Celiac disease results from an inability of the digestive tract, specifically the small intestine, to absorb gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and certain other grains. The body's immune system attacks the gluten as if the protein were a harmful pathogen, often resulting in serious damage to the intestinal lining. People who suffer from celiac disease must eliminate gluten from their diets. Symptoms of the disease include abdominal cramps, bloating, and anemia.

If the statements above are true, which of the following assertions can be made on the basis of them?
(A) Anyone who suffers from celiac disease will experience anemia.
(B) Eliminating gluten from one's diet will cure celiac disease.
(C) People experiencing abdominal cramps, bloating, and anemia have celiac disease.
(D) Gluten is found only in grains.
(E) The human body cannot always recognize harmless substances.

I have a question on this MGMAT Cat 5 question. I understood the opening sentence "Celiac disease results from an inability of the digestive tract" to mean that the celiac disease is caused by the inability to absorb Gluten. Hence the celiac disease could be eliminated if the person did not consume Gluten and chose (B). Is it intended to mean that the celiac disease results in the inability of the body to absorb Gluten? Wuld appreciate it if someone could reply to this question. Thanks.

The problem with B is that we don't know whether the disease is something that, once you get it, you have it forever even if you do eliminate gluten from your diet. For instance, smoking can cause cancer. If I smoke, get cancer, and then stop smoking, will that cure the cancer?

Eliminating gluten MAY work, but it may not - perhaps the damage is already done and now I will suffer from the disease even if I stop eating gluten.

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Stacey Koprince
Instructor
Director of Online Community
ManhattanGMAT

I chose E.
My reasoning:
since body's immune system attacks the gluten as if the protein were a harmful pathogen is given in the argument, the human body cannot always recognize harmless substances

Good! Yes, E is right and your reasoning is correct.

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Stacey Koprince
Instructor
Director of Online Community
ManhattanGMAT

Hi Stacey,

I had a doubt here.

First of all, don't you think ans choice E is too much of a generalisation - especially with the extreme word "always"? The fact that the body's immune system is not able to recognise this particular protein does not necessarily translate to a generalisation that the body's systems cannot recognise any other similar substances.

I had a lot of problem in selecting the correct answer choice for this Q. Citing the above reason, I dismissed E. The next best option I could think of was C, because at least it mentions everything in the text. While selecting this, I knew that we do not know whether the symptoms mentioned are also symptoms of other conditions, but since I had to pick up an answer option, I picked this - my reasoning: the Q stem says: If the statements above are true, which of the following assertions can be made on the basis of them.

I know my logic is wrong, but what do you suggest in such a case.

Thanks and Regards,
Avinash

this reasoning is valid, but that's not what choice (e) says.

choice (e) says "CANNOT ALWAYS recognize".
all this means is that ALWAYS = FALSE. i.e., there is at least one such substance that won't be recognized.

"cannot always" is NOT the same thing as "cannot"; that's the mistaken interpretation behind your post. make sure you remember this in the future!

_________________
Being well-dressed gives a feeling of inward tranquillity [that] religion is powerless to bestow.
C.F. Forbes

'cannot always'=maybe sometimes

"maybe sometimes" is a little bit on the weak side. the wording "cannot always" does indicate that this event happens regularly; it just indicates that there are exceptions, in which the event does not occur.

the wording "maybe sometimes", on the other hand, with its double dose of skepticism, not only is redundant but also seems to indicate that the event occurs rarely, if it occurs at all.

_________________
Being well-dressed gives a feeling of inward tranquillity [that] religion is powerless to bestow.
C.F. Forbes

hi Ron,

I still feel confused about the option A

According to the article:
"Symptoms of the disease include abdominal cramps, bloating, AND anemia."

here is my thread of thought,
celiac--> cramps+ bloating+anemia
celiac--> anemia
therefore, (A) Anyone who suffers from celiac disease will experience anemia.

plz explain what's wrong about my thought

Thanks in advance :)

Hi,

Tough question indeed regarding A. A is wrong because of how certain it is about the relationship between celiac and anemia symptoms. Anemia is listed as a symptom of celiac disease, but it is not listed as the only symptom. Further, we don't know for certain whether everyone who develops celiac disease will exhibit all of the symptoms of the disease. As such, A is incorrect because it is so certain about the anemia:



If will in A were swapped out with may or could then a would be more viable.

Thanks,
Chris

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Chris Brusznicki
MGMAT Instructor
Chicago, IL

Why not C? That statement reiterates what's there in the passage. As far as I think. Derive a conclusion is like the juice of what premise states. So why are we eliminating C?

Is that because symptoms doesn't mean that its necessarily true to have a disease? or something else is there which I am skipping?

C is using backward reasoning. Consider this example.

If you are eaten by a lion, you will die.

We cannot conclude the reverse from this ("If you die, you must have been eaten by a lion.")

The same applies in this passage. Celiac disease causes cramping, bloating, and anemia. But these symptoms don't indicate that someone has Celiac disease. They might have some other problem.

_________________
Dmitry Farber
Manhattan GMAT Instructor

Thanks Dmitry....i later realized symptoms of malaria and symptom of typhoid are same ...it aint possible to conclude either without a test :))

thanks again !

Thanks everyone!

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Jamie Nelson
ManhattanGMAT Instructor

hi chris,

I am still not convinced with the explanation of (A). It is already mentioned in the text about the symptoms of the disease with enough certainty.because if that would not have been the case then the sentence could be ,
"Symptoms of the disease might be abdominal cramps, bloating, and anemia. "

Doctors always define a disease with few basic symptoms which must be there in the patient to declare that the patient is inflicted with this SPECIAL disease.

need ur help,

TIMA