Logical reasoning PrepTest 122 · Section 2 · Question 21

Incorrect. The stimulus notes that maintaining the body's glucose level can delay fatigue, but that doesn't mean that other sugars can't do the same. It's possible the levels of other sugar in the body can fight off fatigue, or that other sugars are converted into glucose by the body.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Valid

Question Type:
Cannot Be True

Stimulus Summary:
Sugared beverages:
(1) Are more likely to be consumed by athletes because they're sweet
(2) Can help in avoiding dehydration
(3) Enhance the body's ability to absorb water
(4) Delay muscle fatigue (glucose levels)
(5) In large amounts, draw water from the blood and make dehydration worse

Answer Anticipation:
This stimulus is essentially a laundry list of things that are true about sugared beverages. We should have this list in mind as we head to the answers, knowing that we're looking for one that is directly contradicted by something on this list.

While we can't really form a good anticipation, there is one thing we should note—that last sentence. The stimulus goes into great depth on the variety of positives of sugared beverages, but it does end with a note that they can also have a downside—making dehydration worse. Since avoiding dehydration was one of the listed positives, this minor paradox (which is explained by the stimulus) could be relevant to the correct answer.

Answer Explanation:
Sugared beverages "delay muscle fatigue," so they meet the sufficient condition of this answer. As such, this answer allows the conclusion to be drawn that problems from dehydration are made worse by consuming these products. However, the stimulus notes that these beverages "can be helpful in avoiding dehydration" and "enhance the body's absorption of water." Since this answer leads to an inference/conclusion that's directly contradicted by the stimulus, it cannot be true and is therefore correct.

Key Takeaway:
Cannot Be True questions have correct answers that contradict information from the stimulus. If an answer brings in out-of-scope information, then it can't be contradicted and can be quickly eliminated!

Incorrect. It's easy to see why one might select this answer—after all, the sweetness of the beverages makes it more likely that an athlete will drink it, so how can it be too sweet? But there are two issues with that. First, the sweetness makes athletes "more likely" to drink them, meaning that it doesn't guarantee it—and maybe that lack of a guarantee is because some athletes find them too sweet. Second, that note is for athletes who are trying to avoid dehydration, not recover from it, so the latter group might feel the beverages are too sweet. As such, this answer can be true.

Incorrect. There's no discussion of situations that make muscle fatigue worse, so almost anything could be true about them—including this answer.

Incorrect. Small amounts of sugar influence the body's water absorption rate, but that doesn't mean that the amount of water already in the body can't be the primary factor in that rate.