Extract:
Caffeine and Pregnancy
The health risks of coffee have long been debated, but a recent study has added another argument against too much coffee consumption. This study looked at the effect of drinking coffee on pregnant women. Conducted by physicians at Kaiser Permanente, the study explored the connection between caffeine and the risk of miscarriage.
This study followed more than 1,000 women who became pregnant within a two year period. The amount of caffeine they drank was logged, as well as which women experienced a miscarriage. The results, as published in the January 2008 issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, stated that the risk of miscarriage more than doubled in women who consumed 200 mg or more of caffeine per day, about what is found in two cups of coffee.
Why does caffeine carry this risk? Researchers are not sure, but they theorize that the caffeine restricts blood flow to the placenta. This, in turn, can harm the developing fetus. Does this mean the physicians will start advising women to quit drinking coffee while pregnant? Yes and no. Some doctors will certainly take this report to heart and encourage their patients to stay away from more than one cup of coffee a day, just as they recommend not drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes. Others are not so convinced and doubt that this single study is enough to overturn the established guidelines of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Instead, they believe that a lot more research needs to be done.
Which of the following statements is an opinion?
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A
People continue to debate the risks of caffeine.
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B
Doctors studied the link between caffeine and miscarriage.
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C
Two cups of coffee hold about 200 mg of caffeine.
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D
To be safe, pregnant women must avoid coffee.
The opinion statement is that pregnant women must avoid coffee, a prescriptive absolute ("must") beyond the study's probabilistic findings and professional disagreement.
A) People continue to debate the risks of caffeine.
Verifiable fact explicitly stated in opening: "The health risks of coffee have long been debated."
B) Doctors studied the link between caffeine and miscarriage.
Verifiable fact explicitly stated: "a recent study has added another argument" and "Conducted by physicians at Kaiser Permanente."
C) Two cups of coffee hold about 200 mg of caffeine.
Verifiable fact explicitly stated: "200 mg... about what is found in two cups of coffee."
D) To be safe, pregnant women must avoid coffee.
Expresses opinion through absolute prescriptive "must" language. The study shows doubled risk at 200mg+, not certainty of harm; professional guidelines permit moderate consumption; and the passage describes physician disagreement, making absolute avoidance an unsupported personal judgment.
Conclusion
Opinions contain prescriptive language ("must"), absolute claims, or recommendations not objectively verifiable. Facts can be confirmed through observation or textual evidence. Option D introduces an absolute prohibition contradicted by the study's probabilistic findings and described professional disagreement.