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solitaryreaper
Joined: 23 Sep 2013
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19 Sep 2014, 23:14
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A
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
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63% (02:14) correct
37%
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Cupcake Fancier: A superlative cupcake is distinguished from an average one by the flavor of its cakey base, not, as many assume, by the taste of its frosting or the extravagant toppings thereon, though the base is far from the most important part of the cupcake. In fact, a number of excellent cupcakeries have begun to sell ‘cupcake tops’, popular variations on cupcakes where the base is discarded after the baking process.
Which of the following, if true, would best explain the paradox in the cupcake fancier’s advocacy of the base as the standard by which to evaluate a cupcake?
A) A cupcake’s base is the hardest part of a cupcake to make flavorful, so a cupcake maker who can add great flavor to a cupcake’s base is likely to fare equally well with the other dimensions of the cupcake.
B) Cupcake tops fare much better in nationwide taste tests than do traditional cupcakes.
C) Cupcake frostings and toppings are so rich in sugar and fat that they are almost universally considered delicious, regardless of preparation.
D) A cupcake is not properly a cupcake if it does not feature a cakey base.
E) No cupcake can be considered superlative without a remarkable cakey base.
Which of the following, if true, would best explain the paradox in the cupcake fancier’s advocacy of the base as the standard by which to evaluate a cupcake?
A) A cupcake’s base is the hardest part of a cupcake to make flavorful, so a cupcake maker who can add great flavor to a cupcake’s base is likely to fare equally well with the other dimensions of the cupcake.
B) Cupcake tops fare much better in nationwide taste tests than do traditional cupcakes.
C) Cupcake frostings and toppings are so rich in sugar and fat that they are almost universally considered delicious, regardless of preparation.
D) A cupcake is not properly a cupcake if it does not feature a cakey base.
E) No cupcake can be considered superlative without a remarkable cakey base.
As per my analysis answer is B - I believe the paradox can be resolved by stating some facts about the popularity of Cupcake tops. In such a scenario a large population would prefer a cupcake tops over a cupcake base even though the latter is the true measure of the quality of the cupcake and is also tough to achieve.
Thanks
Thanks
21 Dec 2021, 22:46
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solitaryreaper
Cupcake Fancier: A superlative cupcake is distinguished from an average one by the flavor of its cakey base, not, as many assume, by the taste of its frosting or the extravagant toppings thereon, though the base is far from the most important part of the cupcake. In fact, a number of excellent cupcakeries have begun to sell ‘cupcake tops’, popular variations on cupcakes where the base is discarded after the baking process.
Which of the following, if true, would best explain the paradox in the cupcake fancier’s advocacy of the base as the standard by which to evaluate a cupcake?
A) A cupcake’s base is the hardest part of a cupcake to make flavorful, so a cupcake maker who can add great flavor to a cupcake’s base is likely to fare equally well with the other dimensions of the cupcake.
B) Cupcake tops fare much better in nationwide taste tests than do traditional cupcakes.
C) Cupcake frostings and toppings are so rich in sugar and fat that they are almost universally considered delicious, regardless of preparation.
D) A cupcake is not properly a cupcake if it does not feature a cakey base.
E) No cupcake can be considered superlative without a remarkable cakey base.
Which of the following, if true, would best explain the paradox in the cupcake fancier’s advocacy of the base as the standard by which to evaluate a cupcake?
A) A cupcake’s base is the hardest part of a cupcake to make flavorful, so a cupcake maker who can add great flavor to a cupcake’s base is likely to fare equally well with the other dimensions of the cupcake.
B) Cupcake tops fare much better in nationwide taste tests than do traditional cupcakes.
C) Cupcake frostings and toppings are so rich in sugar and fat that they are almost universally considered delicious, regardless of preparation.
D) A cupcake is not properly a cupcake if it does not feature a cakey base.
E) No cupcake can be considered superlative without a remarkable cakey base.
As per my analysis answer is B - I believe the paradox can be resolved by stating some facts about the popularity of Cupcake tops. In such a scenario a large population would prefer a cupcake tops over a cupcake base even though the latter is the true measure of the quality of the cupcake and is also tough to achieve.
Thanks
Thanks
First thing to do in a paradox question is to identify the paradox.
A superlative cupcake is the one that has a superlative cake base.
But the base is not the most important part of the cupcake. In fact, now "cupcake tops" alone are being sold.
What is the paradox here? The fancier says that the base is not the most important part of the cupcake but it is what distinguishes the cupcake. How can the base be the deciding factor of a superlative cupcake if the base is not the most important part of it?
It seems like a paradox.
How will we explain it? How can we explain that the base is the distinguishing feature? If we can say that all other parts are anyway fine for all cupcakes but the base is the hardest to get right.
Say to make a recipe A, you need 3 components - x, y and z.
If x and y are the same for two chefs, what will decide who made better A? The one who makes z better will make better A. Even if z is not the most important element of A, it is the distinguishing element of A.
Looking at the options now:
A) A cupcake’s base is the hardest part of a cupcake to make flavorful, so a cupcake maker who can add great flavor to a cupcake’s base is likely to fare equally well with the other dimensions of the cupcake.
Correct. The base is the hardest to get right. One who gets the base right will likely get other things right too in any case. So if the base is good, the cupcake is likely to be superlative.
B) Cupcake tops fare much better in nationwide taste tests than do traditional cupcakes.
Irrelevant to our paradox. Doesn't explain.
C) Cupcake frostings and toppings are so rich in sugar and fat that they are almost universally considered delicious, regardless of preparation.
Now this was in the running but here is the reason I chose (A) over it. It tells us that frostings and toppings are always delicious irrespective of how you make them. But it doesn't tell us that the cake base is hard to get right. By omitting to mention the cake base, it gives us incomplete information. We do not know whether the cake base is easy to make well too or hard. Hence it doesn't explain why the cake base is the distinguishing factor.
D) A cupcake is not properly a cupcake if it does not feature a cakey base.
Doesn't explain why the base is a distinguishing factor for a superlative cupcake.
E) No cupcake can be considered superlative without a remarkable cakey base.
Again, doesn't explain why the base is a distinguishing factor for a superlative cupcake.
Answer (A)
Once we identify the paradox exactly, explaining it becomes much easier.
General Discussion
19 Sep 2014, 23:41
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A seems best: A cupcake’s base is the hardest part of a cupcake to make flavorful, so a cupcake maker who can add great flavor to a cupcake’s base is likely to fare equally well with the other dimensions of the cupcake.
reasoning: we have to explain the paradox as why cupcake Fancier is advocating so much in favor of "cupcake base" when there is so much evidence in favor of "frosting or the extravagant toppings". A does this as it explain as why the flavor of base should be used to evaluate a cupcake
reasoning: we have to explain the paradox as why cupcake Fancier is advocating so much in favor of "cupcake base" when there is so much evidence in favor of "frosting or the extravagant toppings". A does this as it explain as why the flavor of base should be used to evaluate a cupcake
