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.

Answer 1

Answer:

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

Explanation:

It is true that drinking alcohol can cause teenagers to engage in other illegal and illicit activities, such as smoking tobacco. However, this statement has nothing to do with the information above. As we can se, there are similar incidence of teenage drinking in European countris and in the United States, so setting a minimun age for drinking is not the only factor to take into account. We might consider teenage motivations, personalities, context and social behaviour.