ParadoxDiff: Hard

Logic Breakdown

Passage Summary: Salt usually makes blood pressure go up, and cutting it helps. However, some people eat a lot of salt and still have perfectly low blood pressure.

Reasoning: Salt generally raises blood pressure, and reducing it helps those with high blood pressure, but some high-salt consumers still maintain low blood pressure.

Analysis: The paradox here is a discrepancy between a general biological trend and specific outliers. We are told salt increases blood pressure, yet some people with high salt intake are unaffected. To resolve this, we need a piece of information that explains why these specific individuals are 'immune' to salt's typical effects. Look for an answer that introduces a mediating factor, such as a genetic predisposition or a counteracting lifestyle habit, that allows these people to maintain low blood pressure despite their diet.

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20.

Which one of the following, if true, contributes the most to an explanation of the results of the study?

Correct Answer
E
E posits that people with abnormally low blood pressure crave salt, which helps prevent their blood pressure from dropping too low. This explains why they maintain very high salt intake yet still have very low blood pressure: the salt is compensatory, not elevating them into hypertension but keeping already-low blood pressure from falling further.
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