Logical Reasoning

PT21 · S3 · Q16 Researchers studying artificial

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Researchers studying artificial sweeteners have long claimed that the perception of sweetness is determined by the activation of a single type of receptor on the tongue called a sweetness receptor.

Statements

- The perception of sweetness all comes through one type of sweetness receptor.

- Any molecule of substance can only activate at most one of these receptors at a time.

- The fewer molecules it takes to activate a receptor, the sweeter we perceive a substance to be.

- They recently discovered a substance where it only takes one molecule to activate a sweetness receptor.

Evaluate

It sounds like less sweet substances need like 10 molecules of substance to activate one sweetness receptor, whereas sweeter substances would only need 3 molecules to activate one sweetness receptor.

This new substance, though, only needs one molecule to activate any sweetness receptor. That sounds like the sweetest possible thing, right?

Or wait, could there be something sweeter, where one molecule of substance actually activates 2 or 3 sweetness receptors at the same time?

There could not, because they told us the most you can activate with one molecule is one receptor.

Goal

So, it sounds like what the researchers have discovered is the sweetest (perceived) substance there could be.

16.

Which one of the following conclusions is most strongly supported by the researchers’ claims, if all of those claims are true?

The more sweetness receptors a
Out of Scope: pleasurable
We only have information about sweetness, so we can't derive anything about who take pleasure in the sweetness and how much.
3% picked this
In sufficient quantity, the molecules
Too Strong: any
You're saying, if I just eat enough molecules of salt or sulfuric acid, it'll eventually taste sweet? You definitely don't sound crazy. I have to go, though ... for .. like, a totally unrelated reason BYE!
19% picked this
Correct
No substance will be found
Why this is right
This is close to what we were anticipating. Since this new substance has hit the mathematical limit (the fewer the molecules required to activate a receptor, the sweeter it's perceived to be), and you can't be fewer than 1 molecule, or else you're not even present, this would be the maximum perceived sweetness. (By the way, this was the secret ingredient in Mountain Dew: Code Red"
Skill tested: Most Supported · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.
57% picked this
A substance that does not
Out of Scope
Out of Scope: other types of receptors We only got information about sweetness receptors, so we can't derive any idea about other types of receptors. They never told us that "all substances activate at least one type of receptor".
3% picked this
The more molecules of a
Out of Scope: bitter
This answer would be fine if it said "the more molecules it takes, the less sweet it's perceived to be" (although you won't really ever see an answer just flipping one individual fact and regurgitating it). This is playing off a leap, that the logical opposite of sweet is bitter, or that "less sweet" = "more bitter". Bitter and sweet are not logical opposites. I don't even know if sour and sweet are logical opposites. I think the tongue just has different taste capacities: sweet, salty, bitter, sour, umami (maybe that's it?)
17% picked this

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