Ashish: Studies have connected the recent rise of sugar-sweetened beve

Question

Ashish:  Studies have connected the recent rise of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and the recent rise of obesity rates in our nation. Most sugar-sweetened beverages contain many calories and consuming an excessive number of calories causes weight gain. Therefore, government regulations to reduce consumption of such beverages would be the most effective way to reduce obesity rates.

Hector:  Your conclusion is incorrect. Everyone should be free to consume whatever food they wish. It is the individual’s responsibility, not the government’s, to make healthy dietary choices.

In the table, select the most serious flaw in Ashish’s reasoning and the most serious flaw in Hector’s reasoning. Make only two selections, one in each column.

ChiranjeevSingh · Accepted Answer

Understanding the Passage   
 Ashish: Studies have connected the recent rise of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and the recent rise of obesity rates in our nation. 
 
 Per studies, there is a connection between the recent rises of
 
 sugar-sweetened beverage consumption 
 obesity

Most sugar-sweetened beverages contain many calories and consuming an excessive number of calories causes weight gain. 
 
 The calorie content of ‘most’ such beverages is high 
 Consuming excess calories leads to weight gain 
 This statement supports the connection presented in the first statement

Therefore, government regulations to reduce consumption of such beverages would be the most effective way to reduce obesity rates. 
 
 ‘Therefore’ indicates the conclusion. 
 The author concludes that government regulations to reduce consumption of such beverages would more effective to reduce obesity rates than any other way.

The first two statements mean that the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages contributes to obesity and thus the rise of this consumption has played a role in the rise of obesity rates in the nation. However, the two statements do not indicate that:
 
 the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is a significant contributor to obesity rates in the country 
 the government regulations to reduce consumption of such beverages would be an effective way to reduce consumption of such beverages  
Thus, Ashish has made large jumps to reach his conclusion.

Hector: Your conclusion is incorrect.

Hector directly challenges Ashish’s conclusion.

What does this statement mean?

This statement means that government regulations to reduce the consumption of such beverages would NOT be the most effective way to reduce obesity rates.

Everyone should be free to consume whatever food they wish. It is the individual’s responsibility, not the government’s, to make healthy dietary choices.

Hector emphasizes individual freedom. These statements support that the government should not enact regulations.

Do they support the idea that government regulations would not be the most effective way to reduce obesity rates?

No.

Hector’s statements suggest that X should not be done on the grounds of individual rights; his statements do not say anything about whether X is the most effective way to achieve Y.
 
   Understanding the Question Stem   
 In the table, select the most serious flaw in Ashish’s reasoning and the most serious flaw in Hector’s reasoning. Make only two selections, one in each column.

We’re looking for an option that depicts the most serious flaw in Ashish’s argument and an option that depicts the most serious flaw in Hector’s reasoning.
   Evaluating the Options    
 A. Assumes without justification that a stated problem can have only one solution

Neither Ashish nor Hector makes this assumption. Ashish concludes that government regulations are the most effective way to reduce obesity rates. He doesn’t say that the regulations are the ONLY way.

B. Contains only reasoning irrelevant to the conclusion stated

This is true for Hector, as we discussed above. Hector’s conclusion is that government regulations would not be the most effective way to reduce obesity rates. However, his reasoning doesn’t talk about whether government regulations would be effective in reducing obesity rates. The reasoning is about arguing that there should not be regulations since they violate individual rights and governments are not supposed to act in the given context.

C. Overlooks the possibility that a factor that contributes to a phenomenon may not be the main such factor

This is true for Ashish. Ashish talks about the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. This consumption contributes to obesity. However, this need not be the main contributor. If it is not the main contributor, we cannot say that reducing such consumption will be the most effective way to reduce obesity rates. In such a case, tackling the main contributor of obesity may be the most effective way to reduce obesity rates.

D. Takes for granted that a given factor cannot contribute to more than one phenomenon

Neither Ashish nor Hector takes this idea for granted. Even if the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages leads to problems other than obesity, Ashish’s argument will be unaffected. Ashish’s conclusion is about an effective way to reduce obesity rates. He is not making a claim about the general health of population.

E. Confuses two distinct meanings of an ambiguous term

There’s no ambiguous term in the whole passage. Therefore, no such confusion.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

First note that neither Ashish’s nor Hector’s argument appeals to a definition of a potentially ambiguous term. Therefore option E is not the correct answer for either selection.

RO1, Ashish’s argument: Evaluate

Ashish's conclusion—that government regulations to reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages would be the most effective way to reduce obesity—implicitly acknowledges other, less effective solutions (ruling out A). All of the evidence Ashish presents supports his conclusion weakly (ruling out B). His solution, however, addresses only one factor—consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages—contributing to obesity without considering whether it is the main factor (C). Ashish says nothing to suggest that consumption of such beverages cannot have additional effects (ruling out D).

The correct answer is C, Overlooks the possibility that a factor that contributes to a phenomenon may not be the main such factor.

RO2, Hector’s argument: Evaluate

Hector's conclusion is the negation of Ashish's conclusion: government regulations to reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages would not be the most effective way to reduce obesity. Because Hector does not offer an alternate solution to the obesity problem, it is impossible to tell how many solutions he assumes the problem to have (ruling out A). Since Hector's reasoning does not address whether government regulation would be an effective solution to the problem, his reasoning is actually irrelevant to the conclusion (in keeping with B). Furthermore, his reasoning fails to address any of the factors that contribute to the phenomenon of obesity (ruling out C and D).

The correct answer is B, Contains only reasoning irrelevant to the conclusion stated.

Apt0810 · Answer

Statement weakening Ashish's statement is :Overlooks the possibility that a factor that contributes to a phenomenon may not be the main such factor, beacuse he is just relating two things Increase in consumption of beverages and recent rise of obesity,now as he said that excessive consumption of sweet beverages cause obesity and he want government regulations over the consumption,but there might be a case that this consumption might not be a major factor in the increaaing obesity cases and there could be other factors such as Less exercise, excessive junk food consumption which could be reasons of obesity.And he doesn't even talks about the age group,and other categories of people for obesity cases.

2)Statement weakening Hector's statement is:Contains only reasoning irrelevant to the conclusion stated, because he is thinking that the conclusion is incorrect based on the reasoning and he is confusing this reasoning with the intention behind Ashish's reasoning

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2)Statement weakening Hector's statement is:Contains only reasoning irrelevant to the conclusion stated, because he is thinking that the conclusion is incorrect based on the reasoning and he is confusing this reasoning with the intention behind Ashish's reasoning

Posted from my mobile device

mSKR · Answer

Ashish: Conclusion: IF A can happen then B would happen
Hector: You are wrong. B can happen without A

Find flaw in reasoning:

Assumes without justification that a stated problem can have only one solution
>> no where mentioned that there is only 1 solution by any of them

Contains only reasoning irrelevant to the conclusion stated
>>B can happen with A also, so conclusion is not wrong-HECTOR ARGUMENT

Overlooks the possibility that a factor that contributes to a phenomenon may not be the main such factor
>>A not be a main factor to make B happen. –ASHISH ARGUMENT 
Flaw in Ashish conclusion

Takes for granted that a given factor cannot contribute to more than one phenomenon
>> out of scope ( A would make happen D- not discussed )

Confuses two distinct meanings of an ambiguous term
>> A and other factors are not distinguished ,

Blackcrow1972 · Answer

Why (b) Applies to Hector:
Hector focuses entirely on the principle of individual freedom and personal responsibility. While these are valid points, they are not directly relevant to evaluating whether government regulation could be an effective tool for reducing obesity.

His argument does not engage with Ashish’s evidence (e.g., the link between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and obesity) or provide any reasoning as to why regulation might fail to achieve its intended goals. Instead, he shifts the focus to individual choice, which is tangential to Ashish’s claim about the effectiveness of regulation.

PeachSnapple1 · Answer

TLDR Version:

Ashish: There is a link between drinking too much Pepsi and rising obesity rate. And it's a fact that Pepsi has too much calories, leading to weight gain. Thus, the most effective way to reduce obesity rate is the government's intervention. 
Hector: You're wrong, if they want to be fat, let them be. It's their choice to be fat.

Clearly, Ashish's flaw is that he fails to consider whether consuming too much Pepsi is the main factor of rising obesity rate, as there could other factors too, i.e. genetic, lifestyle. And if drinking too much Pepsi is not the main cause, regulating Pepsi consumption is therefore not the most effective way to tackle obesity.
And Hector's flaw is clearly that his argument is off-topic. He just ignored completely everything relating to Ashish's argument - drinking Pepsi, obesity, most effective way to tackle that problem.

At first, I was tempted at   for Hector's flaw, because curtailing obesity rate could be approached on two fronts - both the government and individual. But then I reread Ashish's conclusion  .   implies that Ashish does acknowledge other solutions. Almost get tricked.

PeachSnapple1 · Answer

To add on my above comment, I think this question may be tricky to some because this question, if not read carefully, can give the impression that both Ashish's and Hector's argument attempt to answer the same question: who should be responsible for reducing the obesity rate - the government or an individual? But if read carefully, Ashish's argument is really about  , whereas Hector's argument is really about  . One talks about the most effective solution to reducing obesity, while the other talks about who should be in charged of making healthy dietary choices. Having said that, Hector's argument would be flawless if Ashish's argument is about  .

Here's a funny example:
Me: Mom, you should buy me this PS5 for my educational purpose because it offers excellent image quality and superb sound effect. I think this is the best way to help me ace all the tests at school.
Mom (assuming she doesn't know what a PS5 is, otherwise I would be screwed]: You're wrong. You should buy it yourself.
Here, my Mom's argument is irrelevant because it doesn't attack my reasoning. If she really wanted to attack my reasoning, she could have said  .

KarishmaB · Answer

Ashish: Studies show that beverage consumption is linked to obesity. These beverages contain many calories and consuming an excessive number of calories causes weight gain. Conclusion: Government regulations to reduce consumption of such beverages would be the most effective way to reduce obesity rates. Flaw in this reasoning - there are multiple flaws here. "Government regulations would be the most effective way" is an issue. Perhaps propaganda of this link is a more effective way or something else. But the premises give us no info on the impact of government regulations Assuming that curtailing beverage consumption is the most effective way to reduce obesity is also a flaw. Perhaps beverages has a connection but a limited one. Perhaps lack to activity is the much bigger factor leading to obesity. Select Overlooks the possibility that a factor that contributes to a phenomenon may not be the main such factor Hector: Everyone should be free to consume whatever food they wish. It is the individual’s responsibility, not the government’s, to make healthy dietary choices. Conclusion: Your conclusion is incorrect. Absolutely irrelevant rebuttal. Ashish's point is that 'Government regulations to reduce consumption of sweet beverages would be the most effective way to reduce obesity rates" To oppose, Hector has to point out why it may not be the most effective way to reduce obesity. Whether this method should actually be used or not is besides the point. Ashish's discussion is only on what is the best method. The social or moral implication of using this method is irrelevant to this argument. Select: Contains only reasoning irrelevant to the conclusion stated Here is another non Math TPA: https://youtu.be/CuEUshOOlK0

Ashish: Studies have connected the recent rise of sugar-sweetened beve

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Ashish's argument	Hector's argument	Statements
		Assumes without justification that a stated problem can have only one solution
		Contains only reasoning irrelevant to the conclusion stated
		Overlooks the possibility that a factor that contributes to a phenomenon may not be the main such factor
		Takes for granted that a given factor cannot contribute to more than one phenomenon
		Confuses two distinct meanings of an ambiguous term

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Ashish: Studies have connected the recent rise of sugar-sweetened beve

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