A certain tropical island received food donations in the for

[NaeemH22]

Which of the following most logically completes the passage?

A certain tropical island received food donations in the form of powdered milk for distribution to its poorest residents, who were thought to be malnourished. Subsequently, the rate of liver cancers among those islanders increased sharply. The donated milk was probably to blame: recent laboratory research on rats has shown that rats briefly exposed to the substances aflatoxin tend to develop liver cancer when fed casein, a milk protein. This result is relevant because _______.

A. in the tropics, peanuts, a staple of these island residents, support a mold growth that produces aflatoxin
B. the liver is more sensitive to carcinogens, of which aflatoxin may be one, than most other bodily organs
C. casein is not the only protein contained in milk
D. powdered milk is the most appropriate form in which to send milk to a tropical destination
E. the people who were given the donated milk had been screened for their ability to digest milk.

OA is A but I selected B, largely because I was unable to understand A. Need explanation for A.

[Sage Pearce-Higgins]

Please can you confirm that this is from a free GMAT Prep resource? Questions from the paid for resources cannot be posted here, sorry.

In the meantime, answer A implies that the residents of the island have aflatoxin, which, when combined with milk, causes cancer.

[JbhB682]

This is GMAT prep

Why not B ? Why i picked B

Facts :
-- Powdered milk given to poor
-- Powdered milk most likely reason for liver
-- Lab results : rats given casein ....casein has aflatoxin which tends to develop liver cancer within the rats

The Lab result is relevant because :

option B - liver is more sensitive to carcinogens (including aflatoxin)

== doesnt this proove that aflatoxin is the cause of liver failure in humans ?

[Sage Pearce-Higgins]

casein has aflatoxin

Where do we learn this? It doesn't say so in the passage. When I read this passage I thought 'what the heck is aflatoxin? how is that relevant here'. Unless we know that the islanders are exposed to that, then the research isn't relevant.

doesnt this proove that aflatoxin is the cause of liver failure in humans

As always, be extra careful to identify what the conclusion of an argument is. We're actually not interested in the general subject of 'liver failure' or even the general subject of 'liver cancer', but in why these islanders suffered from it. Look carefully at the passage and find the exact words of the main claim and post them here.