Question

In an effort to reduce the amount of fat and the number of calories that they consume, many citizens of the United States are making significant changes in their diets. For them staying in shape and looking fit now take precedence over eating foods that are filling and that taste good. It is likely that if they maintain these new priorities with consistent regard for other health issues, the length and quality of their lives will increase significantly. Which one of the following is an assumption upon which the argument is based?

• A. Eating foods that are filling and tastes good is inconsistent with staying in shape and looking fit.
• B. Controlling the quality of one's life requires more than mere dietary adjustments.
• C. A combination of diet and exercise is necessary if one wishes to stay in shape and look fit.
• D. Many citizens of the United States have only recently discovered the importance of diet to living a longer, healthier life.
• E. Staying in shape and looking good are current goals for most citizens of the United States.

Hint:

Use the Negation Test for assumption questions. Negate the answer choice and see if the argument falls apart. If we negate (A), it would say: "Eating foods that are filling and taste good IS consistent with staying in shape." If that were true, the argument's premise that people are prioritizing one over the other would be meaningless, and the conclusion wouldn't follow.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This is a Critical Reasoning question that asks you to identify a necessary assumption. An assumption is an unstated premise that must be true for the argument's conclusion to be valid.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The Argument: People are prioritizing "staying in shape" over "eating foods that are filling and taste good." The argument concludes this change will improve their lives.
The Logic: The argument presents a choice. It states that one goal ("staying in shape") is taking "precedence over" another ("eating foods that are filling and that taste good"). This framing only makes sense if the two goals are in conflict. If you could easily eat tasty, filling food while also staying in shape, there would be no "precedence" or tradeoff to speak of. The argument assumes a conflict exists.
Let's analyze the options:

(A) This option explicitly states the conflict that the argument assumes. It must be true that tasty, filling foods are at odds with staying fit for the "change in priorities" to be meaningful.
(B) This goes beyond the scope of the argument, which is only about diet.
(C) The argument never mentions exercise, so this is not a necessary assumption.
(D) The timing of this discovery is not essential to the argument's logic.
(E) The argument states "many citizens," not necessarily "most." This is not a required assumption.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The argument is built on the idea of a tradeoff between two types of goals. For this tradeoff to be real, the goals must be inconsistent with each other, as stated in option (A).