During the production of orange juice, calcium is sometimes added

Question

During the production of orange juice, calcium is sometimes added as a nutritional supplement. Certain individuals are allergic to calcium, and drinking orange juice fortified with calcium can cause an allergic reaction. Fortunately, some types of orange juice do not have calcium added during production, so calcium-allergic individuals can drink these orange juices without inducing an allergic reaction to calcium.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

(A) There are no other substances besides calcium that are typically present in orange juice that cause allergic reactions.

(B) Orange juice has the same nutritional value whether calcium is added or not.

(C) Calcium-allergic individuals cannot ingest any calcium without having an allergic reaction.

(D) Calcium is often added to other beverages besides orange juice.

(E) In orange juice that does not have calcium added during production, calcium is not naturally present in quantities that cause an allergic reaction.

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poojaarora1818 · Answer

Solution:

(A) There are no other substances besides calcium that are typically present in orange juice that cause allergic reactions.  Incorrect. Here, we are only discussing people who are allergic to calcium, not to any other substance.

(B) Orange juice has the same nutritional value whether calcium is added or not.  Incorrect. We are not bothered about the nutritional value of orange juice.
 
(C) Calcium-allergic individuals cannot ingest any calcium without having an allergic reaction.  Incorrect. So, this just tells us that a person can only get an allergic reaction when they intake calcium.

(D) Calcium is often added to other beverages besides orange juice.  Incorrect. This has nothing to do with an assumption, which is a missing link between a premise and a conclusion.

(E) In orange juice that does not have calcium added during production, calcium is not naturally present in quantities that cause an allergic reaction.  Correct. Yes, if we negate the same statement, the conclusion will fall apart.

lakshaykaushal11 · Answer

Correct answer is E It must be true that the natural calcium in untreated orange juice is not enough to cause a reaction, or else the conclusion ("they can safely drink it") falls apart.
✅ NECESSARY assumption

aphapale3 · Answer

The argument concludes that calcium-allergic individuals can safely drink orange juice that does not have calcium added. For this conclusion to hold, we must assume that such orange juice does not already contain enough naturally occurring calcium to cause an allergic reaction. If it did, the conclusion would not follow.

So, (E) states exactly that necessary assumption.

Let’s briefly evaluate the other choices:

(A) is too broad. The argument is only concerned with calcium-related reactions, not with all potential allergens in orange juice.

(B) is irrelevant to the argument’s logic; nutritional value isn’t part of the reasoning.

(C) may be true, but it is not necessary for the conclusion. The argument doesn’t hinge on any ingestion of calcium, just on the difference between fortified and unfortified juice.

(D) is irrelevant—other beverages aren’t discussed.

Therefore, (E) is the best answer because it addresses the assumption the argument needs to justify its conclusion.

Bunuel · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Unlike Supporter assumptions, Defender assumptions can be extremely hard to prephrase because there are so many possibilities for the test makers to choose from. The correct answer in this problem is a Defender, but you should not feel bad if you could not predict the answer. The previous problem (a Supporter Assumption question) is perhaps more conducive to prephrasing.

In this stimulus, the author points out that orange juice sometimes has calcium added as a nutritional supplement, but that calcium causes an allergic reaction in some people. Based on the fact that orange juice is also available with no calcium added, the author concluded that this type of juice can be safely consumed by those with a calcium allergy.

The stimulus is followed by an Assumption question. Since there is no “missing link” in this case, we can see that this is a Defender Assumption question. If we do not have a prephrased answer for this one, we should assess the choices until we find an assumption that the author’s argument requires.

Answer choice (A): The author does not conclude that orange juice is free of all allergens—the far more limited conclusion present in the stimulus is that people who are allergic to calcium could safely consume orange juice that has not had calcium added.

Answer choice (B): The nutritional value of orange juice is not at issue in this question, and the argument does not require this assumption.

Answer choice (C): This choice simply provides that people who are allergic to calcium are very allergic. That is, any amount will trigger an allergic reaction. Since the author’s conclusion indicates that non-calciumadded orange juice is safe for such people to consume, this is not an assumption on which the argument relies.

Answer choice (D): This choice is outside the scope of the issue under discussion. The author’s comments are limited to orange juice and its safety for people who are allergic to calcium. The existence of other calcium supplemented products is irrelevant, so this is not an assumption on which the author’s argument relies.

Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice , and an assumption that is required of the author’s argument. The author must be assuming that orange juice has no naturally present calcium—if it does have some calcium naturally that would cause an allergic reaction, then this would destroy the author’s conclusion that, as long as calcium has not been added, calciumallergic people could safely drink orange juice.

During the production of orange juice, calcium is sometimes added

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During the production of orange juice, calcium is sometimes added

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

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