Extract:
You’re Getting Sleepy …
Most people get a little grumpy when they do not get enough sleep, but when it comes to children, the problem may be more than just some extra irritation. Lack of sleep may also affect their weight as well as their overall behavior.
A study conducted in New Zealand at the University of Auckland and published in the medical journal Sleep followed almost 600 children from infancy through seven years of age. Researchers observed the children’s sleep patterns and found that generally they slept less on the weekends than during the week and even less during the summer months. According to the findings, the children who tended to sleep the least were at greater risk for being overweight and/or experiencing behavioral problems. In fact, those who regularly slept less than nine hours a night were three times more likely than longer sleepers to be obese and to show signs of attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These results were based on questionnaires completed by the children’s parents and teachers.
How does sleep affect weight? The answer to that is still not clear, but experts suspect that chronic sleep deprivation somehow alters the hormones involved in appetite control and metabolism. This is a connection that still needs to be explored to be better understood.
How much sleep is enough for a child? Experts recommend that preschoolers get 11 to 13 hours of sleep each night, whereas school-age children should get between 10 and 11 hours per night. Many children average only 8 hours. The study concluded that sleep duration is one risk factor that can be fairly easily altered to prevent future health problems for today’s young people.
Which of the following statements is an opinion?
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A
The connection between sleep and weight should be explored.
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B
Many young children average only eight hours of sleep a night.
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C
People who sleep less are more likely to be obese.
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D
Researchers in New Zealand studied almost 600 children.
The opinion statement is that the connection between sleep and weight should be explored, a prescriptive recommendation expressing value judgment beyond factual reporting.
A) The connection between sleep and weight should be explored.
Expresses opinion through prescriptive "should" language advocating specific research direction. While the passage states "this is a connection that still needs to be explored," the value judgment that it ought to be explored (rather than merely could be) introduces subjective prioritization beyond neutral description.
B) Many young children average only eight hours of sleep a night.
Verifiable statistic explicitly stated: "Many children average only 8 hours."
C) People who sleep less are more likely to be obese.
Verifiable finding from the study: children sleeping less than nine hours were "three times more likely... to be obese."
D) Researchers in New Zealand studied almost 600 children.
Verifiable fact explicitly stated: "a study... followed almost 600 children from infancy through seven years of age."
Conclusion
Opinions contain prescriptive language ("should"), value judgments, or recommendations not objectively verifiable. While the passage neutrally states the connection "needs to be explored," transforming this into a value-laden "should be explored" introduces subjective prioritization characteristic of opinion statements.