Logical Reasoning

PT127 · S2 · Q6 Dietitian: High consumption of sodium

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Dietitian: High consumption of sodium increases some people's chances of developing heart disease.

Evidence

High consumption of sodium increases some people’s chances of developing heart disease.

The potassium in plant foods helps to prevent sodium’s malign effects.

Conclusion

To maintain cardiac health without lowering sodium consumption, therefore, these people should eat fresh, rather than canned or frozen, fruit and vegetables.

Evaluate

The argument assumes that canned or frozen fruit and vegetables have less potassium than fresh fruit and vegetables.

6.

Which one of the following is an assumption required by the dietitian's argument?

  1. Fresh fruits and vegetables contain

    Irrelevant Comparison

    Whether fresh fruits and vegetables have more potassium than salt is not relevant to the argument. It would be more important to determine whether fresh fruit and vegetables have more potassium than canned or frozen fruits and vegetables.

    6% picked this

  2. Food processing businesses often add

    Too Weak

    The argument is careful to spell out the limited scope of the conclusion which is for those who wish to maintain cardiac health without lowering sodium consumption. So the improvement is for a fixed amount of sodium.

    4% picked this

  3. Potassium is the only mineral

    Too Strong

    There could be other minerals that help prevent sodium’s malign effects, but are less controllable than one’s potassium intake.

    3% picked this

  4. Potassium in fruits and vegetables

    Too Strong

    There could be side effects which are less significant than the benefits of mitigating the malign effects of sodium.

    3% picked this

  5. Correct

    Fresh fruits and vegetables contain

    Why this is right

    This provides the comparison on which the argument depends.

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

    84% picked this

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