Raw Milk

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Raw Milk

by gmatmachoman » Fri Dec 04, 2009 4:21 am
A cup of raw milk, after being heated in a microwave
oven to 50 degrees Celsius, contains half its initial
concentration of a particular enzyme, lysozyme. If,
however, the milk reaches that temperature through
exposure to a conventional heat source of 50 degrees
Celsius, it will contain nearly all of its initial
concentration of the enzyme. Therefore, what destroys
the enzyme is not heat but microwaves, which generate
heat.
Which one of the following, if true, most seriously
weakens the argument?
(A) Heating raw milk in a microwave oven to a
temperature of 100 degrees Celsius destroys
nearly all of the lysozyme initially present in
that milk.
(B) Enzymes in raw milk that are destroyed through
excessive heating can be replaced by adding
enzymes that have been extracted from other
sources.
(C) A liquid exposed to a conventional heat source
of exactly 50 degrees Celsius will reach that
temperature more slowly than it would if it
were exposed to a conventional heat source
hotter than 50 degrees Celsius.
(D) Milk that has been heated in a microwave oven
does not taste noticeably different from milk
that has been briefly heated by exposure to a
conventional heat source.
(E) Heating any liquid by microwave creates small
zones within it that are much hotter than the
overall temperature that the liquid will
ultimately reach.
Source: — Critical Reasoning |

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by aspirant1 » Fri Dec 04, 2009 5:27 am
(E) - It talks about "pockets of heat" in microwave oven than the microwaves itself. that weakens the conclusion : lysozyme is reduced by MW than the Heat

whats the answer?

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by Testluv » Fri Dec 04, 2009 8:31 am
Many strengthen/weaken questions can be viewed as explain the phenomenon or cause of the effect arguments.

The phenomenon: you lose more lysozyme from heating through microwave oven than you do through normal heating.

The explanation: microwaves (and not heat) destroy lysozyme.

The assumption: there are no other explanations.

Our prediction: any choice that will suggest some other explanation. In particular if it suggests that it is heat (and not microwaves).

Choice E is a perfect match; it suggests that it is not the microwaves but pockets of extra-hot heat in microwaves.

Choose E.
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by joseph32 » Sun May 15, 2016 10:35 pm
I would go with option E as the correct option