ParadoxDiff: Easy
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: Saccharin causes a specific chain reaction in rats that ends in bladder tumors, yet mice remain perfectly fine even when fed the same stuff.
Reasoning: In rats, high doses of saccharin lead to toxic crystals and bladder cancer, but mice do not develop bladder cancer when given the same high doses.
Analysis: We are looking for a biological 'missing link' that explains why the two species react differently to the same substance. The stimulus outlines a very specific pathway for cancer in rats: saccharin leads to silicate crystals, which lead to cell death, which leads to regeneration, which leads to tumors. To resolve this, look for an answer that breaks this chain for mice. For example, maybe mice don't form those specific crystals, or perhaps their bladder cells are more resilient to the toxicity.
Reasoning: In rats, high doses of saccharin lead to toxic crystals and bladder cancer, but mice do not develop bladder cancer when given the same high doses.
Analysis: We are looking for a biological 'missing link' that explains why the two species react differently to the same substance. The stimulus outlines a very specific pathway for cancer in rats: saccharin leads to silicate crystals, which lead to cell death, which leads to regeneration, which leads to tumors. To resolve this, look for an answer that breaks this chain for mice. For example, maybe mice don't form those specific crystals, or perhaps their bladder cells are more resilient to the toxicity.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage5.Which one of the following, if true, does the most to resolve the apparent discrepancy in the information above?
Correct Answer
A
A precisely breaks the causal chain in mice: if rats have urine proteins that react with saccharin to form silicate crystals, but mice do not, then mice won’t form the crystals, won’t have the bladder-lining cell toxicity, and thus won’t get the subsequent cancer—even at high doses. That directly resolves why rats get bladder cancer but mice don’t.
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