Unripe Lychee Fruit Contain a Compound called Hypoglycin GMAT Critical Reasoning

Question: Unripe lychee fruit contain a compound called hypoglycin, which is poisonous in large quantities. No amount of ripe lychee fruit, however, contains enough hypoglycin to harm human health. In response to recent deaths of consumers who ate unripe lychee fruit, scientists have recently developed an alternative type of lychee fruit, called lychee-B, that, ripe or unripe, contains no more hypoglycin than ripened, conventional lychees. Therefore, unripe lychee-B fruits are at least as safe to eat as ripened, conventional lychees of the same size.

In order for the conclusion to be properly drawn, which of the following must be assumed?

A) Unripe lychee-B fruits do not contain more arsenic, oxalic acid, or other poisonous substances than do ripened, conventional lychees.
B) Lychee-B fruits are, on average, no bigger than conventional lychee fruits.
C) During the process of ripening, conventional lychee fruits lose a higher proportion of their hypoglycin than do lychee-B fruits.
D) Eating a large number of Lychee-B fruits is not harmful to human health.
E) Consumers who typically enjoy ripened, conventional lychee fruit would be willing to eat unripe lychee-B fruits.

“Unripe lychee fruit contain a compound called hypoglycin, which is poisonous in large quantities.”- is a GMAT critical reasoning question. This GMAT Critical Reasoning topic has been taken from the book ‘501 GMAT Questions’. GMAT critical reasoning tests the logical and analytical skills of the candidates. Critical reasoning in GMAT requires candidates to find the strengths and weaknesses of the argument, or find the logical flaw in the argument. The GMAT CR section contains 10 -13 GMAT critical reasoning questions out of 36 GMAT verbal questions.

Answer: A
Explanation: This is a GMAT critical reasoning question. We have to find the option that should be assumed in order to draw a proper conclusion.

Let’s go through each of the available options and select the most suitable one.

Option A: Correct.

This option is correct. If we don’t assume this statement, the unripe lychee-B fruits can possibly contain more arsenic, oxalic acid, or any other poisonous substances. More than the ripened, conventional lychees. According to the passage, if we only consider hypoglycin, lychee-B fruits are at least as safe to eat as ripened, conventional lychees of the same size. However, in case lychee-B contains higher quantities of any other poisonous substances besides hypoglycin. Then lychee-B might be less safe overall than conventional, ripened lychees. So. Option A is correct.

Option B: Incorrect.

This option is incorrect. According to the conclusion presented, we are comparing lychee-B fruits to conventional lychees that are of the same size. Even if lychee-B fruits are bigger on average, it does not affect our conclusion. Option B is incorrect.

Option C: Incorrect.

This option is incorrect. According to our conclusion, it does not matter how much hypoglycin was in the ripened conventional fruit before the ripening. It can be how much hypoglycin is lost by the lychee-B during the ripening process. So, Option C is incorrect.

Option D: Incorrect.

This option is incorrect. This option does not tell us about the type that is more harmful or how much of each would have to be eaten in order to cause harmful effects. It is not relevant to our conclusion. So Option D is incorrect.

Option E: Incorrect.

This option is incorrect. The conclusion says that the unripe lychee-B fruits are at least as safe to eat as the ripened, conventional lychees of the same size. It has nothing to do with the fact that consumers would actually be willing to eat unripe lychee-B fruit. Option E is incorrect.

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