Cancer-causing Preservative

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Cancer-causing Preservative

by komal » Thu Feb 11, 2010 8:30 pm
A report that many apples contain a cancer-causing preservative called Alar apparently had little effect on consumers. Few consumers planned to change their apple-buying habits as a result of the report. Nonetheless, sales of apples in grocery stores fell sharply in March, a month after the report was issued.

Which of the following, if true, best explains the reason for the apparent discrepancy described above?

(A) In March, many grocers removed apples from their shelves in order to demonstrate concern about their customers' health.

(B) Because of a growing number of food-safety warnings, consumers in March were indifferent to such warnings.

(e) The report was delivered on television and also appeared in newspapers.

(0) The report did not mention that any other fruit contains Alar, although the preservative is used on other fruit.

(E) Public health officials did not believe that apples posed a health threat because only minute traces of Alar were present in affected apples

OA A
Source: — Critical Reasoning |

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by sars72 » Tue Feb 16, 2010 10:51 am
(A) In March, many grocers removed apples from their shelves in order to demonstrate concern about their customers' health.
fewer apples -> decrease in sales .. looks good. let's keep it
(B) Because of a growing number of food-safety warnings, consumers in March were indifferent to such warnings.
No difference. Doesn't explain the drop in sales. Eliminated!
(C) The report was delivered on television and also appeared in newspapers.
Nothing here. Eliminated!
(D) The report did not mention that any other fruit contains Alar, although the preservative is used on other fruit.
Who cares about other fruits? Why did the apple sales fall? Eliminated!
(E) Public health officials did not believe that apples posed a health threat because only minute traces of Alar were present in affected apples
Again, who cares? Eliminated!

-> A

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by amazonviper » Tue Feb 16, 2010 2:41 pm
Use could just use POE for this specific Question and arrive at A . I did not use it though :-) .[/spoiler]
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