High cholesterol levels are highly

Answer choices

1. A

   Unclear Impact1% picked this

   Persons who come from families that have enjoyed great longevity tend not to

   This could only help us explain why citizens of Limone aren't getting cardiovascular disease if we knew that the people of Limone "come from families that have enjoyed great longevity", which we were never told.

   1%
2. B

   No Impact6% picked this

   The stress and pollution found in large cities exacerbate existing cardiovascular disease, but there is little stress

   This answer is about a factor that can worsen cases of cardiovascular disease that have already developed. This answer would help us explain why people in Limone have milder cases of cardiovascaular disease. But we're looking for a factor that can explain why the people in Limone never developed cases in the first place.

   6%
3. C

   No Impact16% picked this

   The residents of Limone have normal blood sugar levels, and very low blood sugar levels tend to cancel out the cardiovascular effects

   This answer is a bit of a tease. They tell us that "very low blood sugar levels" can cancel out the cardiovascular danger of high cholesterol. Oh, okay! Did the residents of Limone have "very low" blood sugar levels? No, it says, they had normal blood sugar levels. Thanks for nothing, then, (C).

   16%
4. D

   Correct72% picked this

   The residents of Limone inherited from common ancestors a blood protein that prevents vascular blockage, which is a

   Why this is right

   This tells us something special about the residents of Limone that helps prevent cardiovascular disease. They have some blood protein that prevents one of the causes of cardiovascular disease. If we were thinking, "Hey, that just says a cause. Couldn't the residents of Limone still get cardiovascular disease via one of its other causes?" Sure, but correct answers on Paradox (and Strengthen and Weaken) don't have to be bulletproof and exhaustive. They just have to do more than any other answer choice does. No other answer gave us any possible way of explaining why Limone has this lower-than-usual rate of cardiovascular disease, so (D) "most helps to explain".

   Skill tested: Paradox · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

   72%
5. E

   Unclear Impact5% picked this

   Olive oil is a staple of the diet in some parts of Italy, but unlike butter, olive oil is a monosaturated fat, and monosaturated

   This identifies olive oil as a factor that can contribute to lower rates of cardiovascular disease. Do the people of Limone use lots of olive oil, rather than butter? We don't know. This answer says that "in some parts of Italy" they use olive oil, but we aren't told whether Limone is one of those parts. This answer is clearly our 2nd best, and if we didn't have (D), then this innuendo that Limone may be one of those parts of Italy that uses olive oil rather than butter could be our best available answer. But we don't have to speculate with the correct answer whether it applies to Limone.

   5%