Many tea drinkers believe that different teasblack, green, oolong, an

Question

Many tea drinkers believe that different teas—black, green, oolong, and so forth—come from different plants. In fact, however, all tea leaves come from Camellia sinensis, a large evergreen shrub. Native to China, the plant is now cultivated throughout Asia and in Africa, Europe, and North and South America. The character of various teas depends in some measure on the climate and soil where the plant is grown but mostly on how the leaf is processed after it is harvested. An interesting case is black puerh tea, a specialty of China’s Yunnan province. Unlike green or oolong tea, black puerh tea undergoes an oxidation process with the help of naturally occurring enzymes or, in the world of tea, is said to be “fermented.” It then undergoes an additional step that differentiates it from other black teas: after oxidation, the leaves are aged in humid conditions, sometimes for several decades. Like all other teas, puerh contains antioxidants, which may help protect regular consumers from some cancers. It also contains caffeine, though not as much as most other black teas. What really sets it apart from all other teas is the fact that it naturally contains small quantities of lovastatin, a medication that physicians prescribe to lower cholesterol. It is possible that certain fungi that colonize the tea leaves produce lovastatin as a metabolic by-product. Most puerh connoisseurs, while appreciative of the tea’s potential health benefits, are more intrigued by its taste, which they describe with words such as woody, earthy, and leathery. Clearly, an adventurous palate is necessary to enjoy this unusual beverage. Fortunately, those seeking a more conventional tea flavor have many options.    1 
 1. The passage suggests that which of the following would be a correct statement about tea subjected to an aging process?

a. The aging process removes caffeine and antioxidants from tea leaves.
b. The aging process may be responsible for the presence of a medically significant agent.
c. Aged tea leaves produce a brew with a flavor distinct from that of unaged leaves.

2 
 2. Based on the passage, which of the following can be inferred about black teas?

A. Black teas taste more like green or oolong tea than like puerh tea.
B. People seeking health benefits from tea can experience exactly the same effects from black teas as from all other teas except puerh tea.
C. People who enjoy new and unusual foods will prefer puerh tea to black teas.
D. Black teas are oxidized but not subsequently stored in humid conditions to be aged.
E. Although black teas contain caffeine, they do not contain any substances that may protect against cancer.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

1. The passage suggests that which of the following would be a correct statement about tea subjected to an aging process?

Analyze the question stem. 
The key word  “suggests”  means this is an Inference question. This question asks about a specific idea in the passage,  “tea subjected to an aging process.”  The correct answer(s) must be true given the information that is provided in the passage.

Research the relevant section in the text. 
The  “tea subjected to an aging process”  discussed in the passage is black pu-erh tea. According to the Passage Map, black pu-erh tea is different from other teas in two ways: it contains lovastatin and it has an unusual flavor. If these details are not captured in your Passage Map, you can find them in the
latter half of the passage, where black pu-erh tea is compared and contrasted with other teas.

Make a prediction. 
You can infer that the ways in which pu-erh tea differs from other teas are due to the aging process it undergoes. The correct answer(s) will concern the cholesterol-lowering agent lovastatin and/or the tea’s distinctive taste.

Evaluate the answer choices. 
Answer  choices (B)  and  (C)  match this prediction.

Choice (A)  is Half Right/Half-Wrong: the passage states that pu-erh contains  “not as much”  caffeine as other black teas, so the aging process can be inferred to remove some caffeine. However, the passage says that pu-erh tea (and all teas) contains antioxidants and does not indicate that the tea has fewer antioxidants than do other teas.

Answer: B,C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

2. Based on the passage, which of the following can be inferred about black teas?

Explanation

Analyze the question stem.  
 The word “inferred” leaves little doubt this is an Inference question. Again, this question is directed at specific information in the passage—this time what the passage says about black teas.

Research the relevant section in the text.  
 Review what the passage says about black teas. In discussing the processing steps that differentiate types of tea, the passage says that pu-erh tea is oxidized but that what makes it different from black tea is that it is also aged. Therefore, black teas are also oxidized, but they are not aged. The passage also says that most black teas contain more caffeine than black puerh. Moreover, the passage says that pu-erh is like “all other teas” in containing antioxidants, so black teas must contain antioxidants.

Evaluate the answer choices. 
 Choice (D)  says black teas are oxidized but not aged and is correct.  Choices (A)  and  (B)  both use comparisons between black teas and other teas that the passage does not support. Although the author says it is necessary to have an  “adventurous palate”  to enjoy pu-erh tea, this does not mean that people with adventurous tastes will prefer pu-erh tea to others; perhaps they will enjoy all kinds of tea equally. Therefore,  choice (C)  is incorrect. Because all teas contain antioxidants, which may protect against cancer,  (E)  is incorrect. 
 
  Answer: D

Many tea drinkers believe that different teasblack, green, oolong, an

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

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

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards