Solutions

Get detailed explanations to advanced GMAT questions.

Question

The quality of unrefined olive oil is not actually defined in terms of acidity, yet extensive tests have shown that the less free oleic acid an unrefined olive oil contains per liter, the higher its quality. The proportion of free oleic acid that olive oil contains is an accurate measure of the oil’s acidity.

If the statements above are all true, which of the following conclusions is best supported by them?

Option A:

When olive oil is refined, the concentration of oleic acid in the oil is reduced.

Option B:

The quality of an unrefined olive oil can be determined only by accurately measuring its acidity.

Option C:

If an unrefined olive oil is intermediate in acidity between two other unrefined olive oils, it will also be intermediate between them in quality.

Option D:

Free oleic acid is the only acid that unrefined olive oil contains.

Option E:

People who judge the quality of unrefined olive oils actually judge those oils by their acidity, which the judges can taste.

Difficulty Level

Easy

Solution

Option C is the correct answer.

Option Analysis

Question type: Inference based

Summary of the argument: Since this is an inference question we will need to go to the argument to find out something that is 100% true based on the information given to us.

A) There is no information to support the fact that when X happens Y also happens.

B) This is an extreme answer. We do not know whether that is the only way.

C) Correct Answer

D) Again, this is an extreme answer choice.

E) No information to support this.