#6 - Proponent: Irradiation of food by gamma rays would keep it from spoiling before it reaches the

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Flaw in the Reasoning, Cause and Effect. The correct answer choice is (B).

Answer choice (A):

Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice.

Answer choice (C):

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E):

This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[sunnynyc]

I initally don't know why B is correct,

The proponants states, irradiation kills salmonella, the opponent says irradiation doesn't kill the bacteria that cuases botulism. So the correct answer should be, Irradiated food still need cooking, or, if eaten raw, it would still have bacteria that causes botulism.

But now I realize that, since irradiation has similar effects of vitamin loss as cooking, so even if eaten raw, irradiated food doesn't have the vitamin advantage of raw food, (then what is the point of irridation, considering it doesn't kill the bacteria that causes botulism.)

[Luke Haqq]

Hi sunnynyc!

Your reasoning generally sounds correct. The proponent of irradiation indicates that it causes about the same amount of vitamin loss as cooking. So if the food is eaten raw, then irradiated food is missing vitamins that it'd otherwise contain. And if it's eaten cooked, that seems to increase the overall vitamin loss--there'd be vitamin loss from irradiation and presumably additional vitamin loss from cooking as well. This seems to provide nutritional reasons against irradiation.

[dshen123]

Can someone please explain why is C incorrect?

[Dana D]

Hey Dshen,

The proponent says that irradiation causes the same level of vitamin loss as cooking does, so there's no reason to reject it on nutritional grounds.

If answer choice (C) was true, it would not challenge this reasoning - the proponent is already treating nutrition and safety as two separate issues here.

Hope that helps!