#9 - Must Be True

[angie23]

For B), which is the correct answer, the part where it says "barite can be consumed safely by humans" is nowhere in any of the passages. Why is the answer correct? I can't see how I can make such broad inferences about human consuming barite when the only information about barite safety has to do with marine organisms.

[BethRibet]

Hi Angie,

The information you're in need of shows up in the first passage, around line 16. If Barite is something humans can eat (i.e. "the Barium Meal"), then we can infer that it can be safe for humans to "consume".

Hope this helps!

Beth

[angie23]

yea it helped! Thank you I can't believed I totally missed that part of the passage...very embarrassing!

[nikki.brar]

Hi,

So the questions asks what can be inferred from the passages taken together, but not from either one of them individually.
I see the part about "barium meal" in passage one, inferring that its safe for humans to consume.
But I don't see anything about human consumption of barite in passage 2.
Help.
Am I misunderstanding the question?

Nikki

[Eric Ockert]

Nikki

You are correct, the part about human consumption is only in Passage A. However, the other part of answer (B) concerning marine organisms is found only in Passage B. So the whole answer, taken together, is dependent BOTH on Passage A and Passage B. You cannot make the entire inference solely based on either passage.

Hope that helps!

[lemonade42]

Is (E) wrong because it can't be support by both passages? A doesn't mention the effect on the environment. And B mentions cuttings, environment, and how the residues of drilling mud attach to the cuttings and are discharged overboard, but it doesn't imply anything about how if there were no cuttings, there would be less damage to the environment. Or does B say that it is damaging? Unsure because it says OBM (which are damaging to marine life) residues is attached to the cuttings.

[Dana D]

Hey lemonade,

We're looking for an answer that cannot be inferred from just one passage, but rather one that needs information from both passages for support. The question wording does not say that both passages have to talk about the answer choice, it's asking you as someone who has read both passages, which answer choice is supported by both taken together?

Answer choice (E) can be supported by Passage B alone, so it is not the right answer. Passage B talks about offshore drilling and the environmental impact of that drilling.

Answer choice (B) says barite can be harmful to marine organisms - that information is in passage B in line (54-55), but that barite isn't harmful to humans - that information is in Passage A in line (16-17) where it says barite is a filler in some foods. Because we needed to consult both passage A and B to find this information, (B) is the correct answer.