AbdurRakib
Many athletes inhale pure oxygen after exercise in an attempt to increase muscular re-absorption of oxygen. Measured continuously after exercise, however, the blood lactate levels of athletes who inhale pure oxygen are practically identical, on average, to those of athletes who breathe normal air. The lower the blood lactate level is, the higher the muscular re-absorption of oxygen is.
If the statements above are all true, they most strongly support which of the following conclusions?
(A) Athletes’ muscular re-absorption of oxygen is not increased when they inhale pure oxygen instead of normal air.
(B) High blood lactate levels cannot be reduced.
(C) Blood lactate levels are a poor measure of oxygen re-absorption by muscles.
(D) The amount of oxygen reabsorbed by an athlete’s muscles always remains constant.
(E) The inhaling of pure oxygen has no legitimate role in athletics.
OG 2017 New Question
ID - CR01112
SolutionPassage AnalysisMany athletes inhale pure oxygen after exercise in an attempt to increase muscular re-absorption of oxygen.
Athletes inhale pure oxygen after exercise as they want their muscles to re-absorb more and more oxygen.Measured continuously after exercise, however, the blood lactate levels of athletes
The blood lactate levels (BLL)of athletes are measured continuously after exercise who inhale pure oxygen are practically identical, on average, to those of athletes who breathe normal air.
After exercise, the average BLL of athletes inhaling pure oxygen is almost identical to the average BLL of athletes breathing normal airThe lower the blood lactate level is, the higher the muscular re-absorption of oxygen is.
This statement provides a principle. It says that if BLL is lower, then the muscular re-absorption of oxygen is higher.
Gist of the passageMany athletes inhale pure oxygen after exercise
This implies there are athletes who do not do so.
Blood of both the groups of athletes tested for blood lactate levels.
No appreciable difference in the BLL of the two groups of athletes
Rom this we can infer that inhaling pure oxygen has no impact on the blood lactate levels
Finally, given that lower blood lactate levels mean higher muscular reabsorption of oxygen, it is an inverse relationship.
Question stem analysisIf the statements above are all true, they most strongly support which of the following conclusions?
We need to identify the option which has the strongest support from the given passage.
Answer Choice AnalysisAUnderstand the choiceEven when athletes inhale pure oxygen their muscular re-absorption of oxygen is not higher than when they breathe normal air.
Analyze in the context of the passage and the question stemThe last sentence of the passage indicates that lower blood lactate levels are an indicator of higher muscular re-absorption of oxygen. But as per the passage the Blood lactate levels were same for athletes who inhaled pure oxygen and athletes who did not. Had the pure oxygen really helped in increasing the muscular re-absorption, then the blood lactate levels of these athletes (who inhaled pure oxygen) would have been lower than the ones who breathed normal air.
Hence, this option is true as per the information given in the passage.
BUnderstand the choiceThis means that there is no way of reducing the blood lactate levels.
Analyze in the context of the passage and the question stemThe passage talks about
the blood lactate levels of athletes who inhale pure oxygen and those who do not,
the correlation between blood lactate levels and muscular reabsorption of oxygen
The passage nowhere talks about whether the blood lactate levels can be lowered or not. Hence, as per the passage this is not true.
CUnderstand the choiceThis option provides a judgement. It implies that blood lactate levels are not a reliable tool to measure oxygen re-absorption by muscles.
Analyze in the context of the passage and the question stemThe passage talks about the use of blood lactate levels in the evaluation of oxygen re-absorption by muscles and what relationship exists between the two (inversely proportional). This establishes a credible link between blood lactate levels and muscular re-absorption of oxygen.
This option actually goes against the information given in the passage and is not the correct answer choice.
DUnderstand the choiceA simple enough option, it means that whatever be the circumstances, for a particular athlete, the quantity of oxygen re-absorbed by the muscles remains the same.
Analyze in the context of the passage and the question stemThe passage gives us one instance where, after exercise, the blood lactate levels were on average, the same between two different groups of athletes. From this, we cannot infer that for a particular athlete the quantity of oxygen re-absorbed would always be the same or not. In fact, given the inverse relationship between blood lactate levels and re-absorption of oxygen by the muscles, the implication is clear that the amount of oxygen re-absorbed changes.
Hence this option finds no support in the passage.
EUnderstand the choiceThis option says that inhaling pure oxygen plays no creditable role in the whole field of athletics.
Analyze in the context of the passage and the question stemThe passage just talks about the athletes’ need to inhale pure oxygen after exercise to increase re-absorption of oxygen by the muscles. From the discussion in option (A) we can infer that inhaling pure oxygen does not really lead to higher re-absorption by the muscles. But this does not mean that inhaling pure oxygen cannot be beneficial for anything else in the field of athletics. This option is too generalized based on a specific example and hence may not necessarily be true.