PrepTest 118

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Facts

Question Type:
Paradox

Stimulus Summary:
Cigarette companies — We make low— and high—nicotine cigarettes so people can pick how much nicotine they want
Study — All smokers regardless of nicotine content have the same level in their blood after smoking a pack

Answer Anticipation:
As with all paradox questions, we need to start by clearly defining the paradox. Here, the cigarettes that people smoke have different levels of nicotine in them. That would lead you to think that people who smoke the ones with less nicotine would have less nicotine in their blood.

Not so! A study shows that all smokers, regardless of the nicotine content in their cigarettes, have the same level of nicotine in their blood at the end of a day. And, to make the paradox worse, this stimulus rules out one potential reason for that by having the study look at people who smoke one pack a day—otherwise, an explanation could be that smokers who smoke low—nicotine cigarettes smoke more.

So we need to find a reason that the different nicotine content in cigarettes results in the same level of nicotine in the blood despite the same number of cigarettes being smoked.

Answer Explanation:
If blood can only absorb so much nicotine, and even the low—nicotine cigarettes have that much nicotine in them, then everyone who smokes reaches the saturation point, and thus the blood nicotine levels would be identical. This answer explains the paradox and so it's correct.

Key Takeaway:
Always note when the stimulus brings up a detail that removes a potential answer! The stimulus notes that the study controlled for the number of cigarettes smoked—and without that, that would have been a great answer. However, not only did noticing it in the stimulus allow us to form a better anticipation, it also allowed us to avoid a very tempting trap answer!

Incorrect. This is a very good trap answer. However, the study controlled for this by looking at people who smoked one—pack per day, regardless of nicotine level.

Incorrect. The paradox revolves around the total amount of nicotine absorbed, not the percentage of nicotine absorbed. In fact, if most nicotine is absorbed from all cigarettes, that suggests that the high—nicotine cigarettes should lead to higher blood nicotine levels, thus making the paradox worse.

Incorrect. Tar isn't mentioned in the stimulus, nor is it inherently related to blood nicotine levels, so this answer is out of scope.

Incorrect. What happens after one quits smoking is out of scope for how much nicotine is absorbed while smoking. And if you read this to mean that this process starts after each cigarette (a valid reading), then it would explain a decrease in between smokes, but not why the nicotine levels in the blood are identical between smokers of cigarettes with different nicotine levels.