Most scientists who study the physiological effects of alcoholic

Question

Most scientists who study the physiological effects
of alcoholic beverages have assumed that wine, like
beer or distilled spirits, is a drink whose only active
ingredient is alcohol. Because of this assumption, these
 (5)  scientists have rarely investigated the effects of wine as
distinct from other forms of alcoholic beverages.
Nevertheless, unlike other alcoholic beverages, wine
has for centuries been thought to have healthful effects
that these scientists—who not only make no distinction
 (10)  among wine, beer, and distilled spirits but also study
only the excessive or abusive intake of these
beverages—have obscured.

Recently, a small group of researchers has
questioned this assumption and investigated the effects of
 (15)  moderate wine consumption. While alcohol has
been shown conclusively to have negative physiological
effects—for example, alcohol strongly affects the
body’s processing of lipids (fats and other substances
including cholesterol), causing dangerous increases in
 (20)  the levels of these substances in the blood, increases
that are a large contributing factor in the development
of premature heart disease—the researchers found that
absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream occurs much
more slowly when subjects drink wine than when they
 (25)  drink distilled spirits. More remarkably, it was
discovered that deaths due to premature heart disease
in the populations of several European countries
decreased dramatically as the incidence of moderate
wine consumption increased. One preliminary study
 (30)  linked this effect to red wine, but subsequent research
has shown identical results whether the wine was white
or red. What could explain such apparently healthful
effects?

For one thing, the studies show increased activity
 (35)  of a natural clot-breaking compound used by doctors
to restore blood flow through blocked vessels in victims
of heart disease. In addition, the studies of wine
drinkers indicate increased levels of certain compounds
that may help to prevent damage from high lipid levels.
 (40)  And although the link between lipid processing and
premature heart disease is one of the most important
discoveries in modern medicine, in the past 20 years
researchers have found several additional important
contributing factors. We now know that endothelial
 (45)  cell reactivity (which affects the thickness of the
innermost walls of blood vessels) and platelet
adhesiveness (which influences the degree to which
platelets cause blood to clot) are each linked to the
development of premature heart disease. Studies show
 (50)  that wine appears to have ameliorating effects on
both of these factors: it decreases the thickness of the
innermost walls of blood vessels, and it reduces platelet
adhesiveness. One study demonstrated a decrease in
platelet adhesiveness among individuals who drank
 (55)  large amounts of grape juice. This finding may be the
first step in confirming speculation that the potentially
healthful effects of moderate wine intake may derive
from the concentration of certain natural compounds
found in grapes and not present in other alcoholic
 (60)  beverages.    1 
 1. Which one of the following most accurately states the author’s main point in the passage?

(A) Because of their assumption that alcohol is the only active ingredient in wine, beer, and distilled spirits, scientists have previously studied these beverages in ways that obscure their healthful effects.
(B) A new study of moderate wine consumption calls into question the belief that premature heart disease is caused solely by the presence of high lipid levels in the bloodstream.
(C) Researchers have found that alcohol from moderate wine consumption is absorbed into the bloodstream more slowly than is alcohol from other alcoholic beverages.
(D) Although it has long been held that moderate wine consumption has healthful effects, scientific studies have yet to prove such effects definitively.
(E) Wine, unlike other alcoholic beverages, appears to have a number of significant healthful effects that may be tied to certain natural compounds found in grapes.

2 
 2. In the first paragraph, the author most likely refers to the centuries-old belief that wine has healthful effects in order to

(A) demonstrate that discoveries in the realm of science often bear out popular beliefs
(B) provide evidence for the theory that moderate wine consumption ameliorates factors that contribute to premature heart disease
(C) argue that traditional beliefs are no less important than scientific evidence when investigating health matters
(D) suggest that a prevailing scientific assumption might be mistaken
(E) refute the argument that science should take cues from popular beliefs

3 
 3. According to the passage, each of the following might help to prevent premature heart disease EXCEPT:

(A) an increase in the degree to which platelets cause blood to clot
(B) an increase in the body’s ability to remove lipids from the bloodstream
(C) an increase in the amount of time it takes alcohol to be absorbed into the bloodstream
(D) increased activity of a natural compound that reduces blood clotting
(E) increased levels of compounds that prevent damage from high lipid levels

4 
 4. Which one of the following, if true, would most strengthen the passage’s position concerning the apparently healthful effects of moderate wine consumption?

(A) Subjects who consumed large amount of grape juice exhibited decreased thickness of the innermost walls of their blood vessels.
(B) Subjects who were habitual drinkers of wine and subjects who were habitual drinkers of beer exhibited similar lipid levels in their bloodstreams.
(C) Subjects who drank grape juice exhibited greater platelet adhesiveness than did subjects who drank no grape juice.
(D) Subjects who drank excessive amounts of wine suffered from premature heart disease at roughly the same rate as moderate wine drinkers.
(E) Subjects who possess a natural clot-breaking compound were discovered to have a certain gene that is absent from subjects who do not possess the compound.

5 
 5. It can be inferred from the passage that the author would most likely agree with which one of the following statements?

(A) Scientists should not attempt to study the possible healthful effects of moderate consumption of beer and distilled spirits.
(B) The conclusion that alcohol affects lipid processing should be questioned in light of studies of moderate wine consumption.
(C) Moderate consumption of wine made from plums or apples rather than grapes would be unlikely to reduce the risk of premature heart disease.
(D) Red wine consumption has a greater effect on reducing death rates from premature heart disease than does white wine consumption.
(E) Beer and distilled spirits contain active ingredients other than alcohol whose effects tend to be beneficial.

6 
 6. Based on the passage, the author’s attitude toward the scientists discussed in the first paragraph can most accurately be described as

(A) highly enthusiastic
(B) tacitly approving
(C) grudgingly accepting
(D) overtly critical
(E) clearly outraged

7 
 7. In the passage, the author is primarily concerned with doing which one of the following?

(A) advocating a particular method of treatment
(B) criticizing popular opinion
(C) correcting a scientific misconception
(D) questioning the relevance of newly discovered evidence
(E) countering a revolutionary hypothesis

8 
 8. The author suggests each of the following in the passage EXCEPT:

(A) Greater platelet adhesiveness increases the risk of premature heart disease.
(B) The body’s ability to process lipids is compromised by the presence of alcohol in the bloodstream.
(C) Doctors have access to a natural compound that breaks down blood clots.
(D) High lipid levels are dangerous because they lead to increased endothelial cell reactivity and platelet adhesiveness.
(E) Moderate wine consumption appears to decrease the thickness of the interior walls of blood vessels.

Source:   LSAT Official PrepTest 32   
 Difficulty Level:   600

RC Butler 2021  -  Practice Two RC Questions Everyday.   
Passage # 199 Date: 20-May-2021
 This question is a part of RC Butler 2021 .  Click here for Details

RiteshGadave · Answer

in question 5, i can't figure out why it would be C?...Nothing is mentioned about wine made from plums/apples or comparison between them ..

ved02 · Answer

RiteshGadave  the passage suggests that it is the concentration of grape juice that most likely gives wine its beneficial properties.

Look at the end of the third paragraph:
 
One study demonstrated a decrease in
platelet adhesiveness among individuals who drank
(55) large amounts of grape juice. This finding may be the
first step in confirming speculation that the potentially
healthful effects of moderate wine intake may derive
from the concentration of certain natural compounds
found in grapes and not present in other alcoholic
(60) beverages.

If it is the grape content that gives wine its healthy properties, then, by inference, wine made from plums and apples are unlikely to have the same health effects. Therefore the answer's C.

Can also comfortable eliminate the other options:

It can be inferred from the passage that the author would most likely agree with which one of the following statements?

(A) Scientists should not attempt to study the possible healthful effects of moderate consumption of beer and distilled spirits.
- Doesn't suggest this.

(B) The conclusion that alcohol affects lipid processing should be questioned in light of studies of moderate wine consumption.
- Alcohol still affects lipid processing, but to a lesser extent with wine. "Should be questioned" implies author think's its not true. Wrong.

(C) Moderate consumption of wine made from plums or apples rather than grapes would be unlikely to reduce the risk of premature heart disease.
- As discussed above, the correct answer.

(D) Red wine consumption has a greater effect on reducing death rates from premature heart disease than does white wine consumption.
- Passage says this was believed, but turned out to not be true. Red wine and white wine have the same impact.

(E) Beer and distilled spirits contain active ingredients other than alcohol whose effects tend to be beneficial.
- Doesn't suggest this anywhere. Rather, implies the opposite.

sumeetprakash04 · Answer

I have marked question no 1 as D..can somebody explain why it's not correct

Posted from my mobile device

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

1. Which one of the following most accurately states the author’s main point in the passage?

Difficulty Level:   600

Explanation

Your prediction as to the essence of a Global question like this one ought to include the Topic (wine), its Scope (healthful effects), and Purpose (to explain same).  (E)  includes all of those things, and is rendered even better because it brings in the comparison to other beverages which the author goes into periodically, as well as the important theory about grapes that’s introduced in  lines 53-60.

(A)  is a good summary of  paragraph 1  alone, but fails miserably as a main point answer choice. It fails to give wine prominence,
and utterly ignores the promising research that is the subject of the two longest paragraph’s.

(B)  deemphasizes wine even more woefully than did  (A) . The causes of heart disease are only mentioned in passing.

(C)  blows up a detail from  lines 22-25  into the main point. Good gravy, the very detail that follows it  (line 25+)  is introduced with  “More remarkably.”  If the following detail is more remarkable, how can the previous one be the main point?

(D)  flies in the face of the research explored in  lines 13-60 , and is far too pessimistic about the effects of wine consumption on health. In essence,  (D) , like  (B) , is summing up  paragraph 1  only.

Answer: E

junii · Answer

Please explain for question 3C why not correct?
the researchers found that
absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream occurs much
more slowly when subjects drink wine than when they
(25) drink distilled spirits

From this i deduce that absorb slowly is beneficial

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Remember this is an  EXCEPT  question we have to identify something which cannot be validated by the passage

For  C  read the  lines 15-25 . Since wine’s ability to cause slower alcohol absorption is contrasted to the dangerous effects of other alcoholic beverages, it’s eminently inferable that that slower absorption would surely be a positive factor in preventing heart problems.

KeyurJoshi · Answer

1. Which one of the following most accurately states the author’s main point in the passage?

(A) Because of their assumption that alcohol is the only active ingredient in wine, beer, and distilled spirits, scientists have previously studied these beverages in ways that obscure their healthful effects. -  Notice that passage only talks only about wine and its healthful effects and NOT the healthful effects of beer or distilled spirit so as to obscure them. 
(B) A new study of moderate wine consumption calls into question the belief that premature heart disease is caused  solely  by the presence of high lipid levels in the bloodstream. -  Not true there are other reasons. This is too specific anyways. 
(C) Researchers have found that alcohol from moderate wine consumption is absorbed into the bloodstream more slowly than is alcohol from other alcoholic beverages. -  Too specific. 
(D) Although it has long been held that moderate wine consumption has healthful effects, scientific studies have yet to prove such effects definitively. -  Author is actually trying to suggest that wine DOES have healthful effects. There may be scientific studies that havent proven such effects but thats not the point here.  
(E) Wine, unlike other alcoholic beverages, appears to have a number of significant healthful effects that may be tied to certain natural compounds found in grapes. -   Correct  .

2. In the first paragraph, the author most likely refers to the centuries-old belief that wine has healthful effects in order to

Refer lines  "Most scientists who study the physiological effects of alcoholic beverages have assumed that wine, like beer or distilled spirits, is a drink whose only active ingredient is alcohol."
"wine has for centuries been thought to have healthful effects that these scientists—who not only make no distinction (10) among wine, beer, and distilled spirits but also study only the excessive or abusive intake of these beverages—have obscured."

(A) demonstrate that discoveries in the realm of science often bear out popular beliefs -  Irrelevant .
(B) provide evidence for the theory that moderate wine consumption ameliorates factors that contribute to premature heart disease -  centuries old belief cannot be a valid evidence for the argument. It simply isnt the aim of the author here. 
(C) argue that traditional beliefs are no less important than scientific evidence when investigating health matters -  Irrelevant .
(D) suggest that a prevailing scientific assumption might be mistaken -   Correct  
(E) refute the argument that science should take cues from popular beliefs -  Incorrect and irrelevant.

3. According to the passage, each of the following might help to prevent premature heart disease EXCEPT:

(A) an increase in the degree to which platelets cause blood to clot -   Exact 180. Increase in blood clots will only worsen the situation  .
(B) an increase in the body’s ability to remove lipids from the bloodstream -  Refer "lipids (fats and other substances including cholesterol), causing dangerous increases in (20) the levels of these substances in the blood, increases that are a large contributing factor in the development of premature heart disease" So naturally removing lipids will help prevent premature heart diseases. 
(C) an increase in the amount of time it takes alcohol to be absorbed into the bloodstream -  Refer "absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream occurs much more slowly when subjects drink wine than when they (25) drink distilled spirits." 
(D) increased activity of a natural compound that reduces blood clotting -  Refer "the studies show increased activity (35) of a natural clot breaking compound used by doctors to restore blood flow through blocked vessels in victims of heart disease" 
(E) increased levels of compounds that prevent damage from high lipid levels -  Refer "the studies of wine drinkers indicate increased levels of certain compounds that may help to prevent damage from high lipid levels."

4. Which one of the following, if true, would most strengthen the passage’s position concerning the apparently healthful effects of moderate wine consumption?

(A) Subjects who consumed large amount of grape juice exhibited decreased thickness of the innermost walls of their blood vessels. -   Correct  .
(B) Subjects who were habitual drinkers of wine and subjects who were habitual drinkers of beer exhibited similar lipid levels in their bloodstreams. -  Comparing with beer does not help 
(C) Subjects who drank grape juice exhibited greater platelet adhesiveness than did subjects who drank no grape juice. -  Would weaken the position. 
(D) Subjects who drank excessive amounts of wine suffered from premature heart disease at roughly the same rate as moderate wine drinkers. -  Weakens. 
(E) Subjects who possess a natural clot-breaking compound were discovered to have a certain gene that is absent from subjects who do not possess the compound. -  Shows that genes were responsible for the effect.

5. It can be inferred from the passage that the author would most likely agree with which one of the following statements?

(A) Scientists should not attempt to study the possible healthful effects of moderate consumption of beer and distilled spirits. -  Not mentioned. 
(B) The conclusion that alcohol affects lipid processing should be questioned in light of studies of moderate wine consumption. -  In fact the author agrees that alcohol affects lipid processing but calls out a compound present in grapes that ameliorates the effect on lipid levels. 
(C) Moderate consumption of wine made from plums or apples rather than grapes would be unlikely to reduce the risk of premature heart disease. -   Correct  Refer lines "potentially healthful effects of moderate wine intake may derive from the concentration of certain natural compounds found in grapes and not present in other alcoholic (60) beverages." . 
(D) Red wine consumption has a greater effect on reducing death rates from premature heart disease than does white wine consumption. -  Not mentioned. 
(E) Beer and distilled spirits contain active ingredients other than alcohol whose effects tend to be beneficial. -  Not mentioned.

Akarshkhan86 · Answer

Hello  Sajjad1994  can you share the OE of Ques 8 if possible.
Thank you.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

8. The author suggests each of the following in the passage EXCEPT:

Difficulty Level:   700

Explanation

Here’s a rarity: an  “all of the following EXCEPT”  Inference question. Four of the five choices are inferable; therefore the right answer is either contradictory to, or outside the scope of, the text. Keep that 4/1 distinction in mind as you attack the choices. And be sure to look back to the text for support each time.

(A)  is a concept we touched on during Q. 3(A), where we scanned the various references to platelets and agreed that platelet adhesiveness leads to blood clots and, hence, to more heart problems.

(B)  isn’t really an inference but is more or less stated directly in  lines 17-22.

(C) ’s compound is explicitly alluded to in  lines 34-36.  It must exist because doctors are using it!

(D)  is the contradiction we want.  Paragraph 3  draws a sharp distinction between the effects of lipids and  “several additional important contributing factors”  that include endothelian cell reactivity and platelet adhesiveness. The passage does no more than deem high lipid levels to be  “dangerous”  without further explanation. So  (D)  is a jumble of different passage details that is far from inferable.

(E)  Having found  (D) , we expect that  (E)  will be readily inferable, and it is, right out of  lines 49-52.

Answer: D

anirchat · Answer

Can anyine tell me what would be the differentiating factor between " overly critical  and " clearly outraged " from Question no. 6?

nishantswaft · Answer

Hey!

Overtly critical means extremely significant or very important
Whereas, Clearly outraged means angry or dissapointed

On reading the passage we see that the author suggests that the scientists have ignored a property/effect of wine which he feels is significant, though he does not criticise or rebuke the scientists for not doing that. Hence overly critical fits better here.

agrasan · Answer

Hi experts  GMATNinja   KarishmaB   DmitryFarber   MartyMurray ,

I wanted to know what should be the process to find the correct answer for questions like question-6.

6. Based on the passage, the author???s attitude toward the scientists discussed in the first paragraph can most accurately be described as 
(A) highly enthusiastic
(B) tacitly approving
(C) grudgingly accepting
(D) overtly critical
(E) clearly outraged

I didn't know meaning of some words (tactily, overtly, grudgingly) but got it correct as I eliminated options based on my overall understanding of para-1 and acquaintance with the words like enthusiastic, critical, outraged, approving, etc. I wanted to check if this can also be a right process?

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

Yes, the main word in each choice is the adjective (approving, critical, etc.). The initial adverbs just modify the main words. If you know the author is critical of the scientists, you can cut A-C without worrying about what the modifying words mean. An answer like E will almost never be right; we're not likely to see an author who is "outraged," and there'd be a very high bar to prove that they felt this way!

Having said that, on some questions you might get down to a split that requires you to know the more specific modifying words. For instance, when we "grudgingly accept" something, that means we accept it even though we would rather not. If the author accepted the scientists' views, C would still be wrong unless we saw that this acceptance occurred despite some strong objections.

Most scientists who study the physiological effects of alcoholic

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Most scientists who study the physiological effects of alcoholic

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