Question

Most scientists agree that saturated fats contribute to high levels of “bad” cholesterol in a person's blood, while monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats lower this type of cholesterol in a person's blood. The table below shows data about fats in some common foods.

Food (14 g) Saturated fat (g) Monounsaturated fat (g) Polyunsaturated fat (g)
Canola oil 1.0 8.9 3.9
Margarine 1.6 5.4 3.4
Olive oil 1.9 9.9 1.4
Lard 5.0 5.8 1.4
Butter 7.9 3.7 0.5

Joyce and Linda are identical twins who are 50 years old and enjoy exercising daily. Joyce avoids eating any dairy or animal products and eats granola made with canola oil for breakfast. Linda prefers rich foods, and eats bacon, eggs, and buttered toast each morning. Which statement describes a logical inference that can be made from the provided information?
Butter has higher levels of saturated fats in it than canola oil.
Linda and Joyce both have high levels of “bad” cholesterol.
Butter contains a small amount of polyunsaturated fats.
Linda has a higher level of “bad” cholesterol than Joyce.

Answer 1

Answer: Butter has higher levels of saturated fats in it than canola oil.

Reason: The table shows butter has 7.9 g saturated fat per 14 g serving vs. 1.0 g for canola oil, so this follows directly. The other choices require extra assumptions (e.g., overall cholesterol levels or comparisons between people) and cannot be logically inferred from the given data.