Columnist: People should avoid using a certain artificial fat that has been touted as a resource for those whose medical...

GMAT Critical Reasoning : (CR) Questions

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Critical Reasoning

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Columnist: People should avoid using a certain artificial fat that has been touted as a resource for those whose medical advisers have advised them to reduce their fat intake. Although the artificial fat, which can be used in place of fat in food preparation, has none of the negative health effects of fat, it does have a serious drawback: it absorbs certain essential vitamins, thereby preventing them from being used by the body.

In evaluating the columnist's position, it would be most useful to determine which of the following?

Whether increasing one's intake of the vitamins can compensate for the effects of the artificial fat

Whether the vitamins that the artificial fat absorbs are present in foods that contain the fat

Whether having an extremely low fat intake for an extended period can endanger the health

Whether there are any foods that cannot be prepared using the artificial fat as a substitute for other fats

Whether people are generally able to detect differences in taste between foods prepared using the artificial fat and foods that are similar except for the use of other fats

Solution

Passage Analysis:

Text from Passage	Analysis
People should avoid using a certain artificial fat that has been touted as a resource for those whose medical advisers have advised them to reduce their fat intake.	What it says: The columnist thinks people shouldn't use this artificial fat, even though it's being promoted for people who need to cut down on fat What it does: Sets up the main recommendation right away - tells us the columnist's position What it is: Author's main claim
Although the artificial fat, which can be used in place of fat in food preparation, has none of the negative health effects of fat, it does have a serious drawback	What it says: This artificial fat can replace regular fat and doesn't cause the usual problems fat causes, but there's still a big issue with it What it does: Acknowledges the positive side before introducing the problem - sets up a "but here's why it's still bad" argument What it is: Author's premise
it absorbs certain essential vitamins, thereby preventing them from being used by the body	What it says: The artificial fat soaks up important vitamins so your body can't use them What it does: Reveals the specific problem that supports why people should avoid it - completes the reasoning chain What it is: Supporting evidence Visualization: Regular fat → causes health problems vs Artificial fat → blocks vitamin absorption → body can't use essential vitamins

Argument Flow:

The columnist starts with the main recommendation (avoid artificial fat), then acknowledges its benefits (no negative effects of regular fat), but immediately counters with a serious problem (vitamin absorption issue) that supports the initial recommendation.

Main Conclusion:

People should avoid using this particular artificial fat.

Logical Structure:

The argument uses a "despite the benefits, here's why it's still bad" structure. Even though the artificial fat doesn't have fat's usual problems, the vitamin absorption issue is serious enough to outweigh this benefit, making the recommendation to avoid it logical.

Prethinking:

Question type:

Evaluate - We need to find information that would help us judge whether the columnist's recommendation to avoid artificial fat is sound or not

Precision of Claims

The columnist makes a categorical claim that 'people should avoid' the artificial fat based on its vitamin absorption property. The key precision issues are: how much vitamin absorption occurs, which vitamins are affected, and whether this outweighs the benefits for people who need to reduce fat intake

Strategy

For evaluate questions, we need to think of assumptions underlying the argument and create scenarios that would either strengthen or weaken the conclusion when we get more information. The columnist assumes that vitamin absorption is serious enough to outweigh the benefits of avoiding regular fat's negative health effects. We should look for information that tests this assumption - either making the vitamin problem seem more serious or less serious compared to the benefits

Answer Choices Explained

Whether increasing one's intake of the vitamins can compensate for the effects of the artificial fat

Whether increasing one's intake of the vitamins can compensate for the effects of the artificial fat - This directly addresses the heart of the columnist's argument. The columnist recommends avoiding artificial fat because it absorbs essential vitamins. But what if we could simply take more vitamins to make up for what gets absorbed? If compensation is possible and effective, then the columnist's blanket recommendation to avoid the artificial fat seems too strong - people who need to reduce fat intake could use the artificial fat and just increase their vitamin consumption. If compensation isn't possible, then the columnist's concern is much more serious. This information would significantly help us evaluate whether the recommendation is sound.

Whether the vitamins that the artificial fat absorbs are present in foods that contain the fat

Whether the vitamins that the artificial fat absorbs are present in foods that contain the fat - This doesn't really help evaluate the columnist's position. Even if these vitamins are present in foods containing the artificial fat, the key problem is that the artificial fat absorbs them, preventing the body from using them. Knowing they're present doesn't solve the absorption issue that forms the basis of the columnist's concern.

Whether having an extremely low fat intake for an extended period can endanger the health

Whether having an extremely low fat intake for an extended period can endanger health - While this might be relevant context about fat reduction in general, it doesn't help us evaluate the specific trade-off the columnist is discussing. The argument isn't about eliminating all fat but about whether to use this particular artificial fat substitute that has vitamin absorption issues.

Whether there are any foods that cannot be prepared using the artificial fat as a substitute for other fats

Whether there are any foods that cannot be prepared using the artificial fat as substitute for other fats - This is about the versatility and practical applications of the artificial fat, but it doesn't help us evaluate whether the vitamin absorption problem is serious enough to justify avoiding it entirely. The scope of where it can be used doesn't address the health trade-off at the core of the argument.

Whether people are generally able to detect differences in taste between foods prepared using the artificial fat and foods that are similar except for the use of other fats

Whether people can detect taste differences between foods made with artificial fat versus other fats - Taste preference is irrelevant to the columnist's health-based argument. The columnist's recommendation is based on the vitamin absorption issue, not on taste considerations. Whether food tastes different doesn't help us evaluate the health trade-off that forms the backbone of the reasoning.

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