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Answer choice (A): If we remember how Must Be True questions operate, we could simply ask ourselves, "What in the world do supply-and-demand market considerations have to do with differences in Chemical X extraction between bean types?" Loser!

Answer choice (B): This might be tempting if we somehow fell into the trap of thinking that the amount of non-caffeine chemicals extracted by decaffeination was in direct proportion to the amount caffeine extracted. However, there is absolutely zero support for the idea that the number of molecules of Chemical X extracted has any relation to the number of molecules of caffeine extracted. Perhaps robusta beans have a radically different anatomy than that of arabica beans. Robusta beans might protect their Chemical X molecules inside special chambers near the interior of the bean while arabica beans have their Chemical X molecules exposed on the surface of the bean, ready to be washed away easily. As long as we see that each chemical's reaction to decaffeination can be totally independent of other chemicals' reactions, we can toss this answer choice.

Answer choice (C): This is not correct because the stimulus did not provide any information relating to why people switch or who might be inclined to switch. Basically, we can read the stimulus as saying that a random person who does a taste test with regular coffee will probably prefer coffee from arabica beans and a random person who does a taste test with decaffeinated coffee will probably prefer coffee from robusta beans. People do not switch to decaffeinated coffee because they are bean-loyal or any such thing. People switch to decaffeinated coffee because they do not want caffeine, and robusta just happens to be the better tasting decaffeinated coffee for most people.

Answer choice (D): This is the correct answer choice. We can see that it matches our prephrase as long as we realize that this answer choice is describing what happens with Chemical X. We should confidently select this answer if we have dealt with the other four.

Answer choice (E): What does cost have to do with anything? We never read about cost in the stimulus and we already noted in our analysis of answer choice C that the stimulus never discusses the reason(s) why people switch to decaffeinated coffee. This should be an easy discard because we are looking for a chemical comparison involving arabica beans and robusta beans.

FINAL ANSWER IS (D)

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Most regular coffee is made from arabica coffee beans because the great majority of consumers prefer its generally richer flavor to that of coffee made from robusta beans. Coffee drinkers who switch to decaffeinated coffee, however, overwhelmingly prefer coffee made from robusta beans, which are unlike arabica beans in that their flavors is not as greatly affected by decaffeination. Depending on the type of bean involved, decaffeination reduces or removes various substances, most of which are flavor-neutral but one of which contributes to the richness of the coffee’s flavor.

The statements above provide the most support for which one of the following conclusion?
(A) The annual world crop of arabica beans is not large enough to satisfy completely the world demand for regular coffee.
(B) Arabica beans contain more caffeine per unit of weight than do robusta beans.
(C) Coffee drinkers who drink decaffeinated coffee almost exclusively are the ones who prefer regular coffee made from robusta beans to regular coffee made from arabica beans.
(D) Decaffeination of arabica beans extracts more of the substance that enhances a coffee’s flavor than does decaffeination of robusta beans.
(E) There are coffee drinkers who switch from drinking regular coffee made from arabica beans to drinking decaffeinated coffee made from arabica beans because coffee made from arabica beans is less costly.

ARGUMENT
coffee consumers prefer arabica vs robusta because it is more rich in flavor;
however, when these consumers switch to decaffeinated, they prefer robusta than arabica, because the process of decaf affects richness of flavor more in arabica than in robusta.

Ans (D)
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Conclusion - Depending on the type of bean involved, decaffeination reduces or removes various substances, most of which are flavor-neutral but one of which contributes to the richness of the coffee’s flavor.

We need to find the correct answers that strengthens the conclusion i.e. decaffeination reduces/removes various substances....

A, C & E are out of context. The answer is between B & D.

Option (B) - This is a tempting answer but does not explain how decaffeination affects the caffeine and caffeine is the reason behind the rich flavor of Arabica

Option (D) - clearly says decaffeination affects the flavors of Arabica coffee. So it aligns with the conclusion.

Correct me if I'm wrong.
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To answer this question, we need to analyze the information provided and deduce a conclusion that logically follows from it. Here's a brief breakdown of the key points from the statements:

Arabica beans vs. Robusta beans: Most regular coffee drinkers prefer arabica for its richer flavor. However, for decaffeinated coffee, drinkers prefer robusta beans because their flavor is less affected by the decaffeination process.

Decaffeination process: The process affects different types of beans differently, impacting the substances in the beans, including one that contributes significantly to the coffee's richness.

Given this information, let's evaluate the answer choices:

(A) The annual world crop of arabica beans is not large enough to satisfy completely the world demand for regular coffee.

This choice is unrelated to the information provided about consumer preferences and the impact of decaffeination on bean flavor.

(B) Arabica beans contain more caffeine per unit of weight than do robusta beans.

The passage does not provide information about the caffeine content per unit weight of arabica versus robusta beans.

(C) Coffee drinkers who drink decaffeinated coffee almost exclusively are the ones who prefer regular coffee made from robusta beans to regular coffee made from arabica beans.

There is no support for this conclusion. The statements do not discuss preferences for regular coffee among those who primarily drink decaffeinated coffee.

(D) Decaffeination of arabica beans extracts more of the substance that enhances a coffee’s flavor than does decaffeination of robusta beans.

This choice aligns with the information that robusta beans' flavor is less affected by decaffeination compared to arabica beans. It implies that the decaffeination process might remove more of the flavor-enhancing substance from arabica beans, which fits with the information given that arabica loses more of its richness through decaffeination.

(E) There are coffee drinkers who switch from drinking regular coffee made from arabica beans to drinking decaffeinated coffee made from arabica beans because coffee made from arabica beans is less costly.

Cost is not mentioned anywhere in the passage, making this conclusion unsupported by the provided statements.

Conclusion: Option (D) is the best choice as it logically follows from the information that the decaffeination process affects the flavor of arabica more significantly than robusta, likely due to the extraction of a key flavor-enhancing substance. This supports the observed preference shift among decaffeinated coffee drinkers towards robusta beans.
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(A) The annual world crop of arabica beans is not large enough to satisfy completely the world demand for regular coffee. – Irrelevant. Eliminate

(B) Arabica beans contain more caffeine per unit of weight than do robusta beans. – Nothing about caffeine content. Eliminate

(C) Coffee drinkers who drink decaffeinated coffee almost exclusively are the ones who prefer regular coffee made from robusta beans to regular coffee made from arabica beans. – No, quite the opposite. Eliminate

(D) Decaffeination of arabica beans extracts more of the substance that enhances a coffee’s flavor than does decaffeination of robusta beans. – Yes, Correct

(E) There are coffee drinkers who switch from drinking regular coffee made from arabica beans to drinking decaffeinated coffee made from arabica beans because coffee made from arabica beans is less costly. – Nothing about cost. Eliminate

Bunuel

Competition Mode Question



Most regular coffee is made from arabica coffee beans because the great majority of consumers prefer its generally richer flavor to that of coffee made from robusta beans. Coffee drinkers who switch to decaffeinated coffee, however, overwhelmingly prefer coffee made from robusta beans, which are unlike arabica beans in that their flavors is not as greatly affected by decaffeination. Depending on the type of bean involved, decaffeination reduces or removes various substances, most of which are flavor-neutral but one of which contributes to the richness of the coffee’s flavor.

The statements above provide the most support for which one of the following conclusion?


(A) The annual world crop of arabica beans is not large enough to satisfy completely the world demand for regular coffee.

(B) Arabica beans contain more caffeine per unit of weight than do robusta beans.

(C) Coffee drinkers who drink decaffeinated coffee almost exclusively are the ones who prefer regular coffee made from robusta beans to regular coffee made from arabica beans.

(D) Decaffeination of arabica beans extracts more of the substance that enhances a coffee’s flavor than does decaffeination of robusta beans.

(E) There are coffee drinkers who switch from drinking regular coffee made from arabica beans to drinking decaffeinated coffee made from arabica beans because coffee made from arabica beans is less costly.
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