Choose the statement that is best supported by the information given in the…
2023
Choose the statement that is best supported by the information given in the question passage.
Obesity is a serious problem in this country. Research suggests that obesity can lead to a number of health problems including diabetes, asthma, and heart disease. Recent research has even indicated that there may be a relationship between obesity and some types of cancer. Major public health campaigns that increase awareness and propose simple lifestyle changes that will, with diligence and desire, eliminate or least mitigate the incidence of obesity are a crucial first step in battling this critical problem.
This paragraph best supports the statement that
- A.
public health campaigns that raise consciousness and propose lifestyle changes are a productive way to fight obesity.
- B.
obesity is the leading cause of diabetes in our country.
- C.
people in our country watch too much television and do not exercise enough.
- D.
a decline in obesity would radically decrease the incidence of asthma.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Concept
In a “best supported by the passage” reading-comprehension question, the correct choice must be a close restatement of something the passage explicitly states — not an inference, a generalization, or an unstated fact, no matter how plausible it sounds. Reject any option that exaggerates a stated link (e.g. turning “can lead to” into “is the leading cause of”, or an unquantified connection into “radically decreases”) or that introduces a detail the passage never mentions.
Application
The passage's final sentence says major public health campaigns that raise awareness and propose lifestyle changes are “a crucial first step” in fighting obesity — this is exactly what the option about public health campaigns being a productive way to fight obesity restates.
Cross-check: why the other options fail
“Obesity is the leading cause of diabetes”: the passage only says obesity can lead to diabetes among several problems; it never ranks it as the single leading cause, so this overstates the text.
“People watch too much television and do not exercise enough”: the passage never mentions television or exercise habits at all; it only refers broadly to lifestyle changes, so this has no textual support.
“A decline in obesity would radically decrease the incidence of asthma”: the passage links obesity to asthma but never quantifies the relationship, so “radically decrease” goes beyond what is stated.