High School Reading Grades 9 10 Quiz
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PASSAGE
Every few years, a new study appears claiming that a glass of red wine, a square of dark chocolate, or a cup of coffee will extend your life. The headlines are irresistible, and I confess I have written a few myself. But after twenty years covering nutrition science, I have come to believe these stories cause more harm than the modest pleasures they endorse.
The problem is not that the studies are fraudulent. Most are carefully done. The problem is what happens between the laboratory and the reader. A researcher observes a small statistical association in a population of 40,000 people—say, a two percent reduction in heart disease among moderate wine drinkers. By the time this finding reaches a morning news segment, it has become 'Wine Prevents Heart Attacks!' The qualifiers vanish. The confounding variables—that moderate drinkers tend to be wealthier, more socially connected, and more likely to exercise—go unmentioned.
Readers then make decisions based on this distorted picture. They pour a second glass, reasoning that it is practically medicine. They feel virtuous rather than indulgent. And the cumulative effect, across millions of readers making millions of small choices, is almost certainly negative.
The author's point of view can best be described as that of:
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