▶ Your Answer :
Citing
that the twenty-year study has investigated the correlation between salicylates
and lessened headache, the author here tries to conclude that the people living
in Mentia will suffer fewer headaches in the future. However, this claim relies
on a series of unproven assumptions, thus is not cogent as it stands. Rather,
the writer should provide more evidence and data about questions with regards
to (1) the participants’ diet in terms of independent variables, (2) the food
types that include salicylates, and (3) the eating habits of the people in
Metia.
First
of all, the claim should answer this question: were the participants of twenty-year
study well controlled in terms of the independent variables? In other words,
did they only consume the foods that allegedly contained the slicylates? For instance,
if the respondents to the study already had a medicine or pill that can remedy
the headache, other than the foods, the correlation between the salicylate and the
headache cannot be reliably made as the claim argues. Therefore, the arguer
should answer this question first.
In
addition to the participant concern, the statement should clarify the specific
food types that are considered to possess the healing substance. What kind of
food has the salicylate? Is it a dairy food or canned food? We just do not know
from the statement. Because the author tries to claim that the processed food
can positively affect the headache that people in Metia have, the specific food
types should be provided through a holistic analysis.
Lastly,
the writer should scrutinize what eating habits or preferences that people in
Metia have. If the people do not consume the food that includes the healing substance,
the prediction about positive result by the food on their headache will not be likely
to occur. For instance, if the food is a canned seafood (e.g., tuna can);
however, if the Mentian residents do not eat the food for some reason, the
supposed effect may not be made due to the lack of correlation. Therefore, the
claim should answer the question about the Mentian people’s eating habits.
In
sum, even though it seems that salicylates in a processed food can remedy the
headache, this claim is not persuasive because it should provide more clear
evidence by answer critical questions. These questions include, but are not
limited to: (1) were the participants experimentally well controlled in terms
of the independent variables? (2) what are the kinds of food that contain salicyltes?
and (3) what are the eating habits or preferences of the people in Mentia. By
providing the answers for these questions, the claim should be more appropriately
evaluated. |