It has been discovered that a chemical compound present in a liquid sprayed by pinkback ants as a defense mechanism contains antiseptic properties very useful in the treatment of minor flesh wounds. The volume of the chemical stored in a pinkback's glands is so small that it took scientists more than a year to acquire a sufficient amount for research purposes. Clearly, it will be very expensive, if not impossible, to use the chemical in commercial applications since such applications require much greater amounts than those used during research.

The answer to which of the following would be most useful in evaluating the argument?


A What kind of commercial applications could benefit from the presence of such a chemical?

B Does the chemical have properties that would make it useful for the healing of ailments other than flesh wounds?

C When the chemical is drawn from the glands of a pinkback ant, how long does it take for the ant to reproduce the missing amount?

D What alternative sources of other chemicals used for the treatment of minor flesh wounds are there?

E Can the compound be synthetically produced without it losing any of its characteristics?



OA E

Source: Economist Gmat