Many people argue that setting the minimum age for drinking alcohol at

Question

Many people argue that setting the minimum age for drinking alcohol at 21 in the United States actually promotes teenage drinking. Believers in this position say that teenagers derive excitement from breaking the rules and drinking before they are allowed to. However, in several European countries where there is no legal drinking age, the incidence of teenage drinking is similar to the rate in the United States.

Which of the following statements can most reasonably be inferred from the information above?

A) Setting the minimum age for drinking alcohol at 21 cannot be the only factor that affects the incidence of teenage drinking.

B) Setting the minimum age for drinking alcohol at 21 does not play a role in causing teenagers to begin drinking.

C) Setting a drinking age does not reduce the amount of alcohol consumed by teenagers.

D) Drinking alcohol can cause teenagers to engage in other illegal and illicit activities, such as smoking tobacco.

E) A higher percentage of teenagers drink in the United States than do in France.

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HubristicPsyche · Answer

The Answer to this question should be A, since it appropriately infers from the passage that minimum age drinking restrictions are clearly not the deciding factor for teenage drinking. Hence, there could be other factors that would be responsible for underage drinking.

green_leafy · Answer

Looks like the Answer is A.
Since it clearly says that there might be other factors contributing to teenage drinking habits, except the legal drinking age.

Legenddary1234 · Answer

can anyone explain, I am very inclined towards B rather than A

Simply because in Europe we don't have the restriction, the incidence of Drinking is still quite high, so age cannot be a factor, not even 1% because it has no presence in Europe. 
then, how can we say/infer that there are other factors than age limit, when in reality there are only other factors? and age limit is not one of them or Setting the minimum age for drinking alcohol at 21 does not play a role in causing teenagers to begin drinking.

Please explain

mialanknox · Answer

A) Setting the minimum age for drinking alcohol at 21 cannot be the only factor that affects the incidence of teenage drinking. 
 - This option is supported by the passage.  The comparison between the U.S. and European countries implies that teenage drinking occurs at similar rates regardless of the presence or absence of a legal drinking age. This suggests that other factors must influence teenage drinking rates, making A a reasonable inference.

B) Setting the minimum age for drinking alcohol at 21 does not play a role in causing teenagers to begin drinking. 
- The passage does not provide enough information to fully support this statement.  While it challenges the idea that setting a drinking age at 21 promotes teenage drinking due to the thrill of rule-breaking, it does not categorically rule out its role in causing teenagers to start drinking.

C) Setting a drinking age does not reduce the amount of alcohol consumed by teenagers. 
 - While the passage indicates that teenage drinking rates are similar regardless of the legal drinking age, it does not provide specific information about the amount of alcohol consumed.  Therefore, this inference is a stretch based on the given information.

D) Drinking alcohol can cause teenagers to engage in other illegal and illicit activities, such as smoking tobacco. 
 - The passage does not discuss the relationship between teenage drinking and engagement in other illegal activities.  This option introduces an idea not supported by the provided information.

E) A higher percentage of teenagers drink in the United States than do in France. 
 - The passage does not offer specific comparisons between the U.S. and any individual European country, including France.  This statement introduces specific data not mentioned or implied in the passage.

Therefore, option A is the correct answer.

Angad2553 · Answer

Ans A
initially i thought that B is correct ans,but b cant be because
Setting the minimum age for drinking alcohol at 21 does have a role in causing teenagers to begin drinking.

how??
ans is...
teenagers derive excitement from breaking the rules and drinking before they are allowed to

so,A is correct ans

saurabhmishrano1 · Answer

A) Setting the minimum age for drinking alcohol at 21 cannot be the only factor that affects the incidence of teenage drinking. 
    - This statement aligns with the information provided. The passage discusses how setting the minimum drinking age at 21 might not be the sole determinant of teenage drinking behaviour, as evidenced by similar rates of teenage drinking in European countries with no legal drinking age. Therefore, this statement can be reasonably inferred from the passage.

B) Setting the minimum age for drinking alcohol at 21 does not play a role in causing teenagers to begin drinking. 
    - This statement cannot be directly inferred from the passage. The passage discusses the argument that setting the minimum drinking age at 21 may actually promote teenage drinking by making it more enticing for teenagers to break the rules. However, it does not conclusively state that setting the minimum drinking age does not play any role in causing teenagers to begin drinking.

In conclusion, while the passage suggests that the incidence of teenage drinking in European countries without a legal drinking age is similar to that in the United States, it doesn't provide sufficient evidence to conclude that the absence of a legal drinking age is the sole factor influencing teenage drinking rates. Other cultural, educational, societal, and psychological factors also play crucial roles in shaping teenage drinking behaviours. Therefore, option B cannot be reasonably inferred from the information provided in the passage.

C) Setting a drinking age does not reduce the amount of alcohol consumed by teenagers. 
    - This statement is not directly supported by the passage. While the passage mentions that the incidence of teenage drinking in European countries with no legal drinking age is similar to that in the United States, it does not provide information on the amount of alcohol consumed by teenagers in these countries compared to the United States.

D) Drinking alcohol can cause teenagers to engage in other illegal and illicit activities, such as smoking tobacco. 
    - This statement goes beyond the scope of the passage. The passage discusses the argument surrounding the minimum drinking age and its potential effects on teenage drinking behavior but does not address the correlation between alcohol consumption and engagement in other illegal activities like smoking tobacco.

E) A higher percentage of teenagers drink in the United States than do in France. 
    - This statement cannot be inferred from the passage. While the passage mentions the incidence of teenage drinking in European countries with no legal drinking age, it does not specifically compare the percentage of teenagers who drink in the United States to that in France.

Therefore, option A, "Setting the minimum age for drinking alcohol at 21 cannot be the only factor that affects the incidence of teenage drinking," is the most reasonable inference based on the information provided in the passage.

Bunuel · Answer

Official Explanation

This asks for something that can be properly inferred, so it's an Inference question.

According to the stimulus, some people believe that the drinking age of 21 causes teenage drinking, due to the excitement teens get from breaking the law, but the author provides evidence that other countries without such a drinking age have similar levels of teen drinking.

It's often hard to predict the right answer to an Inference question, but here, something may come to mind. An argument is presented, along with evidence that tends to weaken it. The right answer will likely point out that the argument is incorrect and that the drinking age of 21 doesn't have much of an effect on teen drinking.

(A) is the correct answer. It states that the setting of a minimum drinking age at 21 cannot be the only factor affecting teenage drinking. This has to be true. Otherwise, the drinking rate would be different in countries that have minimum drinking ages than in those that do not.

(B) is extreme. All that is known is that the drinking rate among teenagers is similar in the United States and some countries that do not have minimum drinking ages. That might be because the drinking age has no effect at all, or it may be that it in the United States, it induces some teenagers to drink, while in other countries, other factors induce them to drink.

(C) does not have to be true either. The stimulus provides no information about about the amount of alcohol consumed, only about the incidence of teenagers who drink.

(D) has no support from the stimulus, which is only about drinking, not other illegal activities.

(E) also has no support in the stimulus--there's no information about the drinking rate in France specifically.

Omkar19 · Answer

Please help with why not option C

Many people argue that setting the minimum age for drinking alcohol at

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