Slide an apple pie in the oven, and soon the kitchen fills with an aro

Question

Slide an apple pie in the oven, and soon the kitchen fills with an aroma that makes your mouth water and your digestive juices flow.  But boil some cabbage and — what is that awful smell? It’s sulfur, the same chemical you smell in rotten eggs. Cruciferous vegetables (the name comes from crux, the Latin word meaning cross, a reference to their x-shape blossoms), such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, mustard seed, radishes, rutabaga, turnips, and watercress, all contain stinky sulfur compounds such as sulforaphane glucosinolate (SGSD), glucobrassicin, gluconapin, gluconasturtin, neoglucobrassicin, and sinigrin whose aromas are liberated when the food is heated.    1 
 1. The author likely begins the passage with the sentence  Highlighted ] for what reason?

(A) To set up a contrast between the appealing smell of apple pie baking and the less pleasant smell of cruciferous vegetables being cooked.
(B) To urge readers to consider baking an apple pie instead of boiling cabbage.
(C) To discourage boiling as a means of preparing cruciferous vegetables.
(D) To build a case that apples are part of the cruciferous family.
(E) To suggest that baking an apple pie is a task achievable by most inexperienced cooks.

2 
 2. Which of the following would be a good title for this passage?

(A) Don't Boil the Cabbage!
(B) Everyone Should Know How to Bake an Apple Pie.
(C) Sulfur Is the Smell of Cruciferous Vegetables Cooking
(D) Cabbages and Radishes are Related
(E) Freeing the Stink

3 
 3. According to the passage, all of the following are sulfur compounds released by cooking except for which one?

(A) Glucobrassicin
(B) Gluconasturtin
(C) Sinigrin
(D) Plexin
(E) Sulforaphane glucosinolate (SGSD)

4 
 4. The meaning of crux, as presented in the passage, would be most helpful in determining the meaning for which of the following bolded words in phrases?

(A) The crux of the matter.
(B) The crucifix at the front of the sanctuary.
(C) The day cruise leaves at 9 AM.
(D) The crucial point.
(E) The crocus in bloom.

5 
 5. The author’s attitude towards cruciferous vegetables in the passage could best be described as which of the following?

(A) Disgusted by them
(B) Discouraging to readers who might try to cook them
(C) Dismissive of them, preferring apple pie
(D) Interested in one of their distinctive characteristics
(E) Fervent in appreciation for them

6 
 6. Which of the following statements can you most safely infer from the passage’s information?

(A) When you boil cruciferous vegetables, you will release as sulforaphane glucosinolate (SGSD), glucobrassicin, gluconapin, gluconasturtin, neoglucobrassicin, and sinigrin simultaneously.
(B) Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, mustard seed, radishes, rutabaga, turnips, and watercress is a comprehensive listing of all cruciferous vegetables.
(C) The sulfuric smell from cooking cruciferous vegetables is very difficult to get rid of.
(D) Cooking an apple with cruciferous vegetables will help tame the sulfurous smell.
(E) The smell of sulfurous compounds in cruciferous vegetables is heightened by heat.

7 
 7. According to the passage, which of the following is not a cruciferous vegetable?

(A) Watercress
(B) Kale
(C) Kohlrabi
(D) Carrots
(E) Radishes

Nutrition For Dummies  by Carol Ann Rinzler

guddo · Answer

The passage contrasts the appealing smell of baking apple pie with the unpleasant sulfur odor from cooking cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables, explaining that the smell comes from specific sulfur compounds released by heat.

1. The author likely begins the passage with the sentence  Highlighted ] for what reason?

(A) To set up a contrast between the appealing smell of apple pie baking and the less pleasant smell of cruciferous vegetables being cooked.
(B) To urge readers to consider baking an apple pie instead of boiling cabbage.
(C) To discourage boiling as a means of preparing cruciferous vegetables.
(D) To build a case that apples are part of the cruciferous family.
(E) To suggest that baking an apple pie is a task achievable by most inexperienced cooks.

The highlighted sentence sets up a direct contrast between a pleasant cooking smell (apple pie) and an unpleasant one (cabbage/vegetables), which the passage then explains.

Answer: (A)

2. Which of the following would be a good title for this passage?

(A) Don't Boil the Cabbage!
(B) Everyone Should Know How to Bake an Apple Pie.
(C) Sulfur Is the Smell of Cruciferous Vegetables Cooking
(D) Cabbages and Radishes are Related
(E) Freeing the Stink

The passage's main focus is explaining that the distinctive smell of cooking cruciferous vegetables comes from sulfur compounds. This title captures that central idea.

Answer: (C)

3. According to the passage, all of the following are sulfur compounds released by cooking except for which one?

(A) Glucobrassicin
(B) Gluconasturtin
(C) Sinigrin
(D) Plexin
(E) Sulforaphane glucosinolate (SGSD)

The passage lists specific sulfur compounds released by cooking: SGSD, glucobrassicin, gluconapin, gluconasturtin, neoglucobrassicin, and sinigrin. "Plexin" is not mentioned.

Answer: (D)

4. The meaning of crux, as presented in the passage, would be most helpful in determining the meaning for which of the following bolded words in phrases?

(A) The crux of the matter.
(B) The crucifix at the front of the sanctuary.
(C) The day cruise leaves at 9 AM.
(D) The crucial point.
(E) The crocus in bloom.

The passage defines "crux" as the Latin word for "cross." "Crucifix" directly derives from this word and refers to a representation of a cross, making this connection most helpful.

Answer: (B)

5. The author’s attitude towards cruciferous vegetables in the passage could best be described as which of the following?

(A) Disgusted by them
(B) Discouraging to readers who might try to cook them
(C) Dismissive of them, preferring apple pie
(D) Interested in one of their distinctive characteristics
(E) Fervent in appreciation for them

The author's tone is factual and explanatory, focusing on the scientific reason for the vegetables' smell without showing personal disgust, preference, or fervent appreciation.

Answer: (D)

6. Which of the following statements can you most safely infer from the passage’s information?

(A) When you boil cruciferous vegetables, you will release as sulforaphane glucosinolate (SGSD), glucobrassicin, gluconapin, gluconasturtin, neoglucobrassicin, and sinigrin simultaneously.
(B) Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, mustard seed, radishes, rutabaga, turnips, and watercress is a comprehensive listing of all cruciferous vegetables.
(C) The sulfuric smell from cooking cruciferous vegetables is very difficult to get rid of.
(D) Cooking an apple with cruciferous vegetables will help tame the sulfurous smell.
(E) The smell of sulfurous compounds in cruciferous vegetables is heightened by heat.

The passage states the sulfur compounds' aromas "are liberated when the food is heated," directly supporting the inference that heat increases the smell. The other choices make assumptions beyond the given text.

Answer: (E)

7. According to the passage, which of the following is not a cruciferous vegetable?

(A) Watercress
(B) Kale
(C) Kohlrabi
(D) Carrots
(E) Radishes

The passage provides a list of cruciferous vegetables, including watercress, kale, kohlrabi, and radishes. Carrots are not on that list.

Answer: (D)

Slide an apple pie in the oven, and soon the kitchen fills with an aro

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

Slide an apple pie in the oven, and soon the kitchen fills with an aro

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

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My Rewards