#9 - Raisins are made by drying grapes in the sun. Although

[Dave Killoran]

Complete Question Explanation

Resolve the Paradox. The correct answer choice is (B)

The paradox in the stimulus is that raisins contain more iron per calorie than grapes even though the
two are almost identical in composition. But there is a difference: “some of the sugar in grapes is
caramelized” as the grapes are dried in the sun. Since this is the only stated difference between the
two that could affect the calorie count (water has no calories), you should focus on an answer that
discusses this difference.

Answer choice (A): This answer essentially states that grapes are bigger than raisins, and you need
several bunches to equal a handful of raisins. The issue is not the size of the grapes or raisins!

Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer. If the iron content in the raisins and grapes is
identical, but raisins have fewer calories for counting purposes, then the iron per calorie will be
higher for raisins, as highlighted by the following example:

LR.PNG

Note that the paradox could have addressed any common element between raisins and grapes (such
as fiber or fat), and raisins would always have the higher per calorie content since they contain fewer
countable calories.

Answer choice (C): The paradox in the stimulus does not involve the rate at which the body can
absorb iron or any other nutrient. This answer misses the point and is incorrect.

Answer choice (D): The availability of raisins and grapes is not an issue in the stimulus. The answer
then discusses iron, but the point made about yearly intake is irrelevant.

Answer choice (E): The comparison in the stimulus is between grapes and raisins. This answer,
which brings in other food items, is irrelevant.

[sarae]

I'm a little confused as to why answer choice B is the correct answer.

The two differences between grapes and raisins are the water content and the caramelized sugar. answer choice C addresses the different water content, while answer choice B addresses the caramelized sugar.

Is C incorrect because it talks about the absorption of iron rather than the calorie content?

Thanks!

[Steve Stein]

Hi sarae,

You got it; the paradox presented deals with the the amount of iron per calorie in raisins, not the body's ability to absorb that iron.

~Steve

[haganskl]

Hello.

I spent a minute or 2 longer than I should have on this question because I was stuck between answer choices B & C.

When that happens, my first plan of attack is to determine if each answer choice is too broad, too narrow or beyond the purview of the argument. I think the body’s absorption process in answer choice C is beyond the purview of the argument since the stim is referring to iron per calorie content inside or outside of the body. Is this line of thinking correct?

TIA!

[Jeremy Press]

Hi hagan,

Yes, that sounds pretty good to me, although I'm going to suggest you adjust your terminology (and the question you're asking of the answers) slightly. In Family 2 and 3 questions, "new facts" in answer choices are okay, but only if they do what the question stem asks them to do. Here, we need facts in an answer choice that do the work of "explain[ing] why raisins contain more iron per calorie than grapes." Answer choice C can't do that work, because it doesn't shed any light on, and therefore doesn't explain anything about, the calorie content of raisins or grapes. So, assuming that's what you mean by "outside the purview," then I'm on board with your reasoning!

[jschmanski]

Hello,
How do we know that raisins contain fewer countable calories? The logic with answer B makes sense but I am still missing this one piece of information. I do not see anywhere in the stimulus that states that raisins have fewer calories than grapes?

[Jeff Wren]

Hi jschmanski,

The stimulus tells us that there are only two differences between the composition of raisins and grapes. One is that the water has been removed from the transition from grape to raisin, but this does not affect the calories or nutrients. The other is that some of the sugar has been caramelized in the raisins.

Since we are trying to explain why raisins have more iron per calorie than grapes, we want to focus on the only potential difference between raisins and grapes that could affect the iron per calorie ratio, i.e. the caramelized sugar.

A good prephrase might be that the caramelized sugar somehow has more iron than non-caramelized sugar or that the caramelized sugar has fewer calories than non-caramelized sugar. Either of these would explain the difference presented in the stimulus.

Answer B basically states that caramelized sugar "effectively" has zero calories since it can't be digested. In other words, since we don't get any calories/energy from eating caramelized sugar, it basically doesn't have calories in a dietary sense for all intents and purposes. And since grapes and raisins are otherwise identical in terms of nutrients/calories, this would mean that raisins would have fewer digestible calories (which are the only calories that we really care about) and therefore a higher iron per calorie ratio.

To directly answer your question, the stimulus doesn't tell us that raisins have fewer calories than grapes, it is Answer B itself that tells us this.