Passage:
All humans digest mother's milk as infants, but until cattle began being domesticated 10,000 years ago, children once weaned no longer needed to digest milk. As a result, they stopped making the enzyme lactase, which breaks down the sugar lactose into simple sugars. After humans began herding cattle, it became tremendously advantageous to digest milk, and lactose tolerance evolved independently among cattle herders in Europe, the middle East and Africa. Groups not dependant on cattle, such as the Chinese and Thai, remain lactose intolerant.

Which among the following is the most logical assumption that can be made from the above passage?

Question

Passage:
All humans digest mother's milk as infants, but until cattle began being domesticated 10,000 years ago, children once weaned no longer needed to digest milk. As a result, they stopped making the enzyme lactase, which breaks down the sugar lactose into simple sugars. After humans began herding cattle, it became tremendously advantageous to digest milk, and lactose tolerance evolved independently among cattle herders in Europe, the middle East and Africa. Groups not dependant on cattle, such as the Chinese and Thai, remain lactose intolerant.

Which among the following is the most logical assumption that can be made from the above passage?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: (b) A permanent change in the food habits of a community can bring about a genetic change in its members The passage explains that initially, humans only digested milk as infants. Once weaned, they ceased production of the enzyme lactase. However, after the domestication of cattle and the onset of herding about 10,000 years ago, being able to digest milk became highly advantageous. Consequently, lactose tolerance evolved genetically and independently among cattle-herding populations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, while non-herding groups (like Chinese and Thai) remained lactose intolerant. The underlying assumption of this explanation is that a long-term, permanent shift in the dietary habits of a human community (such as consuming dairy) can induce a genetic adaptation/change (lactose tolerance) over generations. This makes option (b) the most logical and necessary assumption. Option (a) is a stated fact rather than an assumption. Options (c) and (d) are scientifically overgeneralized and incorrect interpretations not supported by the text.

Which among the following is the most logical assumption that can be made from the above passage?

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