When butterfat was considered nutritious and healthful

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When butterfat was considered nutritious and healthful, a law was enacted requiring that manufacturers use the term "imitation butter" to indicate butter whose butterfat content had been diminished through the addition of water. Today, it is known that the high cholesterol content of butterfat makes it harmful to human health. Since the public should be encouraged to eat foods with lower rather than higher butterfat content and since the term "imitation" with its connotations of falsity deters many people from purchasing products so designated, manufactures who wish to give reduced-butterfat butter the more appealing name of "lite butter" should be allowed to do so.
Which one of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the argument?
(A) The manufacturers who prefer to use the word "lite" instead of "imitation" are motivated principally by the financial interest of their stock holders.
(B) The manufacturers who wish to call their product "lite butter" plan to change the composition of the product so that it contains more water than it now does.
(C) Some individuals who need to reduce their intake of cholesterol are not deterred from using the reduced-butterfat product by the negative connotations of the term "imitation."
(D) Cholesterol is only one of many factors that contribute to the types of health problems with which the consumption of excessive amounts of cholesterol is often associated.
(E) Most people deterred from eating "imitation butter" because of its name choose alternatives with a lower butterfat content than this product has

[spoiler]Imitation -->deters people => name sud be changed so that people eat low butterfat

A - out of scope (interest of manufacturers); B - out (how to achieve life); C - matches with what mentioned in argu (deters many people....so no additional info to weaken); D - out (many other factors contribute to health problem has no impact on whether imitation deters or name sud be allowed to change);

E - confirms that imitation deters people and says that there are lower butterfat products in market. My concern is this choice reinforces 'imitation deters people' and 'there are lower butterfat products available in market" - how it weakens the argument, rather it strengthens - Source LSAT; OA - E
[/spoiler]
Source: — Critical Reasoning |

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by ayushiiitm » Wed Jun 23, 2010 8:07 pm
IMO C

E strengthens

The argument is that the name be changed to "lite butter" from "imitation butter" as the term "imitation" with its connotations of falsity deters many people from purchasing products so designated.

Choice E says
Most people deterred from eating "imitation butter" because of its name choose alternatives with a lower butterfat content than this product has

The fact stated in choice E above reasons about the premise....why the name was changed

on the contrary>>C shows that name doesnt matter for people who are health conscious

If someone proves that E is the answer here, I think there would be lot of learning to do here :)
Last edited by ayushiiitm on Wed Jun 23, 2010 8:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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by this_time_i_will » Wed Jun 23, 2010 8:13 pm

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by hardik.jadeja » Wed Jun 23, 2010 9:37 pm
Lets see option E:
(E) Most people deterred from eating "imitation butter" because of its name choose alternatives with a lower butterfat content than this product has

Now have a look at this sentence from the passage.

"...manufacturers use the term "imitation butter" to indicate butter whose butterfat content had been diminished through the addition of water."

This sentence implies that all butterfat products must be using the term "imitation butter". The alternative products mentioned in E also must be using the term "imitation butter". Since the term "imitation butter" hasnt caused any problems to the sales of the alternative products, option E weakens the argument.

Why option E is better than option C?
Because C is using the word Some whereas E is using the term Most. You must be knowing that range of Some is "1 to all possible customers". If Some here means just few customers, then C cannot weaken the argument.

Hope that helps..

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by kevincanspain » Wed Jun 23, 2010 10:12 pm
pnk wrote:When butterfat was considered nutritious and healthful, a law was enacted requiring that manufacturers use the term "imitation butter" to indicate butter whose butterfat content had been diminished through the addition of water. Today, it is known that the high cholesterol content of butterfat makes it harmful to human health. Since the public should be encouraged to eat foods with lower rather than higher butterfat content and since the term "imitation" with its connotations of falsity deters many people from purchasing products so designated, manufactures who wish to give reduced-butterfat butter the more appealing name of "lite butter" should be allowed to do so.

Which one of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the argument?


(E) Most people deterred from eating "imitation butter" because of its name choose alternatives with a lower butterfat content than this product has



If E is true, then allowing manufacturers to use the term 'lite' butter will actually lead people to consume more butterfat rather than less. According to E, most people now put off by the term 'imitation' turn to healthier substitutes (in terms of butterfat content). If manufacturers use the term 'lite' instead, such people will consume the reduced-butterfat butter instead of even healthier alternatives.

This argument assumes that people who are put off from consuming reduced-butterfat butter by the word 'imitation' will consume genuine butter instead and thus increase their consumption of butterfat. E invalidates this assumption.
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