Baking for winter holidays is tradition that may have a sound medical

yup D should be it...

the passage says that because of lack of sunlight causes depression... but doesnt imply that serotonin levels are lowered...

for instance one can consider this scenario.. depression can be caused by multiple factors X or Y (let x be another element and Y be serotonin)

if X*Y are above a level, the guy is happy... if it receeds below a level the guy gets depressed...

so although Y (serotonin) has remained constant in winter, X could fall to an extent that X*Y is less than the depression line.
and to compensate for the loss of X (which possibly is due to weather conditions and cannot be changed) we are increasing Y to take the score above the depression line..

so B cannot be concluded outright..

D on the other hand says carbohydrates boost the brain’s levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that improve the mood.

hence atleast ONE (and in gmat language that is some) antidepressents change the levels of sorotonin.

Thats what i thought while rejecting B as a possible candidate ... hope it helps!!

We can only clearly infer that by boosting levels of serotonin mood can be improved.

So IMO D.

Agree with D

Structure of argument:

lack of Sunlight ----> causes --> Seasonal depression.
C.H --> inc level of sero -> mood.
C.H acts as anti depression.

From this Clearly i will go for D.

Agree with D

Starch and Sugar boost the brain's serotonin. Starch and Sugar act like some antidepressants.
Therefore Some antidepressants boosts the brain's serotonin.

The other 4 aren't mentioned in the passage

D is the answer here . took 1:48 min , somebody tagged this question as inference question so i was a bit cautious , but i think this was a sub-500 level question even under time constraints

Can someone explain why B is not the answer , i went with B

Chose E after contemplating a long time between D and E. OTOH, D makes sense.

D for me.

A/C are out right away, as have no connection with the "conclusion"
B is tempting, but can't be really proved so out.
D - aha, so Carbohydrates act the same way as antidepressants do...boost the serotonin level in brain - hold
E - the last phrase says: eating cookies MAY provide... - so definitely E is out.

D seems to be the answer.

(A) is out of scope. Ease of treatment?
(B) is very tempting. We know that a certain treatment for a disorder, which is caused by a lack of sunlight, works by increasing one's level of serotonin. But that doesn't ensure that the lack of sunlight caused the disorder by reducing serotonin levels.
(C) sounds likely, but is really out of scope. The argument is about a specific type of depression, while this choice is about all depression.
(D)- Correct -Carbohydrates, both sugars and starches, boost the brain’s levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that improve the mood. In this respect, carbohydrates act on the brain in the same way as some antidepressants.
(E) is stated too strongly. The comparison between (antidepressants) and (sugars and starches) does not establish that sugars and starches (which raise the level of neurotransmitters) are an effective treatment of depression.
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Option D states that Some antidepressants act by changing the brain???s level of serotonin. Changing can mean either increasing or decreasing. From the passage, we know that increasing the level of serotonin helps relieving depression. But, we know nothing about what will happen if there is a reduction in the level of serotonin. So, how can D be a clear inference

Hi,
To start with I love Baking and hence I couldn't have got this one wrong. Typical GMAT causal flaw in my argument though.
Coming to the question,

"Carbohydrates, both sugars and starches, boost the brain’s levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that improve the mood. In this respect, carbohydrates act on the brain in the same way as some antidepressants"
Here the argument explicitly mentions how carbohydrates act in a similar way to some antidepressants i.e by boosting the brain’s levels of serotonin , a neurotransmitter that improve the mood.

So both carbohydrates and "some antidepressants" act in the same way (The way is by boosting brain’s levels of serotonin )

D says that Some antidepressants act by changing the brain’s level of serotonin.
and we know that antidepressants boost(increase hence change ) brain's levels of Serotonin .

Hope it helps.

Mechanism behind curing seasonal depression by holiday food ,which is rich in sugar and starch, is discussed in the passage.

Option D paraphrases this mechanism and clarifies that some antidepressants work in the same way and that’s why holiday cookies could act as self prescribed medicines.
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generis VeritasKarishma

Although I got this correct, can I share my reasoning for two incorrect answers B / E?


Let's understand correct sequence from argument. 'Thus' in last sentence is a conclusion.
In Mid winter, lack of sunlight -> depression in people
Carbohydrates boost Serotonin, so the former acts as anti-depressant medicines work to heal depression.

This option connects lack of sunlight and level of serotonin. I am unable to make this link from above reasoning. OUT


Effectively ? No, there is no mention anywhere in argument that says increasing level of serotonin is more effective
than say using talk therapy or meditation. OUT.
I CAN NOT connect EATING COOKIES (i.e. increasing levels of serotonin) to an EFFECTIVE way of self-medication.
Am I correct?
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In midwintermany people suffer from a specific type of seasonal depression caused by lack of sunlight.
Carbohydrates, both sugars and starches, boost the brain’s levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that improve the mood.
In this respect, carbohydrates act on the brain in the same way as some antidepressants.
Conclusion: Eating holiday cookies may provide an effective form of self-prescribed medication.

(A) Seasonal depression is one of the most easily treated forms of depression.
We don't know this. There may be another form of depression that is treated even more easily.

(B) Lack of sunlight lowers the level of serotonin in the brain.
Not known. We know that increased serotonin improves mood. We know that lack of sunlight causes depression. But we do not know what causes depression.

(C) People are more likely to be depressed in midwinter than at other times of the year.
Cannot say. Perhaps in summer, there is another kind of depression.

(D) Some antidepressants act by changing the brain’s level of serotonin.
Correct. Carbohydrates boost the brain’s levels of serotonin. In this respect, carbohydrates act on the brain in the same way as some antidepressants. So some antidepressants also boost the brain's levels of serotonin.

(E) Raising the level of neurotransmitters in the brain effectively relieves depression.
We don't know about neurotransmitters. We know that one particular neurotransmitter - serotonin - improves mood. That is what some antidepressant medications do. Does that effectively relieve depression, we don't know.

Answer (D)

Baking for winter holidays is tradition that may have a sound medical basis. In midwinter, when days are short, many people suffer from a specific type of seasonal depression caused by lack of sunlight. Carbohydrates, both sugars and starches, boost the brain’s levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that improve the mood. In this respect, carbohydrates act on the brain in the same way as some antidepressants. Thus, eating holiday cookies may provide an effective form of self-prescribed medication.

Which one of the following can be properly inferred from the passage?

(A) Seasonal depression is one of the most easily treated forms of depression.
(B) Lack of sunlight lowers the level of serotonin in the brain. - WRONG. Was inclined to this for a while but it requires another assumption to be made for it to be the right answer.
(C) People are more likely to be depressed in midwinter than at other times of the year. - WRONG. Nowhere a comparison is inferable.
(D) Some antidepressants act by changing the brain’s level of serotonin. - CORRECT. As highlighted in passage this is inferable.
(E) Raising the level of neurotransmitters in the brain effectively relieves depression. - WRONG. The problem is with 'effectively'.

Answer D.
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