Bunuel wrote:
Flavonoids are a common component of almost all plants, but a specific variety of flavonoid in apples has been found to be an antioxidant. Antioxidants are known to be a factor in the prevention of heart disease.
Which one of the following can be properly inferred from the passage?
A. A diet composed largely of fruits and vegetables will help to prevent heart disease.
B. Flavonoids are essential to preventing heart disease.
C. Eating at least one apple each day will prevent heart disease.
D. At least one type of flavonoid helps to prevent heart disease.
E. A diet deficient in antioxidants is a common cause of heart disease.
OFFICIAL EXPLANATION
Answer (D).
We can make the determination that since there is no conclusion in the stimulus, this is a fact set and not an argument. In this case the stimulus is short, and can be broken down into three components: First Statement: Flavonoids are a common component of almost all plants. Second Statement: A specific variety of flavonoid in apples has been found to be an antioxidant. Third Statement: Antioxidants are known to be a factor in the prevention of heart disease. The scope of the stimulus—especially if that scope is broad—often helps eliminate one or more of the answer choices.
Answer choice (A): This is an interesting answer choice, and most people take a moment before categorizing this as a Loser. The answer choice could be true, but it is too broad to be supported by the facts: nowhere are we told that a diet of fruits and vegetables will help prevent heart disease (and in this sense the answer fails the Fact Test). Perhaps apples are the only fruit with the antioxidant flavonoid and there is nothing beneficial about other fruits and vegetables. And, eating a diet of fruits and vegetables is no guarantee that the diet includes apples. Regardless, this answer choice can be especially attractive because it plays on the general perception that fruits and vegetables are good for you.
Answer choice (B): This answer is also a Loser. Nothing in the stimulus supports the rather strong statement that flavonoids are essential to preventing heart disease.
Answer choice (C): Many people hold this answer as a Contender and then move on to answer choice (D). As it will turn out, this answer is incorrect because the language is too strong: the stimulus only stated that apples contain an element that was a factor in preventing heart disease, not that they definitely will prevent heart disease.
Answer choice (D): This answer is the closest to our pre-phrase, and this is the correct answer. Notice how the language of this answer choice—“helps to prevent”—matches the stimulus language—“factor in the prevention.”
Answer choice (E): This answer choice also could be true, but it cannot be correct because the stimulus makes no mention of the causes of heart disease. Just because an antioxidant can help prevent heart disease does not mean that a lack of antioxidants causes heart disease. Notice how the scope of the stimulus plays a role in how we attack the answer choices. The language of the stimulus is relatively broad—“almost all,” “factor in the prevention,”—and the author shies away from making definite statements. Because the stimulus does not contain much in the way of direct, absolute information, selecting an answer choice that contains a direct, absolute statement is difficult to justify. This reasoning helps us eliminate answer choices (B) and (C), both of which contain strong statements that are ultimately unsupportable (literally, they both fail the Fact Test because they are too strong).