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Sub 505 Level|   Resolve Paradox|         
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shwetachauhan
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It is difficult to keep deep wounds free of bacteria. Even strong anti 18 May 2017, 07:52
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It is difficult to keep deep wounds free of bacteria. Even strong antibiotics fail to kill the bacteria that live in such wounds. However, many physicians have succeeded in eliminating bacteria from deep wounds by packing the wound with a sweet substance like sugar.
Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain why treating deep wounds with sugar as described above is successful?

(A) Bacteria that live in deep wounds thrive in a moist environment, and sugar has a dehydrating effect.
(B) Sugar that is nearly pure is readily available for use in medical treatments.
(C) Many kinds of bacteria can use sugar as a nutrient and will reproduce rapidly when sugar is available to them.
(D) Some foods that contain sugar can weaken the effects of certain antibiotics.
(E) Strong antibiotics were developed only recently, but the use of sugar as a treatment for wounds dates back to ancient times.

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A
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It is difficult to keep deep wounds free of bacteria. Even strong anti 18 May 2017, 08:42
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shwetachauhan
It is difficult to keep deep wounds free of bacteria. Even strong antibiotics fail to kill the bacteria that live in such wounds. However, many physicians have succeeded in eliminating bacteria from deep wounds by packing the wound with a sweet substance like sugar.
Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain why treating deep wounds with sugar as described above is successful?
(A) Bacteria that live in deep wounds thrive in a moist environment, and sugar has a dehydrating effect.
(B) Sugar that is nearly pure is readily available for use in medical treatments.
(C) Many kinds of bacteria can use sugar as a nutrient and will reproduce rapidly when sugar is available to them.
(D) Some foods that contain sugar can weaken the effects of certain antibiotics.
(E) Strong antibiotics were developed only recently, but the use of sugar as a treatment for wounds dates back to ancient times.

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TIA
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This is a resolve/explain question. In these types of questions we have two conflicting statements that present a puzzle, discrepancy, or paradox that we must explain.

In this situation, we have two contradictory facts. Wounds are hard to keep free of bacteria and even antibiotics are not effective. Sugar, however, is effective.

Why?

(A) is the credited response. Sugar can eliminate the moisture that bacteria need.
(B) is irrelevant. It does not provide any benefit of sugar against bacteria.
(C) is the opposite answer. It intensifies the problem rather than resolving it.
(D) is irrelevant. We are talking about not eating sugar but packing it into a wound.
(E) is irrelevant. The age of the treatment does not explain why it is successful.
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It is difficult to keep deep wounds free of bacteria. Even strong anti 14 Jun 2017, 11:00
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Is this really a 600-700 level question? I think this is more of sub 600 level question and is misplaced in the wrong category.
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It is difficult to keep deep wounds free of bacteria. Even strong anti 14 Jun 2017, 11:42
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shwetachauhan
It is difficult to keep deep wounds free of bacteria. Even strong antibiotics fail to kill the bacteria that live in such wounds. However, many physicians have succeeded in eliminating bacteria from deep wounds by packing the wound with a sweet substance like sugar.

Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain why treating deep wounds with sugar as described above is successful?

(A) Bacteria that live in deep wounds thrive in a moist environment, and sugar has a dehydrating effect.
(B) Sugar that is nearly pure is readily available for use in medical treatments.
(C) Many kinds of bacteria can use sugar as a nutrient and will reproduce rapidly when sugar is available to them.
(D) Some foods that contain sugar can weaken the effects of certain antibiotics.
(E) Strong antibiotics were developed only recently, but the use of sugar as a treatment for wounds dates back to ancient times.
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Correct answer must be (A) for the highlighted errors in other options...
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It is difficult to keep deep wounds free of bacteria. Even strong anti 23 Jul 2019, 11:40
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The answer should give us a good reason for why sugar eliminates bacteria.

(A) Bacteria that live in deep wounds thrive in a moist environment, and sugar has a dehydrating effect.
Bingo! Sugar dehydrates the wounds therefore eliminating the moist environment that bacteria thrive in.

(B) Sugar that is nearly pure is readily available for use in medical treatments.
Although this may explain why physicians use sugar, it does not explain why it is effective in eliminating bacteria.

(C) Many kinds of bacteria can use sugar as a nutrient and will reproduce rapidly when sugar is available to them.
This actually negates the conclusion. If bacteria actually thrive when sugar is introduced, this goes against the conclusion that sugar eliminates bacteria.

(D) Some foods that contain sugar can weaken the effects of certain antibiotics.
Although this helps explain why some antibiotics fail to kill bacteria, it doesn't explain why sugar eliminates bacteria.

(E) Strong antibiotics were developed only recently, but the use of sugar as a treatment for wounds dates back to ancient times.
This is irrelevant to the conclusion. We aren't interested in how long each treatment has been used.

The correct answer is answer choice A.


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It is difficult to keep deep wounds free of bacteria. Even strong anti 26 Aug 2019, 04:43
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Explanation

It’s tough to pre-phrase an answer to this one; you simply need to attack the choices in search of an explanation as to why packing a wound with sugar would so successfully kill those hardy and ubiquitous bacteria. And you needn’t search long: If sugar makes a wound dry and if bacteria like moisture, as (A) states, then it’s not surprising that a sugar environment tends to spell R.I.P. for bacteria.

(B) So sugar is available for use. But how would one use it? Why would it be successful?

(C)’s phenomenon creates a paradox, not resolves one. We’re trying to figure out why sugar in a wound kills bacteria, not how it might provide an environment in which they thrive.

(D) deals with foods that contain sugar, which is far removed from the treatment described. And in any case, if sugar were to weaken an antibiotic (assuming that such a drug were prescribed for a wound), that would be harmful rather than helpful. Both (C) and (D) give us more or less the opposite of what we want.

(E) is unnecessary background information. What does the long-time use of sugar on wounds have to do with why it has the effect it does?

Note: When trying to strengthen or justify an argument or process, beware of answer choices (such as (C) and (D), here) that tend to do the opposite of what you seek.

Answer: A

Hope it helps
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It is difficult to keep deep wounds free of bacteria. Even strong anti 09 Jul 2021, 09:50
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It is difficult to keep deep wounds free of bacteria. Even strong antibiotics fail to kill the bacteria that live in such wounds. However, many physicians have succeeded in eliminating bacteria from deep wounds by packing the wound with a sweet substance like sugar.
Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain why treating deep wounds with sugar as described above is successful?

(A) Bacteria that live in deep wounds thrive in a moist environment, and sugar has a dehydrating effect.
(B) Sugar that is nearly pure is readily available for use in medical treatments.
(C) Many kinds of bacteria can use sugar as a nutrient and will reproduce rapidly when sugar is available to them.
(D) Some foods that contain sugar can weaken the effects of certain antibiotics.
(E) Strong antibiotics were developed only recently, but the use of sugar as a treatment for wounds dates back to ancient times.
E is irrelevant.

Only A gives a positive usage of sugar.

Answer A.
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It is difficult to keep deep wounds free of bacteria. Even strong anti 15 Sep 2023, 14:42
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Hello from the GMAT Club VerbalBot!

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