Question of the Day (October 22)

Unripe lychee fruit contain a compound called hypoglycin, which is poisonous in large quantities. No amount of ripe lychee fruit, however, contains enough hypoglycin to harm human health. In response to recent deaths of consumers who ate unripe lychee fruit, scientists have recently developed an alternative type of lychee fruit, called lychee-B, that, ripe or unripe, contains no more hypoglycin than ripened, conventional lychees. Therefore, unripe lychee-B fruits are at least as safe to eat as ripened, conventional lychees of the same size.

In order for the conclusion to be properly drawn, which of the following must be assumed?

A) Unripe lychee-B fruits do not contain more arsenic, oxalic acid, or other poisonous substances than do ripened, conventional lychees.
B) Lychee-B fruits are, on average, no bigger than conventional lychee fruits.
C) During the process of ripening, conventional lychee fruits lose a higher proportion of their hypoglycin than do lychee-B fruits.
D) Eating a large number of Lychee-B fruits is not harmful to human health.
E) Consumers who typically enjoy ripened, conventional lychee fruit would be willing to eat unripe lychee-B fruits.