PrepTest 129, Section 2, Question 5
Studies reveal that most people select the foods(49 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(7 more words not shown)
- AMost people currently(13 more words not shown)
- BFew people, when(29 more words not shown)
- CHealth experts' attempts(18 more words not shown)
- DThe studies that(28 more words not shown)
- EIn a study,(35 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Most people choose food mainly for its flavor. That does not mean everyone ignores nutrition, but I can see why a health expert might try leading with taste when addressing this audience.
Will the message actually work, though? Imagine someone who dislikes kale. Telling that person that kale is delicious might simply earn disbelief. A concern for flavor does not guarantee that a claim about flavor will persuade someone to try a wholesome food.
What we’re looking for
That is what I want help with in this strengthen question. The argument recommends changing what health experts emphasize. Evidence that people care about taste is already on the table; useful new evidence would show that emphasizing taste actually changes people's willingness to eat the food.
Working the answers
- A
If people already think wholesome foods are more flavorful, the proposed message may tell them something they already believe. That does not show that emphasizing flavor will be more persuasive than emphasizing nutrition. The existing belief could coexist with the campaign's success, but A does not establish that success.
- B
This is tempting because it reinforces the importance of taste. If someone must choose between tasty chips with little nutritional value and nutritious greens they find unappetizing, B says few will choose the greens. That fits the premise that flavor usually wins.
But we are evaluating a recommendation about how to encourage people to eat wholesome foods. B does not tell us whether describing a food as flavorful will make people more willing to try it. It supports the preference we already know about while leaving the persuasive effect of the proposed message unresolved.
- C
Moderate success for a nutrition message does not tell us how a flavor message would compare. The new approach might do better, equally well, or worse. We need evidence bearing on the recommended change, not just a description of the existing approach's success.
- D
Rating the least nutritious foods as the tastiest tells us about people's current preferences. It does not show that emphasizing the flavor of wholesome foods would change their behavior. Someone could hold those preferences and remain unconvinced by the new message.
- ECorrect
This directly tests the distinction the argument cares about: describing a given food as flavorful versus describing it as nutritious. The flavor message made subjects more willing to try the food and more likely to enjoy it.
Now we have evidence that the proposed emphasis can make a difference, rather than merely evidence that flavor matters to people. The study does not guarantee that every public campaign will succeed, but it gives the recommendation a much stronger basis than a statement of existing food preferences does.
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