GMAT Critical Reasoning - A Diet High in Saturated Fats Increases a Person's Risk of Developing Heart Disease

Question: A diet high in saturated fats increases a person's risk of developing heart disease. Regular consumption of red wine reduces that risk. Per-capita consumption of saturated fats is currently about the same in France as in the United States, but there is less heart disease there than in the United States because consumption of red wine is higher in France. The difference in regular red-wine consumption has been narrowing, but no similar convergence in heart-disease rates has occurred.
Which of the following, if true, most helps to account for the lack of convergence noted above?

1. Consumption of saturated fats is related more strongly to the growth of fatty deposits on artery walls, which reduce blood flow to the heart, than it is to heart disease directly.
2. Over the past 30 years, per-capita consumption of saturated fats has remained essentially unchanged in the United States but has increased somewhat in France.
3. Reports of the health benefits of red wine have led many people in the United States to drink red wine regularly.
4. Cigarette smoking, which can also contribute to heart disease, is only slightly more common in France than in the United States.
5. Regular consumption of red wine is declining dramatically among young adults in France, and heart disease typically does not manifest itself until middle age.

‘A diet high in saturated fats increases a person's risk of developing heart disease.’ – is a GMAT Critical question. To answer the question, a candidate can by either finding a piece of evidence that would weaken the argument or logical flaws in the argument. GMAT critical reasoning tests the logical and analytical skills of the candidates. This topic requires candidates to find the argument's strengths and weaknesses or the logical flaw in the argument. The GMAT CR section contains 10 -13 GMAT critical reasoning questions out of 36 GMAT verbal questions.

Correct Answer: E

Explanation: This is a GMAT critical reasoning question. An assumption is an implied hypothesis. So we are looking for something that is implied in the argument. In case it is wrong or maybe disable the argument.
The statement states-
A diet high in saturated fats increases a person's risk of developing heart disease. Regular consumption of red wine reduces that risk. Per-capita consumption of saturated fats is currently about the same in France as in the United States, but there is less heart disease there than in the United States because consumption of red wine is higher in France. The difference in regular red-wine consumption has been narrowing, but no similar convergence in heart-disease rates has occurred.
To check which of the following given option is true, we need to check for the lack of convergence noted above:
(A) Consumption of saturated fats is related more strongly to the growth of fatty deposits on artery walls, which reduce blood flow to the heart, than it is to heart disease directly.
Option A does not state the reason why the US heart disease rate is not matching with that of France. Hence option A is insufficient.
(B) Over the past 30 years, per-capita consumption of saturated fats has remained essentially unchanged in the United States but has increased somewhat in France.
In option A the statement implies that the heart rate of two countries might converge in the future. But we need to find out why there is a lack of convergence between countries
regarding heart disease. Hence option B is insufficient.
(C) Reports of the health benefits of red wine have led many people in the United States to drink red wine regularly.
In option A the statement implies that wine consumption in the US has increased. But there is no mention of the rate of increase or decrease. It also does not mention the lack of
convergence between countries regarding heart disease. Hence option C is insufficient.
(D) Cigarette smoking, which can also contribute to heart disease, is only slightly more common in France than in the United States.
In option A the statement implies that though smoking increases in France, it does not explain the heart disease that increased due to the same. Hence option D is insufficient.
(E) Regular consumption of red wine is declining dramatically among young adults in France, and heart disease typically does not manifest itself until middle age.
Option E states the decrease in red wine consumption amongst the youngsters in France. This refers to the narrowing difference in wine consumption between the two countries. But there is no consumption reduction among middle-aged people in France. This tells why there is a convergence in wine consumption but nothing on heart disease rate. Hence option C is insufficient.

Suggested GMAT Critical Reasoning Questions

• GMAT Critical Reasoning- Johnson is on Firm Ground When he Asserts that the Early Editors of Dickinsons Poetry
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- In an Experiment, Some Volunteers were Assigned to Take Aerobics Classes
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- Modern navigation systems, which are found in most of today’s commerce
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- In a monogamous culture, 100% of the adults are married.
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- A minority but influential investor in Quell has recently claimed that the company's stock is undervalued
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- Although the first humans came to Australia 56,000 years ago
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- Art Historian: Recently, Computer Analysis has Revealed that a Few of Famous Flemish Artists
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- In their search for Mayan ruins in the jungles of Guatemala
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- The total amount of profits of Brandenburg Bicycle Company (BBC)
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- If Martin introduces an amendment to Evans’s bill
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- Literary critics are concerned by a recent trend in book publishing
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- Studies show that children who listen to too much classic music are more likely than others to become silent adults
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- Until recently it was thought that ink used before the sixteenth century did not contain titanium.
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- During a recent excavation, fragments of a ceremonial urn dating back
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- On most side streets in the United States, the speed limit
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- Arnold: I was recently denied a seat on an airline flight
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- Whenever a major political scandal erupts before an election and voters blame the scandal on all parties
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- Women Who are Married Sleep More Soundly
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- In anticipation of the coming year, Tecumseh Autos
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- In the mid-1990s the United States Supreme Court rendered