Scientific journal: Recent testing was conducted to examine the health

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Overview:

Question recounts information about a test regarding the effects of drinking milk on calcium levels in women over the age of forty. The passage details what the participating women were asked to do, mentioning specifically that all followed the requirements closely. But the passage also notes that the test results indicated a disparity between the rise in calcium levels in some women over others. The question asks the student to choose a statement that best explains the discrepancy in results. To select the correct answer, the student must give close attention to the details in the passage and be careful not to assume details that are inconsistent with the information the passage presents.

The Correct Answer:

D The passage indicates that all of the women were required to drink the required two eight-ounce glasses of milk each day, and that all did this faithfully. There is nothing, however, to indicate that the women were not allowed to take a multi-vitamin with calcium, so answer choice (D) provides the best explanation about why some women had higher levels of calcium than others, when all were following the stipulations of the test carefully.

The Incorrect Answers:

A Although the difference between whole milk and low-fat milk might result in different calcium levels, it is impossible to deduce this from the passage; contrast this with correct answer choice (D), which specifically indicates that the vitamins some women took included calcium. Because one cannot infer from the passage that the fat content of milk affects its calcium levels, it also cannot be inferred with any certainty that the fat content of the milk contributed to the disparity in the test results Answer choice (A) is incorrect.

B The passage states quite clearly that all of the participants in the test were “in similar states of health.” Answer choice (B) contradicts this and can therefore be eliminated immediately.

C As with answer choice (A), it is possible that an age difference affected the results, but there is no indication in the passage or in the statement itself that this explains the difference in calcium levels among the women. Had answer choice (C) made the additional claim that women over the age of fifty have more difficulty in absorbing calcium, this choice might be reasonable. As it is, though, it must be eliminated.

E Answer choice (E) provides no explanation for why giving birth would affect calcium levels in women, so it cannot be correct within the context of the passage.