appointed head of the planning commission.
(B) McGuinness will be appointed head of the
planning commission only if the polls are a
good indication of how the election will turn
out.
(C) Either Slater will win the election or Yerxes will
be appointed head of the planning
commission.
(D) McGuinness is not an architect and has not
been on the planning commission for fifteen
years or more.
(E) If the polls are a good indication of how the
election will turn out, someone less qualified
than Yerxes will be appointed head of the
planning commission.
(E) If the polls are a good indication of how the
election will turn out, someone less qualified
than Yerxes will be appointed head of the
planning commission.
A number of measures indicate the viability of a
nation’s economy. The level and rate of growth of
aggregate output are the most significant indicators,
but unemployment and inflation rates are also
important. Further, Switzerland, Austria, Israel,
Ireland, Denmark, and Finland all have viable
economics, but none has a very large population.
Switzerland and Austria each have populations of
about seven million; the other populations are at
least one-fourth smaller.
Which one of the following is most strongly
supported by the information above?
(A) A nation’s economic viability is independent of
the size of its population.
(B) Having a population larger than seven million
ensures that a nation will be economically
viable.
(C) Economic viability does not require a
population of at least seven million.
(D) A nation’s population is the most significant
contributor to the level and rate of growth of
aggregate output.
(E) A nation’s population affects the level and rate of
growth of aggregate output more than it affects
unemployment and inflation rates.
(C) Economic viability does not require a
population of at least seven million.
The purpose of a general theory of art is to explain
every aesthetic feature that is found in any of the
arts. Premodern general theories of art, however,
focused primarily on painting and sculpture. Every
premodern general theory of art, even those that
succeed as theories of painting and sculpture, fails to
explain some aesthetic feature of music.
The statements above, if true, most strongly support which one of the following?
(A) Any general theory of art that explains the
aesthetic features of painting also explains
those of sculpture.
(B) A general theory of art that explains every
aesthetic feature of music will achieve its
purpose.
(C) Any theory of art that focuses primarily on
sculpture and painting cannot explain every
aesthetic feature of music.
(D) No premodern general theory of art achieves
its purpose unless music is not art.
(E) No premodern general theory of art explains
any aesthetic features of music that are not
shared with painting and sculpture.
(D) No premodern general theory of art achieves
