Question

Raisins are made by drying grapes in the sun. Although some of the sugar in the grapes is caramelized in the process, nothing is added. Moreover, the only thing removed from the grapes is the water that evaporates during the drying, and water contains no calories or nutrients. The fact that raisins contain more iron per food calorie than grapes do is thus puzzling.

Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain why raisins contain more iron per calorie than do grapes?


(A) Since grapes are bigger than raisins, it takes several bunches of grapes to provide the same amount of iron as a handful of raisins does.

(B) Caramelized sugar cannot be digested, so its calories do not count toward the food calorie content of raisins.

(C) The body can absorb iron and other nutrients more quickly from grapes than from raisins because of the relatively high water content of grapes.

(D) Raisins, but not grapes, are available year-round, so many people get a greater share of their yearly iron intake from raisins than from grapes.

(E) Raisins are often eaten in combination with other iron-containing foods, while grapes are usually eaten by themselves.

Answer 1

The body can absorb iron and other nutrients more quickly from grapes than from raisins because of the relatively high water content of grapes.

Step-by-step explanation:

The fact that raisins contain more iron per food calorie than grapes can be explained by option C: The body can absorb iron and other nutrients more quickly from grapes than from raisins because of the relatively high water content of grapes. The rationale is that water can aid in the absorption of nutrients, and if grapes have a higher water content compared to raisins, the iron in grapes may be more readily absorbed by the body. When grapes are dried to make raisins, the water is removed, leaving a higher concentration of iron per unit of weight. However, if the body cannot absorb the iron from raisins as efficiently due to the lack of water, it might appear that raisins have more iron per calorie