The stimulus tells us that drinking beverages with sugar can sometimes be helpful to athletes in avoiding dehydration. Why? Because small amounts of sugar enhance the body's water absorption and delay muscle fatigue by maintaining the body's glucose levels. However, people must still be wary of sugared beverages because large amounts of sugar will draw water from the blood to the stomach, which will exacerbate the dehydration process.
We are looking for the answer that cannot be true.
Answer choice (A) is incorrect because it could be true. The stimulus never tells us that only the scarcity of glucose causes muscle fatigue. Thus, it is possible that glucose is not the only one.
Answer choice (B) is CORRECT because it cannot be true. We are told that sugar can delay muscle fatigue and can be helpful in avoiding dehydration. Thus, it cannot be true that "problems caused by dehydration are invariably (i.e. without exception) exacerbated if substances that delay muscle fatigue are consumed." As shown in the stimulus, sugared beverages with small amounts of sugar delay muscle fatigue but do not exacerbate problems caused by dehydration. Thus, (B) cannot be true.
Answer choice (C) is incorrect because we have not been given any information on whether dehydrated athletes find beverages containing large amounts of sugar to be too sweet. So, this answer choice is possible.
Answer choice (D) is incorrect because we have not been given information on situations that exacerbate the problems caused by muscle fatigue. So, this answer choice is possible.
Answer choice (E) is incorrect because it could be true. We have not been given any information on what the body's absorption rate of water depends on. So, this answer choice is possible.
Remember, the limit of our knowledge is found within the boundaries of the stimulus. If we have not been given information about something, then we know nothing about it, which means it could be true.
Hope this helps! Please let us know if you have any other questions.
KathOctober 17, 2019
Answer choice B says "problems caused by dehydration". But the passage only mentioned "dehydration", not the problems caused by it. Is it out of scope?
MazenApril 14, 2020
I believe that "problems caused by dehydration" fall under the umbrella of "exacerbating the dehydration process," which is mentioned in the stimulus.
BenMingovApril 26, 2020
I think Mazen makes a nice point here.
There is also a pretty simple, and seemingly harmless assumption that the test makers threw in here. That worse dehydration = worse problems caused by dehydration.
I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
