Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows. A strict…
2023
Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows.
A strict vegetarian is a person who never in his life eats anything derived from animals. The main objection to vegetarianism on a long-term basis is the difficulty of getting enough protein—the body-building element in food. If you have ever been without meat or other animal foods for some days or weeks (say, for religious reasons), you will have noticed that you tend to get physically rather weak. You are glad when the fast is over and you get your reward of a succulent meat meal. Proteins are built up from approximately twenty food elements called ‘amino acids’, which are found more abundantly in animal protein than in vegetable protein. This means you have to eat a great deal more vegetable food than animal food in order to get enough of these amino acids. A great deal of the vegetable food goes to waste in this process and, from the physiological point of view, there is not much to be said in favour of life-long vegetarianism.
We feel weak when we go without meat
Answer: B. because we do not get enough protein — ConceptLiteral comprehension identifies a cause or reason that the passage itself states. The reader should trace the claim in the question to the sentence…
- A.
because we are reducing our food intake
- B.
because we do not get enough protein
- C.
because vegetables do not contain protein
- D.
More than one of the above
- E.
None of the above
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Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept
Literal comprehension identifies a cause or reason that the passage itself states. The reader should trace the claim in the question to the sentence that explains it, without replacing the author’s reasoning with an outside assumption.
A reduced total amount of food is different from difficulty obtaining enough of a particular nutrient. A diet may contain plenty of food overall while supplying a nutrient less efficiently.
Application
The passage calls protein the body-building element and identifies the main difficulty of long-term vegetarianism as obtaining enough protein. It then explains that the amino acids that make up protein are more abundant in animal protein, so much more vegetable food is needed to obtain enough of them.
Contrast
The claim about reducing food intake concerns total quantity, but the passage discusses the type of food omitted and the difficulty of obtaining enough protein.
The claim that vegetables contain no protein conflicts with the passage’s explicit comparison between animal protein and vegetable protein.
The set claim ‘More than one of the above’ would require at least two preceding explanations to be supported; the passage supplies only the protein-adequacy explanation.
The set claim ‘None of the above’ cannot apply because the passage supplies a protein-adequacy explanation.
Cross-check
The passage’s later discussion of amino acids reinforces the same mechanism: plant food is not described as protein-free; rather, obtaining enough amino acids from it is presented as more difficult.
Therefore, the passage attributes the weakness to not getting enough protein.