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.
“Many people argue that setting the minimum age for drinking alcohol at” - is a GMAT question about critical thinking. A candidate may choose to either find evidence that would undermine the argument or present an argument that is illogical in order to respond to the question. The GMAT critical reasoning gauges a candidate's aptitude for logic and analysis. Candidates must identify the argument's advantages and disadvantages as well as its logical flaws for this topic. Out of the 36 GMAT verbal questions, 10–13 critical reasoning questions are found.
Answer: (A)
Explanation: The stimulus claims that some people think that the drinking age of 21 causes teenage drinking because teens get excited about breaking the law. The author provides evidence that other countries without such a drinking age have similar levels of teen drinking.
The correct answer will probably demonstrate that the argument is fallacious and that the legal drinking age of 21 has little bearing on teen drinking.
To determine the best answer, let's carefully consider each option.
Option – A : Correct
It states that lowering the drinking age to 21 cannot be the only thing influencing teen drinking. This must be accurate. Otherwise, the rate of drinking would differ between nations with and without minimum drinking ages. As a result, this is the right answer.
Option – B : Incorrect
It states that making the legal drinking age 21 does not influence whether or not teenagers start drinking. This goes far. All that is known is that teenager drinking rates are comparable between some nations without minimum drinking ages and the United States. This could be due to the fact that the legal drinking age has no impact at all, or it could be that in the United States, it encourages some teenagers to drink while in other nations, other factors do. As a result, this option is eliminated.
Option – C : Incorrect
It states that raising the drinking age has no impact on how much alcohol teenagers consume. This need not be the case. The stimulus only reports the frequency of drinking among teenagers; it says nothing about the quantity of alcohol consumed. As a result, this option is eliminated.
Option – D : Incorrect
It states that teens who drink alcohol are more likely to engage in other illegal and illicit activities, like smoking tobacco. The stimulus, which only addresses drinking and not other illegal activities, does not support this. As a result, this option is eliminated.
Option – E : Incorrect
According to the option, more teenagers drink in the United States than in France. The stimulus offers no support for this either. Information on the prevalence of alcohol use in France specifically is not discussed. As a result, this option is eliminated.
From the explanations above, it is clear that the first option is the right answer.
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