Paul wrote:
It is well known that human tears often serve to moisten the eye, protect it from infection, and wash away irritants; such tears are called irritant or reflex tears. Dr. Field hypothesizes that emotional tears have a different biological function. She suggests that by shedding tears when under emotional stress people excrete harmful chemicals that build up in such body fluids as blood serum during emotional stress.
Each of the following, if true, provides some support for Dr. Field's hypothesis EXCEPT:
A) The people most likely to cry when undergoing emotional stress are less likely to suffer from stress-related diseases than is the population at large
B) If a local anesthetic is applied to the surface of the eye, irritant and reflex tears are inhibited, but emotional tears are not
C) The chemical composition of tears that are induced by grit in the eye is identical to the composition of tears induced by emotional stress
D) The concentration of a substance that the body produces only under conditions of emotional stress is thirty times greater in tears than in blood serum
E) Patients who suffer from a condition that prevents secretion of tears display a slower than normal physiological recovery from emotional stress
Irritant or reflex tears often serve to moisten the eye, protect it from infection, and wash away irritants;
Hypothesis: Emotional tears excrete harmful chemicals that build up in body fluids during emotional stress.
The hypothesis claims that emotional tears are different from irritant tears and have a different function. They excrete stress induced harmful chemicals from the body.
We need to find the option that does not support the hypothesis. This means the other 4 options will support the hypothesis in some way.
A) The people most likely to cry when undergoing emotional stress are less likely to suffer from stress-related diseases than is the population at large
Supports that emotional tears excrete stress related harmful chemicals.
B) If a local anesthetic is applied to the surface of the eye, irritant and reflex tears are inhibited, but emotional tears are not
This implies that the tears are formed at different locations. Irritant tears are a result of irritation to the surface of the eye. That is why they are inhibited on application of a local anaesthetic. Emotional tears on the other hand probably get produced inside the body. Hence, it supports that the two kind of tears serve different purposes.
C) The chemical composition of tears that are induced by grit in the eye is identical to the composition of tears induced by emotional stress
This does not strengthen our hypothesis. If the chemical composition of the two kinds of tears is same, it doesn't help establish that the two kinds of tears are different. Then we cannot say that emotional tears remove emotion induced chemical substances.
D) The concentration of a substance that the body produces only under conditions of emotional stress is thirty times greater in tears than in blood serum
This hints at emotional tears taking away a major chunk of the substances produced under stress. Hence it supports our hypothesis.
E) Patients who suffer from a condition that prevents secretion of tears display a slower than normal physiological recovery from emotional stress
If people are unable to cry, they take longer to recover from emotional stress. This also strengthens that tears help in recovering faster, perhaps by taking away harmful substances.
Answer (C)