Human taste receptors detect bitter flavors at much lower concentratio

Question

Human taste receptors detect bitter flavors at much lower concentrations than sweet flavors. As a result, people seek higher concentrations of sweet flavors to satisfy their taste. Artificial sweeteners are designed to produce a taste that is comparable to sugar but with far fewer calories, so many people substitute diet drinks for regular ones. However, frequent consumption of these products may have adverse effects on taste preferences. Frequent consumption of artificial sweeteners overstimulates the sugar receptors, resulting in a desire for sweeter foods and less tolerance for complex tastes. Consequently, avid consumers of these products tend to dislike foods that are less sweet but more nutritious, such as fruits and vegetables, and prefer foods with added sugar that have a much sweeter taste. Diet drinks are of particular concern because people who consume them often do so in the absence of food, which leads to dissociation between sweetness and calories.    1 
 1. The author's primary purpose in the passage is to

A. correct a common misconception about artificial sweeteners
B. describe the physical organs that detect sweeteners
C. explain a behavioral response to artificial sweeteners
D. highlight the chemical difference between artificial sweeteners and natural sugar
E. stress the complex chemistry of artificial sweeteners

2 
 2. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

I. When given a slightly bitter food and a slightly sweet food, a human is likely to report that the bitter food has more flavor than the sweet food.
II. The preference for sweet foods can be reduced by discontinuing the use of artificially sweetened beverages.
III. When people consume diet drinks, they tend to ingest more calories overall than if they favored beverages containing sugar.

A. I Only
B. II Only
C. III Only
D. I and II Only
E. II and III Only

Source: Kaplan GRE Last RC

ss1997 · Answer

Hi,

Can we have the answer for these questions please?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

The answer to question #1 is C and question #2 is A.

Oppenheimer1945 · Answer

............OE for 2 please

Akkiiii · Answer

Human taste receptors detect bitter flavors at much lower concentrations than sweet flavors.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. The author's primary purpose in the passage is to

Difficulty Level:   555

Explanation

Analyze the question stem

This is a Global question that asks for the passage's primary purpose.

Research

In a question like this, the only research needed is to check the purpose in the passage map.

Make a prediction

According to the passage map, the author's purpose is to explain how artificial sweeteners affect tastes and eating habits. Evaluate the answer  choices (C)  summarizes the behavioral effect and is thus the correct answer.

The author does not indicate that most people misunderstand the effects of sweeteners, so  (A)  is incorrect.

Although the author does briefly allude to how taste receptors work, this detail is not the main focus of the passage, so  (B)  can be eliminated.

(D)  and  (E)  are incorrect because the chemistry of these products is not described in the passage.

Answer: C

TAKEAWAY:   The right answer to a Global question must encompass the entire passage, not just one of its details.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

Difficulty Level:   655

Explanation

Analyze the question stem

This all-that-apply Inference question requires you to identify choice(s) that must be true based on the text.

Research

The question stem does not point to a particular part of the passage to research. Just review the passage map to refresh your memory and be prepared to
research choices one by one as needed.

Make a prediction

An exact prediction is not possible, but any choice that contradicts the author's purpose—to explain how artificial sweeteners negatively influence human
taste—can be eliminated. Correct answers will likely align with the author's main points: humans seek sweet flavors more than bitter ones, many people
prefer to satisfy their sweet tooth without ingesting calories, and doing so often leads to craving more sweet foods.

Evaluate the answer choices

The author states that people tend to "detect bitter flavors at much lower concentrations than sweet flavors," so if given a bitter food and a sweet food, someone will likely find the bitter food to have more flavor.  (I)  is supported by the passage and correct.

According to the passage,  "frequent consumption of artificial sweeteners ... result  in a desire for sweeter foods."  However, the author does not say that after a desire for sweet foods has been cultivated, it can be reduced by any means. Nor does the author indicate that the person who rarely consumes artificial sweeteners could reduce a preference for sweet foods by consuming artificial sweeteners even less.  (II)  is not supported.

The last two sentences of the passage discuss what happens when people consume artificial sweeteners, and the last sentence specifically mentions  "diet drinks."  While the author says there is a preference for sugary foods over nutritious ones and  "a dissociation between sweetness and calories,"  nowhere is it indicated that overall calorie consumption changes.  (III)  is not supported. Therefore,  (A)  is the only correct answer.

Answer: A

TAKEAWAY:   When evaluating answers to Inference questions, hew closely to the text and eliminate choices that venture more than a half-step beyond it.

tusheee · Answer

but in question 2 option 1st is also elimnated due to paragraph in 1st line says bitter concentration lower taste than the sweeter concentration and option 1 say When given a slightly bitter food and a slightly sweet food, a human is likely to report that the bitter so it is opposite in 1st option so how it is possible ?

Invincible_147 · Answer

Yes, I also have the same doubt. If human taste receptors detect bitter flavors at much lower concentrations than sweet flavors, that means if we eat both types of foods, our receptors will be able to extract more taste from the sweeter food. Therefore, according to me, statement I is wrong.
And because I think both statement I and III are completely wrong, I chose option B—since there was no option for "None of the Above," statement II seemed slightly more likely.

Human taste receptors detect bitter flavors at much lower concentratio

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

Human taste receptors detect bitter flavors at much lower concentratio

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards