Food scientists have long understood that traditional preservation methods such as dehydration and salt-curing can extend shelf life by removing...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Food scientists have long understood that traditional preservation methods such as dehydration and salt-curing can extend shelf life by removing moisture and creating hostile environments for bacterial growth. Building on these established principles, Dr. Maria Santos and her team at Cornell University have developed a novel preservation technique that combines traditional dehydration with controlled atmospheric packaging. Their method not only removes moisture like conventional approaches but also replaces oxygen with inert gases, creating multiple barriers against spoilage while maintaining the food's original nutritional content and texture, indicating that _____
Which choice most logically completes the text?
the technique's effectiveness depends primarily on the inert gas composition rather than the dehydration process used in conventional methods.
the preservation method represents an advancement that enhances traditional approaches rather than replacing them entirely.
the technique will be more suitable for preserving foods with high moisture content than those with naturally low water levels.
the method's nutritional preservation is superior to other techniques but its shelf-life extension capabilities are more limited.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Food scientists have long understood that traditional preservation methods such as dehydration and salt-curing can extend shelf life by removing moisture and creating hostile environments for bacterial growth." |
|
| "Building on these established principles, Dr. Maria Santos and her team at Cornell University have developed a novel preservation technique that combines traditional dehydration with controlled atmospheric packaging." |
|
| "Their method not only removes moisture like conventional approaches but also replaces oxygen with inert gases, creating multiple barriers against spoilage while maintaining the food's original nutritional content and texture, indicating that _____" |
|
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
This is a fill-in-the-blank question asking us to choose the best logical connector. The answer must create the right relationship between what comes before and after the blank.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The passage emphasizes that Dr. Santos "built on established principles" and her method "combines traditional dehydration with controlled atmospheric packaging"
- This suggests the method doesn't replace traditional approaches but enhances them
- The method does what traditional methods do (removes moisture) but adds an additional mechanism (inert gases), creating "multiple barriers"
- This indicates it's taking traditional methods and making them better rather than discarding them entirely
the technique's effectiveness depends primarily on the inert gas composition rather than the dehydration process used in conventional methods.
- Claims effectiveness depends primarily on inert gas composition rather than dehydration
- This contradicts the passage, which shows both components working together
the preservation method represents an advancement that enhances traditional approaches rather than replacing them entirely.
- States the method represents an advancement that enhances traditional approaches rather than replacing them
- This perfectly matches our analysis - the passage says it "builds on established principles" and "combines traditional dehydration" with new elements
the technique will be more suitable for preserving foods with high moisture content than those with naturally low water levels.
- Makes a claim about suitability for high vs. low moisture foods
- The passage provides no information comparing the method's effectiveness across different types of foods
the method's nutritional preservation is superior to other techniques but its shelf-life extension capabilities are more limited.
- Claims nutritional preservation is superior but shelf-life extension is limited
- The passage states the method maintains nutrition AND creates multiple barriers against spoilage