Question

Read the excerpt from "Healthy Eating." But no one can ignore the damage being wrought by all this bad eating. More than one out of three adults in the United States -- 37.5 percent -- are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some of the leading causes of death -- heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes -- are directly linked to obesity. And childhood obesity has tripled in the last 30 years. With more than a third of kids between 6 and 19 considered obese, the CDC reports, they are at substantially more risk for developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, bone and joint conditions, and cancer. How does the author develop her argument in this part of the article? She provides statistics to show how harmful a poor diet can be. She gives several reasons why people should eat healthier foods. She shares anecdotes to show why children need healthier diets. She uses scientific facts to tell why eating habits have changed.

Answer 1

The correct answer is A. She provides statistics to show how harmful a poor diet can be.

Explanation:

In this section of the article, the author focuses on explaining the negative effects of unhealthy diets, which shows the author believes eating a healthy diet is essential and the opposite has harmful consequences. Additionally, the author develops this idea by using statistics or numerical data. This can be seen in "More than one out of three adults in the United States -- 37.5 percent -- are obese" or in "childhood obesity has tripled in the last 30 years" because the author uses numerical information to point out the negative consequences of unhealthy diets. Thus, the way the author develops her argument is by providing statistics to show the negative effects of a poor diet.