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705-805 Level|   Assumption|      
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Konstantin1983
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Inorganic pesticides remain active on the surfaces of fruits and 13 Sep 2021, 08:42
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ak2121
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Inorganic pesticides remain active on the surfaces of fruits and vegetables for several days after spraying, while organic pesticides dissipate within a few hours after application, leaving the surface of the sprayed produce free of pesticide residue. Therefore, when purchasing from a farm that uses inorganic pesticides, one must be careful to wash the produce thoroughly before eating it to prevent the ingestion of toxins. But one need not worry about ingesting pesticides when purchasing from farms that use only organic pesticides.

The argument above assumes that

(A) Consumers are aware of the origins of the produce they purchase.

(B) Produce from farms that use organic pesticides reaches the consumer within hours after it is picked or harvested.

(C) No farm uses both organic and inorganic pesticides.

(D) No pesticide is capable of penetrating the skin of a fruit or vegetable.

(E) The use of either type of pesticide does not increase the cost of produce.

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION



The conclusion of the argument is that one need not worry about ingesting pesticides when purchasing produce from farms that use only organic pesticides. The basis for that claim is the fact that organic pesticides leave the surface of produce within a few hours of spraying. In order for this argument to be valid, we must assume that the organic pesticides do not harm the produce in any lasting way.

(A) This is unrelated to the argument since the conclusion speaks about not having to worry about ingesting produce on which only organic pesticides were known to be used.

(B) If anything, this statement runs counter to what the argument is saying. If produce that has been sprayed with organic pesticide reaches the final consumer within hours after it is picked, it is possible that the consumer does need be concerned about the pesticides.

(C) The conclusion of the argument is already limited to those farms which use "only organic pesticides."

(D) CORRECT. If a pesticide is capable of penetrating the skin of a fruit or vegetable then, while the organic pesticide will dissipate from the surface of the fruit in a few hours, it may remain inside the fruit. The author of this argument assumes that the pesticides cannot penetrate the skin.

(E) The issue of cost is unrelated to the argument's conclusion about pesticide residues.
Hi, so i picked c but the reason given to eliminate c by you can also be imposed on the option chosen by you, d, because the arguement has stated that the pesticides are only there on the surface. Pls explain?
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D is a correct answer because conclusion says that "one must wash fruits purchased from a farm that uses inorganic pesticides." D breaks this conclusion by assuming that pesticides are capable of penetrating the skin of a fruit or a vegetable. Hence careful washing wouldn't help
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Inorganic pesticides remain active on the surfaces of fruits and 19 Mar 2022, 08:56
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Flawed question. The conclusion is two-headed. One 'head' is the second to last sentence, and the other is the last sentence. People seem to be only considering the last sentence as a conclusion, but that is demonstrably wrong. The second to last sentence is clearly not a premise. (D) is a valid correct answer, but (C) is, as well. If some farms use both organic and inorganic pesticides, then the leap from a 'farm uses inorganic pesticides' to 'must wash thoroughly' (because they don't disappear right away) isn't warranted, because produce from that farm could very well have been sprayed with organic pesticides.
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Inorganic pesticides remain active on the surfaces of fruits and 21 Sep 2023, 10:54
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vwjetty
Inorganic pesticides remain active on the surfaces of fruits and vegetables for several days after spraying, while organic pesticides dissipate within a few hours after application, leaving the surface of the sprayed produce free of pesticide residue. Therefore, when purchasing from a farm that uses inorganic pesticides, one must be careful to wash the produce thoroughly before eating it to prevent the ingestion of toxins. But one need not worry about ingesting pesticides when purchasing from farms that use only organic pesticides.

The argument above assumes that

(A) Consumers are aware of the origins of the produce they purchase.

(B) Produce from farms that use organic pesticides reaches the consumer within hours after it is picked or harvested.

(C) No farm uses both organic and inorganic pesticides.

(D) No pesticide is capable of penetrating the skin of a fruit or vegetable.

(E) The use of either type of pesticide does not increase the cost of produce.
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The argument simply states that if you are buying veggies from organic-pesticide-only farm then no worries else be careful.
So if a farm is not organic-pesticide-only, then it can be either inorganic-pesticide-only farm or organic-inorganic-combo farm. —(1)
Also for organic, residue leaves few hours after application and for inorganic, it's several days. —-(2)

A is out of scope, we are concerned about farms, types of pesticides and residue-related time only not origin of veggies.
When negated, C aligns with point 1 and doesn't break the argument - out
When negated, B aligns with point 2 and doesn't break the argument - out
E is out of scope for the same reason as A - out
Hence D.

Hope it helps :)
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Inorganic pesticides remain active on the surfaces of fruits and 19 Mar 2025, 07:33
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Hi, Please help in rejecting A.
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Inorganic pesticides remain active on the surfaces of fruits and 14 Apr 2025, 05:52
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Hi KarishmaB, Please help in rejecting A
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Hi, Please help in rejecting A.
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Inorganic pesticides remain active on the surfaces of fruits and 15 Apr 2025, 23:55
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Hi KarishmaB, Please help in rejecting A
AdjustedEbitdad
Hi, Please help in rejecting A.
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The conclusion is conditional. In such conclusions, whether the condition is met or not is irrelevant. Our point is what to do when the condition is met. That is all we have to focus on.

Conclusion: If purchasing from inorganic farm, do this. If purchasing from purely organic farm, don't worry.

If you know which farm you are buying it from, then act accordingly. Else the argument is irrelevant to you. The assumption of the conclusion is not that you can find what kind of a farm it is. The conclusion comes into play only if you know what kind of a farm it is.
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