Question

Several travellers complain about the bland food provided to them on airlines. Actually, airline food tastes bland due to the combination of low humidity and low cabin pressure at cruising altitude, which suppresses the senses of taste and smell. The dry air dehydrates your nasal passages, and the reduced pressure makes you less sensitive to salty and sweet flavours. Which of the following can be most reasonably inferred from the information in the passage?

• A. The complaints about airline food arise mainly from passengers’ preconceived expectations rather than actual taste experience.
• B. If airlines were to serve spicier food, passengers would stop complaining about its blandness.
• C. Airlines intentionally reduce humidity and cabin pressure to save costs on food preparation.
• D. Passengers’ ability to perceive sour and bitter tastes is also reduced during flight.
• E. Passengers who consume the same meal on the ground are likely to find it more flavorful than when they eat it in-flight.

Hint:

Keep the food identical and change only the environment. Ask what should happen to flavour perception when normal humidity and pressure replace cabin conditions.

Answer 1

Answer: (E)

Step 1: Understand the core reason for bland taste in-flight.
The passage explains that low humidity and low cabin pressure at cruising altitude suppress the senses of taste and smell. This makes passengers less sensitive especially to salty and sweet flavours.
Step 2: Focus on what inference means.
An inference must logically follow from the given information without adding new assumptions.
Step 3: Analyze the options.
(A) Talks about expectations, which are not mentioned in the passage.
(B) Spicier food is suggested, but this is not discussed or implied.
(C) Cost-saving intent is not stated anywhere.
(D) Sour and bitter tastes are not mentioned in the passage.
(E) If food tastes bland due to flight conditions, then the same food eaten on the ground (without those conditions) would taste more flavorful. This follows directly from the explanation.
Step 4: Final inference.
Option (E) logically follows from the given facts without introducing new ideas.
Final Answer:
\[ \boxed{\text{Option (E)}} \]

Answer 2

Concept:

• Use a controlled comparison: keep the meal unchanged and remove only the flight conditions named in the passage.
• The resulting change gives the most direct inference.

Step 1: Identify the active flight conditions.
Low humidity dries the nasal passages, while low cabin pressure reduces sensitivity to salty and sweet flavours.
Together, these conditions weaken taste and smell during flight.

Step 2: Move the same meal to the ground.
On the ground, normal humidity and pressure remove the two suppressing conditions while the food itself remains unchanged.
Taste and smell should therefore be less suppressed.

Step 3: Match this comparison with the choices.
Option E states exactly this result: the same meal is likely to taste more flavourful on the ground than in flight.
The other options add expectations, intent, spices, or unmentioned taste categories.

Final Answer: The same meal is likely to taste more flavourful on the ground, option E.