Chef: This mussel recipe’s first step is to sprinkle the live mussels

Question

Chef: This mussel recipe’s first step is to sprinkle the live mussels with cornmeal. The cornmeal is used to clean them out: they take the cornmeal in and eject the sand that they contain. But I can skip this step, because the mussels available at seafood markets are farm raised and therefore do not contain sand.

Which one of the following is an assumption required by the chef ’s argument?

(A) Cornmeal is not used to clean out farm-raised mussels before they reach seafood markets.
(B) Mussels contain no contaminants other than sand.
(C) Sprinkling the mussels with cornmeal does not affect their taste.
(D) The chef ’s mussel recipe was written before farm-raised mussels became available.
(E) The mussels the chef is using for the mussel recipe came from a seafood market.

EpistleFRMchrist · Answer

It was between B and E
Correct answer is E

Conclusion: the mussles available are farm raised and therefore their do not contain sand

Now let's look at Option B-
Mussles contain no contaminant other than sand..

Our focus here is not about other contaminants,the conclusion already addressed the issue of sand and therefore this is not an assumption..

If you look at E closely

The mussels the chef is using for the mussel recipe came from a seafood market.

Ask your self..what if the mussels did not come from seafood market..the conclusion can never stand..

I hope this helps

Epistle

GMAT will drain you but keep focus..remember why you started

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Vegeth · Answer

For E to be right, there should be another assumption: seafood market is the only place where farm raised mussels can be bought

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TarPhi · Answer

What is the basis for eliminating A?

I chose E but am just curious!

anirudh1993 · Answer

Chef: This mussel recipe’s first step is to sprinkle the live mussels with cornmeal. The cornmeal is used to clean them out: they take the cornmeal in and eject the sand that they contain. But I can skip this step, because the mussels available at seafood markets are farm raised and therefore do not contain sand.

Which one of the following is an assumption required by the chef ’s argument?

(A) Cornmeal is not used to clean out farm-raised mussels before they reach seafood markets.
(B) Mussels contain no contaminants other than sand.
(C) Sprinkling the mussels with cornmeal does not affect their taste.
(D) The chef ’s mussel recipe was written before farm-raised mussels became available.
(E) The mussels the chef is using for the mussel recipe came from a seafood market. - Correct

He concludes by stating that "he can skip the step", so he's part of the conclusion i feel. 
That, with the assumption that "farm raised Mussels sold in markets do not contain sand" made me select E.

GMATTER18 · Answer

The conclusion is that Chef can skip step one. Cornmeal is used to clean mussel. So the first step's essence is to clean the mussel. so at the end chef needs his mussel to be cleaned. Cornmeal is used or not is not what he assumes.

He is skipping step 1 since the mussels that he is using is already clean as they are from the seafood market as they are farm raised.

Hence option E

unraveled · Answer

Chef: This mussel recipe’s first step is to sprinkle the live mussels with cornmeal. The cornmeal is used to clean them out: they take the cornmeal in and eject the sand that they contain. But I can skip this step, because the mussels available at seafood markets are farm raised and therefore do not contain sand.

Which one of the following is an assumption required by the chef ’s argument?

How come chef is able to skip the step?
There must be so that sand is already eject or more so not at all there. Hence, chef must be using farm raised mussels.

(A) Cornmeal is not used to clean out farm-raised mussels before they reach seafood markets. - WRONG.
(B) Mussels contain no contaminants  other than sand .
(C) Sprinkling the mussels with cornmeal does not  affect their taste .
(D) The chef ’s mussel recipe was  written  before farm-raised mussels became available.
(E) The mussels the chef is using for the mussel recipe came from a seafood market. - CORRECT.

Only A and E are possible answers.
A is out since Cornmeal may or may not be used to clean out. Only(within the realm of the passage) if chef is using farm raised mussels it is possible to skip the step.

Answer E.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

Chefs use cornmeal to clean the sand out of mussels. The chef thinks it pointless to do so, because the mussels available at seafood markets contain no sand. He is assuming, of course, that the mussels he is using did come from a seafood market. If they did not, his mussels might contain sand and therefore require cleaning.

Because this is an assumption question, the answer you select must contain a statement upon which the argument depends, i.e. a statement that is necessary for the conclusion to be true.

Answer choice (A):  Whether they clean out farm-raised mussels before they reach seafood markets has no bearing on whether the chef should clean the mussels he is using. We know from the stimulus that mussels purchased at seafood markets do not require cleaning.

Answer choice (B):  This answer choice may seem attractive, because it lends further credibility to the claim that the chef need not bother cleaning his mussels. However, just because a statement supports the author’s conclusion does not mean it is necessary for the conclusion to be true. Apply the Assumption Negation Technique: what if mussels do contain contaminants other than sand? The chef conclusion would still be valid, because—as far as we know—cornmeal only works against sand. The chef can still skip this step, therefore, although he might need to take other precautionary measures to ensure that his mussels are free of contaminants.

Answer choice (C):  Whether cornmeal affects the taste of mussels has no bearing on whether or not the chef should use it to clean them out. Do not introduce new information into the argument when answering Assumption questions!

Answer choice (D):  As with answer  choice (C) , this answer choice presents an extraneous and irrelevant consideration. Even if the recipe were written after farm raised mussels became available, the chef’s conclusion would still be valid.

Answer choice (E):  This is the correct answer choice. Try the Assumption Negation Technique: if the mussels the chef is using for the recipe did not come from a seafood market, it is possible that they do contain sand. Therefore, the chef should probably not skip the step of cleaning them out.

Answer: E

VerbalBot · Answer

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Chef: This mussel recipe’s first step is to sprinkle the live mussels

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Chef: This mussel recipe’s first step is to sprinkle the live mussels

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