Around the World in 80 Questions (Day 1): Altir, a coloring agent used

Question

Altir, a coloring agent used in soft drinks, has the potential to cause vision problems in humans. However, to consume a quantity of Altir sufficient to cause vision problems, a person would need to drink four liters of an Altir-containing drink every day for over 70 years. Clearly, soft drinks that contain Altir are safe for human consumption.

Which of the following is an assumption upon which the argument above depends?

A. The amount of Altir present in soft drinks is not greater than the amount of some other potentially harmful substances present in soft drinks.
B. Most people who drink soft drinks are aware that Altir can cause vision problems.
C. A requirement that every bottle of a drink that contains Altir mention the presence of Altir on its label will not result in any improvement in human health.
D. No other coloring agents are less harmful to humans than Altir is.
E. Altir will not when consumed in quantities much smaller than needed to cause vision problems cause any other health problems in humans.

Bunuel · Accepted Answer

Target Test Prep Official Explanation:

The argument concludes that “soft drinks that contain Altir are safe for human consumption.”

The support for the conclusion is “to consume a quantity of Altir sufficient to cause vision problems, a person would need to drink four liters of an Altir-containing drink every day for over 70 years.”

The correct answer must state an assumption upon which the argument depends.

(A) The amount of Altir present in soft drinks is not greater than the amount of some other potentially harmful substances present in soft drinks.

The author doesn’t have to assume anything about “the amount of Altir present in soft drinks..” The passage has already stated as fact that “to consume a quantity of Altir sufficient to cause vision problems, a person would need to drink four liters of an Altir-containing drink every day for over 70 years.”

So, even if this choice is not true, the evidence provided still supports the conclusion.

(B) Most people who drink soft drinks are aware that Altir can cause vision problems.

This choice is irrelevant. The safety for human consumption of soft drinks that contain Altir does not depend on people being aware of the effects of Altir. The drinks are safe to consume or not regardless of what people are aware of.

(C) A requirement that every bottle of a drink that contains Altir mention the presence of Altir on its label will not result in any improvement in human health.

This choice is a conclusion that follows from what the passage says about Altir. After all, if what the passage says about Altir is true, then it follows that mentioning the presence of Altir won’t result in any improvement in human health.

However, the argument could still work even if somehow mentioning the presence of Altir would result in an improvement in health. Maybe consumption of Altir actually has benefits. In that case, mentioning the presence of Altir could help people consume more of it and get more benefits. In that case, the drinks are safe for consumption even though this choice isn’t true.

(D) No other coloring agents are less harmful to humans than Altir is.

This comparison is irrelevant. Regardless of whether other coloring agents are less harmful than Altir, we already have information indicating that Altir is not harmful unless consumed in huge quantities. We don’t need the additional information that no coloring agents are less harmful.

(E) Altir will not when consumed in quantities much smaller than needed to cause vision problems cause any other health problems in humans.

Correct Answer

This choice states a necessary assumption. After all, while Altir in soft drinks may not cause vision problems, the support for the conclusion that “soft drinks that contain Altir are safe for human consumption” requires the assumption that, as this choice says, “Altir will not when consumed in quantities much smaller than needed to cause vision problems cause any other health problems in humans.”

Answer: E

limuengaoey · Answer

select A because
B is irrelevant
C is also out because we don't need to assume the improvement.
D is out because the other agent is not involved.
E is out because other health problem is not relevent

Jarvis07 · Answer

The argument states that soft drinks that contain Altir are safe for human consumption because the amount of Altir present in soft drinks is not enough to cause vision problems. The assumption is that Altir is only harmful in large quantities, and that in smaller quantities it does not cause any other health problems.

So the answer is (E).

So the answer is (E).

Abhishek_007 · Answer

The argument is that Altir is safe for human consumption because the amount of Altir that would be needed to cause vision problems is so large that it is not realistic to consume that much. The assumption that supports this argument is that Altir will not cause any other health problems in humans when consumed in quantities much smaller than needed to cause vision problems. So the answer is (E).

The other answer choices are not supported by the argument. Answer choice (A) is not supported because the argument does not compare the amount of Altir to the amount of other potentially harmful substances. Answer choice (B) is not supported because the argument does not say anything about whether people are aware of the potential health risks of Altir. Answer choice (C) is not supported because the argument does not say anything about the effectiveness of labeling soft drinks that contain Altir. Answer choice (D) is not supported because the argument does not compare Altir to other coloring agents.

brainwired · Answer

Conclusion: We would need to consume HUGE quantities of Altir to experience vision problems. Drinking so much is not humanly possible. Thus, Altir is safe and causes no vision problems.

Which of the following is an assumption upon which the argument above depends?

A. WRONG : The amount of Altir present in soft drinks is not greater than the amount of some other potentially harmful substances present in soft drinks:  We are discussing the effects of Altir. Other substances is not part of the discussion. 
B.WRONG : Most people who drink soft drinks are aware that Altir can cause vision problems :  People's awareness is not being questioned. Altir's adverse effects are. 
C. WRONG: A requirement that every bottle of a drink that contains Altir mention the presence of Altir on its label will not result in any improvement in human health:  Same as B 
D. WRONG: No other coloring agents are less harmful to humans than Altir is:  Same as A 
E. CORRECT: Altir will not when consumed in quantities much smaller than needed to cause vision problems cause any other health problems in humans: Talks about Altir and its effect on human health.

Thus the answer should be E

Anne_ · Answer

Conclusion is "Clearly, soft drinks that contain Altir are safe for human consumption."

We need to find an assumption which when is falsified, breaks the conclusion

A. Incorrect
Negate the statement - The amount of Altir present in soft drinks is greater than the amount of some other potentially harmful substances present in soft drinks. This one is tricky, but note that the amount of other harmful substance present might be very very less (we don't know the quantity). Hence, amount of Altir might still be within the concerned limit marked for Altir. The soft drink could still be safe for human consumption. Doesn't break the conclusion.

B. Incorrect
Negate the statement - Most people who drink soft drinks are not aware that Altir can cause vision problems. This doesn't make Altir unsafe for human consumption, doesn't break the conclusion.

C. Incorrect
Negate the statement - Mentioning the presence of Altir on the label of every bottle of a drink that contains Altir will result in improvement in human health. This doesn't make Altir unsafe for human consumption, doesn't break the conclusion.

D. Incorrect
Negate the statement - Other coloring agents are less harmful to humans than Altir is. Still Altir could be safe for human consumption, doesn't break the conclusion.

E.  CORRECT 
Negate this statement, it will state as "Altir will cause any other health problems in humans, when consumed in quantities much smaller than needed to cause vision problems." Now if it causes other health problems, it definitely is not safe for human consumption and breaks the conclusion.

mialanknox · Answer

Main idea: Altir is safe for human consumption because it is impossible for a person to drink four litres of Altir everyday for over 70 years.

Q type: Assumption

A - Comparison of Altir to other harmful ingredients does not make it any less or more safe. Conclusion is not affected by this. 
B - Even if people are aware that Altir or smoking causes health problems - it does not mean that the product is safe. Conclusion is not affected. 
C - A requirement of disclosing the amount of Altir in a bottle will not make it any more or any less safe. Conclusion not affected. 
D - Knowing that Altir is the most harmful agent does not support the conclusion. It actually weakens it. 
E - This is supporting the argument by saying that consuming Altir even in low quantities will cause other problems if not vision loss.

Therefore, option E is the correct answer.

Posted from my mobile device

youcouldsailaway · Answer

Altir, a coloring agent used in soft drinks, has the potential to cause vision problems in humans. However, to consume a quantity of Altir sufficient to cause vision problems, a person would need to drink four liters of an Altir-containing drink every day for over 70 years. Clearly, soft drinks that contain Altir are safe for human consumption.

Which of the following is an assumption upon which the argument above depends?

The question stem suggests that Altir, a coloring substance present in soft drinks, can cause vision problems in humans - but only if a human being consumes 4 liters of any drink containing Altir, daily, for over 70 years. Since no human is considered capable to be drinking that quantity of a soft drink, drinks that contain this substance are considered safe for consumption. However, if Altir can cause vision damage in larger quantities, we must evaluate if it can also cause other damage if consumed in a lower quantity before declaring it safe for consumption.

A. The amount of Altir present in soft drinks is not greater than the amount of some other potentially harmful substances present in soft drinks.
 Outside the scope of the argument since we are only evaluating the damage caused by Altir at the moment. 
B. Most people who drink soft drinks are aware that Altir can cause vision problems.
 Even if they are aware that Altir can cause problems, it doesn't make the drink safe for consumption, since being aware of the substance's impact will not negate its harms. Moreover, the discussion is centered around the impact o a substance on human beings and not around consumer behavior. 
C. A requirement that every bottle of a drink that contains Altir mention the presence of Altir on its label will not result in any improvement in human health.
 Outside the scope of the argument; the discussion is centered around the impact o a substance on human beings and not around consumer behavior.  
D. No other coloring agents are less harmful to humans than Altir is.
 Out of scope for the same reason as choice A. 
E. Altir will not when consumed in quantities much smaller than needed to cause vision problems cause any other health problems in humans.
 This is the only choice that looks at the impact Altir has in other areas, even when consumed in a lesser quantity than 4 ltrs daily.

TargetKellogg2024 · Answer

Altir, a coloring agent used in soft drinks, has the potential to cause vision problems in humans. However, to consume a quantity of Altir sufficient to cause vision problems, a person would need to drink four liters of an Altir-containing drink every day for over 70 years. Clearly, soft drinks that contain Altir are safe for human consumption.

Which of the following is an assumption upon which the argument above depends

The argument states that soft drinks that contain Altir are safe for human consumption because the amount of Altir present in soft drinks is not enough to cause vision problems. The assumption is that Altir is only harmful in large quantities, and that in smaller quantities it does not cause any other health problems.

So the answer is (E).

If Altir did cause other health problems in humans, even in small quantities, then the argument would be weakened. For example, if Altir was shown to cause cancer, then the argument would no longer be valid.

A. The amount of Altir present in soft drinks is not greater than the amount of some other potentially harmful substances present in soft drinks.
  - the argument does not compare the amount of Altir to the amount of other potentially harmful substances.

B. Most people who drink soft drinks are aware that Altir can cause vision problems.
  - the argument does not rely on the fact that people are aware of the potential risks of Altir.
 
 C. A requirement that every bottle of a drink that contains Altir mention the presence of Altir on its label will not result in any improvement in human health.
  - the argument does not make any claims about the effectiveness of labeling soft drinks that contain Altir.

D. No other coloring agents are less harmful to humans than Altir is.
  - the argument does not compare Altir to other coloring agents.

E. Altir will not when consumed in quantities much smaller than needed to cause vision problems cause any other health problems in humans.
  - Correct!

Flower_Child · Answer

Since its an assumption question we can apply Negation technique to sort through the answers . The correct answer, when negated, will directly undermine the argument.

Argument : soft drinks that contain Altir are safe for human consumption

Given premise: Altir can be harmful for the vision of humans but to cause vision problems, a person would need to drink four liters of an Altir-containing drink every day for over 70 years.

A. The amount of Altir present in soft drinks is not greater than the amount of some other potentially harmful substances present in soft drinks.
 Negation  : The amount of Altir present in soft drinks IS greater than the amount of some other potentially harmful substances present in soft drinks.
The negation somehow strengthens the conclusion rather than weakening it. It suggests that Altir's concentration is higher than other potentially harmful substances and since Altir is safe for consumption, we need be concerned about those other substances

B. Most people who drink soft drinks are aware that Altir can cause vision problems.
 Incorrect . This choice is simply out of scope as the argument is not concerned with the public knowledge regarding presence of Altir, rather it is concerned with the effects of Altir irrespective of whether the public is aware of it or not.

C. A requirement that every bottle of a drink that contains Altir mention the presence of Altir on its label will not result in any improvement in human health.
 Negation  : A requirement that every bottle of a drink that contains Altir mention the presence of Altir on its label WILL result in any improvement in human health.
This does not affect the conclusion in any negative way. Further it suggests that consuming products containing Altir can improve health.

D. No other coloring agents are less harmful to humans than Altir is.
 Negation  : Other coloring agents are less harmful to humans than Altir is. 
This strengthens the author's conclusion since it removes the possibility that other coloring agents could be harmful for consumption.

E. Altir will not when consumed in quantities much smaller than needed to cause vision problems cause any other health problems in humans.
 Negation  : Altir WILL when consumed in quantities much smaller than needed to cause vision problems cause any other health problems in humans.
The negation suggests that even though the recommended dosage of consumption of Altir will not affect human vision, it can however affect the health in some other way and that too in low dosage . This goes against the conclusion and is the correct answer.

BottomJee · Answer

Premise:-  Altir is used in soft drinks to add color to them. It has potential to cause vision problems in humans. Consuming at least 4 ltrs of such drinks everyday for 70 years will cause vision problems. 
 Conclusion:-  Such drinks are safe for human consumption. 
 Jump in argument:-  From vision problems in humans to safe for human consumption. Therefore, we need an option which informs us that Altir if consumed in the stated quantity will not cause any other health issues. 
Or, it can give any other linkage between vision problems and safe for human consumption.

Since this is an assumption question, if our conclusion falls by negating an option then that option will be our answer choice because an assumption to an argument is its core requirement.

Negation-  The amount of Altir present in soft drinks  is  greater than the amount of some other potentially harmful substances present in soft drinks
 Affect on Conclusion-   Potentially harmful to whom ? Also, this argument is completely based on Altir and its potential to cause vision problems. By comparing Altir with other harmful substances we might add addition information to this argument but it doesn't fulfil the requirement of an assumption.

Negation-  Most people who drink soft drinks are NOT aware that Altir can cause vision problems.
 Affect on Conclusion-  Awareness is not our issue here. Even if people are not aware of Altir and its complications, they still might not drink soft drinks. We do not have any relation between awareness and consumption of soft drinks in this argument.

Negation-  A requirement that every bottle of a drink that contains Altir mention the presence of Altir on its label  will  result in improvement in human health
 Affect on Conclusion-  This is again not informing us how Altir, which is causing vision problems in human, is completely safe for human consumption. Negation of C, gives us additional reasoning as to how labelling will improve human health, but this improvement is to what extent? Has the health of humans improved by 1% or 100%, we are not aware of this.

Negation-   Some  coloring agents are less harmful to humans than Altir is
 Affect on Conclusion-  Scope issue. We have no knowledge where these coloring agents are used; they could be used in soft drinks, but they could also be used in other foods.

Negation-  Altir  will   when consumed in quantities much smaller than needed to cause vision problems  cause any other health problems in humans
 Affect on Conclusion-  "Consumed in quantities much smaller than needed to cause vision problems"---> Key information. 
Why key information? Because quantity beyond the mentioned amount already means that there could be a risk for vision problems in humans.
If negation is true, then Altir will cause other health problems. Hence, soft drinks that contain Altir are not safe for human consumption. Our conclusion has fallen.

Option E should be our OA.

ifyouknowyouknow · Answer

Fact:- Altir, a coloring agent used in soft drinks, has the potential to cause vision problems in humans
Premise:- For   A   to cause vison problems in humans. One would have to consume four liters of an Altir-containing drink every day for over 70 years. 
Conclusion:- Clearly, soft drinks that contain Altir are safe for human consumption.

If we observe closely we can see a clear gap in the premise and conclusion. In the conclusion the argument states that  "Clearly, soft drinks that contain Altir are safe for human consumption"  but as per our premise it only talks about vison problems in humans. It shows a clear jump between the premise and conclusion the option that helps us close this gap is option E.

A. The amount of Altir present in soft drinks is not greater than the amount of some other potentially harmful substances present in soft drinks.
  It talks about Altir and other potential harmful substances. Therefore it is irrelevant. 
 B. Most people who drink soft drinks are aware that Altir can cause vision problems.
  This does nothing to bridge the gap. It just provides additional fact. Therefore it can be eliminated.
 C. A requirement that every bottle of a drink that contains Altir mention the presence of Altir on its label will not result in any improvement in human health.
  This also does not help in bridging the gap. It only tells us that if a government regulation required makers to mention the presence of altir on their 
 products will not lead to improvement of health. 
D. No other coloring agents are less harmful to humans than Altir is.
  Again is just another fact. It tells nothing as to whether altir consumed in smaller quantities cause any health problem to humans.
 E. Altir will not when consumed in quantities much smaller than needed to cause vision problems cause any other health problems in humans.
  This is the assumption that argument assumes. Since according to the argument its not possible for humans to consume the quantity of altir for it to cause 
 vison problems. This option tells us that even when consumed in smaller quantities Altir will not cause any health problems to humans.

naveenpatil1121 · Answer

A. The amount of Altir present in soft drinks is not greater than the amount of some other potentially harmful substances present in soft drinks.
This option compares the amount of Altir to other potentially harmful substances in soft drinks. However, the argument does not rely on this assumption. The argument's focus is on the quantity of Altir required to cause vision problems, not on its relative amount compared to other substances.

B. Most people who drink soft drinks are aware that Altir can cause vision problems.
Awareness of Altir's potential effects is irrrelevant in this context. Whether or not people are aware of Altir's potential harm does not directly address the argument's claim about the safety of soft drinks containing Altir.

C. A requirement that every bottle of a drink that contains Altir mention the presence of Altir on its label will not result in any improvement in human health.
The effectiveness or lack thereof of labeling requirements does not impact the argument's conclusion regarding the safety of soft drinks containing Altir.

D. No other coloring agents are less harmful to humans than Altir is.
This assumption is not necessary for the argument's conclusion. The argument does not rely on a comparison between Altir and other colouring agents. It focuses on the quantity of Altir required to cause vision problems and concludes that soft drinks containing Altir are safe based on that threshold.

E. Altir will not, when consumed in quantities much smaller than needed to cause vision problems, cause any other health problems in humans.
This is the correct assumption on which the argument depends. The argument claims that consuming Altir in the quantity required to cause vision problems is unlikely. To conclude that soft drinks containing Altir are safe, it is necessary to assume that consuming smaller quantities of Altir, below the threshold for vision problems, does not lead to other health problems. Hence E is correct choice

divyagolyan · Answer

The conclusion is - soft drinks that contain Altir are safe for human consumption. The premise is given regarding vision problems, and the conclusion is drawn for ALL potential problems, declaring Altir safe for human consumption in ALL senses. So we can look out for bridging this logical gap. With this preliminary thought in place, let's tackle the options sequentially. A . Let's say the amount of Altir present in soft drinks IS greater than the amount of some other potentially harmful substances present in soft drinks - so what? Even if it's greater than other potentially harmful substances, the premise clearly mentions - "to consume a quantity of Altir sufficient to cause vision problems, a person would need to drink four litres of an Altir-containing drink every day for over 70 years". So this amount is still not sufficient to cause any vision problems, hence is not necessary for the argument to hold true. Hence, this is not our assumption. B . We're not concerned about whether people are aware or not that Altir can cause vision problems. As per the conclusion, we're just concerned about whether Altir ARE or AREN'T safe for human consumption. So B is easily eliminated. C . Let's say this requirement WILL result in an improvement in human health. - so what? We're trying to figure out whether Altir is safe for human consumption in the currently present quantities. For that, we need to safeguard against other potential problems Altir can bring. An improvement in health is definitely not needed for our conclusion to hold true, hence is not our assumption. D . Let's say we do know other coloring agents that ARE less harmful to humans than Altir is. - so what? We aren't considering an alternate plan to add some other coloring agent. We're just concerned about whether Altir is safe for human consumption. So, D is out. I hope we like E now. E . Let's say Altir WILL when consumed in quantities much smaller than needed to cause vision problems CAUSE other health problems in humans. - The game is on. If Altir is causing OTHER HEALTH PROBLEMS even when consumed in quantities MUCH SMALLER than needed to cause vision problems, then when used in quantities larger than those, it can definitely cause other health problems. This breaks our conclusion that soft drinks that contain Altir are safe for human consumption. Because even when they (and the Altir present in them) aren't causing vision problems, they're causing other health problems, and hence aren't safe for human consumption. So E clearly breaks our conclusion, E is the answer. It takes a lot of effort to post explanations, and I recognized this since this post is my first one. So do give a like if this was helpful.

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Around the World in 80 Questions (Day 1): Altir, a coloring agent used

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