Critical Reasoning

When the nineteenth-century German bacteriologist Robert Koch identified a particular bacterium as responsible for cholera, Max von Pettenkoffer, a physician, expressed his skepticism by voluntarily drinking an entire bottle of the allegedly responsible bacteria. Although von Pettenkoffer took his failure to come down with the disease as a refutation of Koch's hypothesis that cholera was caused by bacteria, Koch argued that von Pettenkoffer had been protected by his own stomach acid. The acid secreted by the stomach, Koch explained, kills most ingested bacteria.

Which of the following, if true, provides the most evidence to support Koch's counterargument?

A.Peptic ulcers, often associated with excessive secretions of stomach acid, are common in certain areas characterized by low rates of cholera.
B.As von Pettenkoffer later admitted that he had previously had cholera, it is probable that he had developed antibodies that protected him from a second attack.
C. Cholera is endemic in areas in which poor sanitation results in high concentrations of cholera bacteria in drinking water.
D. Although stomach acid kills most ingested bacteria, large numbers of e. coli bacteria nonetheless manage to make their way to the lower intestine of the digestive tract.
E.Cholera bacteria ingested with bicarbonate of soda, a neutralizer of stomach acid, is more likely to result in cholera than if the bacteria is ingested alone.

Source Kaplan Diagnostic Test

OA E