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Calorie Intake - Resolve the Paradox...

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by jitendra_mulchandani » Sat Apr 24, 2010 5:36 am
Sixty adults were asked to keep a diary of their meals, including what they consumed, when, and in the company of how many people. It was found that at meals with which they drank alcoholic beverages, they consumed about 175 calories more from nonalcoholic source than they did at meals with which they did not drink alcoholic beverages.

Each of the following, if true, contributes to an explanation of the difference in caloric intake EXCEPT:
(A) Diners spent a much longer time at meals served with alcohol than they did at those serve without alcohol.
(B) The meals eaten later in the day tended to be larger than those eaten earlier in the day, and later meals were more likely to include alcohol.
(C) People eat more when there are more people present at the meal, and more people tended to be present at meal served with alcohol than at meals served without alcohol.
(D) The meals that were most carefully prepared and most attractively served tended to be those at which alcoholic beverages were consumed.
(E) At meals that included alcohol, relatively more of the total calories consumed came from carbohydrates and relatively fewer of them came from fats and proteins.
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Source: — Critical Reasoning |

by Phirozz » Sat Apr 24, 2010 5:47 am
IMO E

we are not concerned about where the calories come from. It also does not talk anything about meals served without alcohol
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by jitendra_mulchandani » Sat Apr 24, 2010 6:19 am
Can you please explain the reasoning for eliminating (A) ?

This option only states that diners spent more time on meals served with alcohol. Aren't we assuming that if they spent more time it means they consumed more calories ?
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by vivek1110 » Sat Apr 24, 2010 8:03 am
I thought it's C. What's OA?
Is caught between a rock and a hard place!
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by vipulbhatt2003 » Sat Apr 24, 2010 8:20 am
@jitendra_mulchandani

You are right.. A is a bit dodgy and makes us assume that a person would eat more if he spends longer at the meal.

BUT Please keep in mind that GMAT is looking for the BEST answer.

And Option E does not in anyway explain the difference in intake of calories.. with option A atleast we can with an assumption.

Therefore IMO Option E is the best choice
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by jitendra_mulchandani » Sat Apr 24, 2010 8:58 am
OA is E
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by Phirozz » Sat Apr 24, 2010 2:00 pm
vipulbhatt2003 wrote:@jitendra_mulchandani

You are right.. A is a bit dodgy and makes us assume that a person would eat more if he spends longer at the meal.

BUT Please keep in mind that GMAT is looking for the BEST answer.

And Option E does not in anyway explain the difference in intake of calories.. with option A atleast we can with an assumption.

Therefore IMO Option E is the best choice
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by kaushals » Mon Apr 26, 2010 2:21 am
I too with E
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by Testluv » Mon Apr 26, 2010 2:35 am
Can you please explain the reasoning for eliminating (A) ?

This option only states that diners spent more time on meals served with alcohol. Aren't we assuming that if they spent more time it means they consumed more calories ?

In order to resolve a paradox, we only need a plausible and possible explanation (not a definite one). Because more time is clearly more likely to result in more eating than it would result in less eating, choice A provides a plausible and possible explanation. (Choice D is also like this: carefully prepared and attractively served meals are more likely to result in more eating, not less.)
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