Events & Promotions
|
|
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.
Customized
for You
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
May 0608:30 AM PDT
-09:30 AM PDT
In Episode 3 of our GMAT Ninja Critical Reasoning series, we tackle Discrepancy, Paradox, and Explain an Oddity questions. You know the feeling: the passage gives you two facts that seem completely contradictory....- May 05
10:00 AM PDT
-11:00 AM PDT
GMAT Inequalities is a high-frequency topic in GMAT Quant, but many students struggle because the concepts behave differently from standard algebra. Understanding the right rules, patterns, and edge cases can significantly improve both speed and accuracy. - May 08
08:00 AM PDT
-08:30 AM PDT
Join the special YouTube live-stream for selecting the winners of GMAT Club MBA Scholarships sponsored by Juno live. Watch who gets these coveted MBA scholarships offered by GMAT Club and Juno.
16 Sep 2014, 02:24
Kudos
Bookmarks
In a recent experiment to test the hypothesis that expectation influences the experience of flavor, researchers conducted a taste test involving over 200 participants. Each participant tasted two versions of a cola beverage. The standard recipe was used for both versions, with the only modification being the addition of white vinegar to one version. Participants were informed that one of the versions contained a “secret taste-enhancing ingredient.” Contrary to the researchers' initial expectations, the majority of participants selected the white vinegar version as the tastier one. Given that white vinegar was the only variable introduced and was not commonly perceived as a desirable ingredient in cola, researchers concluded that the hypothesis—that expectation can significantly influence flavor perception—was correct.
Which of the following is an assumption that the researchers did not need to make to arrive at their conclusion?
A. The participants did not ordinarily prefer a cola beverage mixed with white vinegar.
B. Participants believed that they could distinguish the beverage with the 'secret ingredient' based on its flavor.
C. A noticeable amount of vinegar was added to one version of the cola to ensure it could potentially influence flavor perception.
D. Study participants were not selected based on their preference for the taste of white vinegar.
E. Cola recipes do not contain other taste-enhancing ingredients.
Which of the following is an assumption that the researchers did not need to make to arrive at their conclusion?
A. The participants did not ordinarily prefer a cola beverage mixed with white vinegar.
B. Participants believed that they could distinguish the beverage with the 'secret ingredient' based on its flavor.
C. A noticeable amount of vinegar was added to one version of the cola to ensure it could potentially influence flavor perception.
D. Study participants were not selected based on their preference for the taste of white vinegar.
E. Cola recipes do not contain other taste-enhancing ingredients.
16 Sep 2014, 02:24
Kudos
Bookmarks
Official Solution:
In a recent experiment to test the hypothesis that expectation influences the experience of flavor, researchers conducted a taste test involving over 200 participants. Each participant tasted two versions of a cola beverage. The standard recipe was used for both versions, with the only modification being the addition of white vinegar to one version. Participants were informed that one of the versions contained a “secret taste-enhancing ingredient.” Contrary to the researchers' initial expectations, the majority of participants selected the white vinegar version as the tastier one. Given that white vinegar was the only variable introduced and was not commonly perceived as a desirable ingredient in cola, researchers concluded that the hypothesis—that expectation can significantly influence flavor perception—was correct.
Which of the following is an assumption that the researchers did not need to make to arrive at their conclusion?
A. The participants did not ordinarily prefer a cola beverage mixed with white vinegar.
B. Participants believed that they could distinguish the beverage with the 'secret ingredient' based on its flavor.
C. A noticeable amount of vinegar was added to one version of the cola to ensure it could potentially influence flavor perception.
D. Study participants were not selected based on their preference for the taste of white vinegar.
E. Cola recipes do not contain other taste-enhancing ingredients.
Premise 1: Participants were told that there is a taste-enhancing ingredient in one of the beverages.
Premise 2: Participants considered the beverage with the ingredient tastier, although the ingredient was white vinegar, which few people would choose to add..
Conclusion: Expectation influences experience.
A. One underlying assumption to the conclusion is that the participants do not ordinarily find white vinegar tasty. They found it tasty only because they were suggested that it was so. If they ordinarily found it tasty, then it was not because of the suggestion that they found it tasty and hence the conclusion could not have been drawn.
B. If the participants could not really identify the beverage with the extra ingredient, then their selection must have been only random and they did not really find the beverage with white vinegar tasty; thus the conclusion of the researchers would be wrong. Since negating this option breaks down the argument, this option must be an assumption.
C. This option can be eliminated using a similar reasoning as B. Saying that the amount of vinegar is insignificant is equivalent to saying that the participants could not really identify the beverage with the extra ingredient.
D. This option can be eliminated using a similar reasoning as A. If the participants were selected because they preferred the taste of white vinegar, the argument breaks down because of the reason described in A above. Hence D must be an assumption.
E. CORRECT This option is not a required assumption because even if the cola contained taste-enhancing ingredients, they would be present in both versions of the drink. We know from the passage that the same cola was used before one of the beverages was tainted with vinegar as the "special ingredient". Vinegar is the only difference between the two beverages.
Answer: E
In a recent experiment to test the hypothesis that expectation influences the experience of flavor, researchers conducted a taste test involving over 200 participants. Each participant tasted two versions of a cola beverage. The standard recipe was used for both versions, with the only modification being the addition of white vinegar to one version. Participants were informed that one of the versions contained a “secret taste-enhancing ingredient.” Contrary to the researchers' initial expectations, the majority of participants selected the white vinegar version as the tastier one. Given that white vinegar was the only variable introduced and was not commonly perceived as a desirable ingredient in cola, researchers concluded that the hypothesis—that expectation can significantly influence flavor perception—was correct.
Which of the following is an assumption that the researchers did not need to make to arrive at their conclusion?
A. The participants did not ordinarily prefer a cola beverage mixed with white vinegar.
B. Participants believed that they could distinguish the beverage with the 'secret ingredient' based on its flavor.
C. A noticeable amount of vinegar was added to one version of the cola to ensure it could potentially influence flavor perception.
D. Study participants were not selected based on their preference for the taste of white vinegar.
E. Cola recipes do not contain other taste-enhancing ingredients.
Premise 1: Participants were told that there is a taste-enhancing ingredient in one of the beverages.
Premise 2: Participants considered the beverage with the ingredient tastier, although the ingredient was white vinegar, which few people would choose to add..
Conclusion: Expectation influences experience.
A. One underlying assumption to the conclusion is that the participants do not ordinarily find white vinegar tasty. They found it tasty only because they were suggested that it was so. If they ordinarily found it tasty, then it was not because of the suggestion that they found it tasty and hence the conclusion could not have been drawn.
B. If the participants could not really identify the beverage with the extra ingredient, then their selection must have been only random and they did not really find the beverage with white vinegar tasty; thus the conclusion of the researchers would be wrong. Since negating this option breaks down the argument, this option must be an assumption.
C. This option can be eliminated using a similar reasoning as B. Saying that the amount of vinegar is insignificant is equivalent to saying that the participants could not really identify the beverage with the extra ingredient.
D. This option can be eliminated using a similar reasoning as A. If the participants were selected because they preferred the taste of white vinegar, the argument breaks down because of the reason described in A above. Hence D must be an assumption.
E. CORRECT This option is not a required assumption because even if the cola contained taste-enhancing ingredients, they would be present in both versions of the drink. We know from the passage that the same cola was used before one of the beverages was tainted with vinegar as the "special ingredient". Vinegar is the only difference between the two beverages.
Answer: E
04 Mar 2022, 04:33
Kudos
Bookmarks
The question or/and solution has been revised and edited. Thank you sayantanc2k !!!
