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Verbal·Expression of Ideas·Rhetorical Synthesis
hard
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
  • The typical resting viscosity of oobleck (cornstarch mixed with water) is 5–100 centipoise (cP).
  • Oobleck increases in viscosity (becomes thicker) when squeezed.
  • The typical resting viscosity of cake frosting is 2,000–10,000 (cP).
  • Cake frosting decreases in viscosity (becomes thinner) when squeezed.
  • A fluid is Newtonian if its viscosity remains stable under shear (mechanical force such as being squeezed or stirred).
  • A fluid is non-Newtonian if its viscosity changes under shear.
The student wants to contrast how shear affects cake frosting and oobleck. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A
Though the viscosities of both oobleck and cake frosting change under shear, oobleck’s typical resting viscosity (5–100 cP) is lower than that of cake frosting (2,000–10,000 cP).
B
Cake frosting becomes thinner when squeezed, while oobleck becomes thicker.
C
Oobleck has a much lower resting viscosity than cake frosting but becomes thicker under shear.
D
Cake frosting is non-Newtonian, meaning its viscosity decreases under shear; oobleck, by contrast, increases in viscosity.