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- Mon Mar 13, 2017 12:05 pm
#33409
Complete Question Explanation
Resolve the Paradox. The correct answer choice is (E)
The stimulus describes a paradoxical finding. Calcium deficiency causes osteoporosis, and dairy products contain more calcium per serving than fruits and vegetables do. Yet in countries where dairy products are rare and fruits and vegetables are the main source of calcium, the incidence of osteoporosis is much lower than in countries where people obtain most of their calcium from dairy. Our job is to explain why some sources of calcium, despite their comparatively low calcium content, seem to be better than others in protecting against osteoporosis.
Before attacking the answers, it may be useful to consider the discrepancy in your own words/terms. Why would consuming a "great deal of calcium" from dairy apparently not do as good a job as getting it from fruits and vegetables? That's what I'm looking to reconcile.
There could be several causes for the strangeness here, of course: maybe fruits and vegetables contain things other than calcium that help lower the risk of osteoporosis, or dairy products contain something that counteracts the beneficial effects of their calcium. Either of those could explain it! But here's the thing: other truths could explain the paradox as well, so you want to be careful going too far down this rabbit hole of specific predictions. Instead, consider what your goal is—explain the facts of the paradox in a way that helps them better fit together—and let that be your guide!
Answer choice (A): If a healthy human body eventually loses the excess calcium that it takes in, this would only explain why consuming too much calcium (through dairy or fruit) is unlikely to lower one’s risk of osteoporosis. The result would be the same regardless of the calcium’s source, leaving open the question of why dairy products fail to protect against osteoporosis as much as fruits and vegetables do. Remember, this isn't about "excess" but rather about why one source seems to be better than another, despite containing less calcium.
Answer choice (B): This answer choice describes a group not mentioned or addressed in the stimulus, which is about people eating large quantities of fruits and vegetables in the absence of dairy products. So this fails to touch the facts of our paradox and can be ruled out.
Answer choice (C): This answer choice is also irrelevant to the facts of the stimulus. Again, we need an explanation of why dairy products rich in calcium don't appear to provide the calcium benefits that certain less calcium-rich foods do. So even if there is a difference in the number of people who have a calcium deficiency compared to those with osteoporosis, we still know nothing about why the difference in osteoporosis rates exist between dairy consumers and fruits/vegetable consumers.
Remember, the key to Resolve the Paradox questions is that the correct answer must provide an active resolution of the situation presented!
Answer choice (D): Whether those with calcium deficiencies also suffer from other deficiencies has no bearing on the issue at stake.
Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice. If the fats in dairy products inhibit (prevent) the body’s absorption of calcium, then the high calcium content in dairy may not matter: it isn't being absorbed well, so its effect on things like osteoporosis would be minimal. That's a clear and active reason that the calcium in fruits and vegetables might be more effective, despite there being less of it than in dairy!
Resolve the Paradox. The correct answer choice is (E)
The stimulus describes a paradoxical finding. Calcium deficiency causes osteoporosis, and dairy products contain more calcium per serving than fruits and vegetables do. Yet in countries where dairy products are rare and fruits and vegetables are the main source of calcium, the incidence of osteoporosis is much lower than in countries where people obtain most of their calcium from dairy. Our job is to explain why some sources of calcium, despite their comparatively low calcium content, seem to be better than others in protecting against osteoporosis.
Before attacking the answers, it may be useful to consider the discrepancy in your own words/terms. Why would consuming a "great deal of calcium" from dairy apparently not do as good a job as getting it from fruits and vegetables? That's what I'm looking to reconcile.
There could be several causes for the strangeness here, of course: maybe fruits and vegetables contain things other than calcium that help lower the risk of osteoporosis, or dairy products contain something that counteracts the beneficial effects of their calcium. Either of those could explain it! But here's the thing: other truths could explain the paradox as well, so you want to be careful going too far down this rabbit hole of specific predictions. Instead, consider what your goal is—explain the facts of the paradox in a way that helps them better fit together—and let that be your guide!
Answer choice (A): If a healthy human body eventually loses the excess calcium that it takes in, this would only explain why consuming too much calcium (through dairy or fruit) is unlikely to lower one’s risk of osteoporosis. The result would be the same regardless of the calcium’s source, leaving open the question of why dairy products fail to protect against osteoporosis as much as fruits and vegetables do. Remember, this isn't about "excess" but rather about why one source seems to be better than another, despite containing less calcium.
Answer choice (B): This answer choice describes a group not mentioned or addressed in the stimulus, which is about people eating large quantities of fruits and vegetables in the absence of dairy products. So this fails to touch the facts of our paradox and can be ruled out.
Answer choice (C): This answer choice is also irrelevant to the facts of the stimulus. Again, we need an explanation of why dairy products rich in calcium don't appear to provide the calcium benefits that certain less calcium-rich foods do. So even if there is a difference in the number of people who have a calcium deficiency compared to those with osteoporosis, we still know nothing about why the difference in osteoporosis rates exist between dairy consumers and fruits/vegetable consumers.
Remember, the key to Resolve the Paradox questions is that the correct answer must provide an active resolution of the situation presented!
Answer choice (D): Whether those with calcium deficiencies also suffer from other deficiencies has no bearing on the issue at stake.
Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice. If the fats in dairy products inhibit (prevent) the body’s absorption of calcium, then the high calcium content in dairy may not matter: it isn't being absorbed well, so its effect on things like osteoporosis would be minimal. That's a clear and active reason that the calcium in fruits and vegetables might be more effective, despite there being less of it than in dairy!