Examkin

Question

Difficulty: HardBridging Gap (Supporter) Assumptions

Nutritional Biochemist: The recently synthesized compound 'Z-Sweet' binds perfectly to the tongue's sweet-taste receptors but is entirely indigestible by human metabolic enzymes. Furthermore, longitudinal studies confirm that ingesting Z-Sweet fails to trigger the release of pancreatic insulin. Consequently, substituting dietary sugar with Z-Sweet will guarantee a reduction in overall body adiposity while permanently eliminating neurochemical sugar addiction.

Based on the biochemist's reasoning, which of the following statements act as required supporter assumptions that logically bridge gaps in the argument? Select all that apply.

  1. The stimulation of sweet-taste receptors by a substance that fails to trigger pancreatic insulin release leads to the elimination of neurochemical sugar addiction.Answer
  2. Substituting dietary sugar with an entirely indigestible substance ensures a reduction in overall body adiposity.Answer
  3. C
    Any reduction in overall body adiposity requires the permanent elimination of neurochemical sugar addiction.
  4. D
    Any substance that successfully eliminates neurochemical sugar addiction must bind perfectly to the tongue's sweet-taste receptors.
  5. E
    Natural dietary sugars are highly digestible by human metabolic enzymes and consistently trigger the release of pancreatic insulin.

Answer

The correct assumptions are that stimulating sweet-taste receptors without an insulin response eliminates sugar addiction, and that substituting sugar with an indigestible substance ensures a reduction in adiposity.
The biochemist's argument contains a classic logical leap: it introduces two completely new concepts in the conclusion ('a reduction in overall body adiposity' and 'eliminating neurochemical sugar addiction') that were never mentioned in the evidence. For the conclusion to logically follow, there must be unstated assumptions linking the premise facts (indigestibility, sweet-taste receptor binding, and a lack of insulin) directly to these new outcomes. The two correct statements successfully bridge these distinct conceptual gaps, validating the conclusion.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the premises to establish the provided evidence.
Z-Sweet binds to receptors, is entirely indigestible, and does not trigger insulin release.
Identifying the foundation of the argument is the first step in finding the logical gap.
2
Analyze the conclusion to identify any 'rogue' or new elements.
The conclusion claims two outcomes: 'a reduction in overall body adiposity' and 'eliminating neurochemical sugar addiction.'
Supporter assumptions are required whenever a conclusion introduces new concepts not explicitly covered by the premises.
3
Formulate the missing links (the Supporter assumptions).
The argument requires a link connecting indigestibility to reduced adiposity, and a link connecting receptor-binding/lack of insulin to eliminating addiction.
The conclusion can only be valid if the evidence logically guarantees these specific new outcomes.
4
Evaluate the answer choices against the formulated missing links.
Two options explicitly provide these exact conceptual bridges without illegally reversing the conditional logic.
Because the prompt requires selecting all valid supporter assumptions, both distinct conceptual gaps must be addressed by the correct selections.

Key Concept

Bridging Gap (Supporter) Assumptions
Rate this question

Topics

Bridging Gap (Supporter) Assumptions

More questions from this topic