Nokea
Smoking tobacco products is terribly destructive. A single cigarette contains
over 4,000 chemicals, including 43 known carcinogens and 400 deadly toxins.
Some of the most dangerous ingredients include tar, carbon monoxide,
formaldehyde, ammonia, arsenic, and DDT. Smoking can cause numerous
types of cancer including throat, mouth, nasal cavity, esophagus, stomach,
pancreas, kidney, bladder, and cervical.
Cigarettes contain a drug called nicotine, one of the most addictive substances
known to man. Addiction is defined as a compulsion to seek the substance
despite negative consequences. According to the National Institute of Drug
Abuse, nearly 35 million smokers expressed a desire to quit smoking in 2015;
however, more than 85 percent of those addicts will not achieve their goal.
Almost all smokers regret picking up that first cigarette. You would be wise to
learn from their mistake if you have not yet started smoking.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 16 million
people in the United States presently suffer from a smoking-related condition
and nearly nine million suffer from a serious smoking-related illness.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tobacco
products cause nearly six million deaths per year. This number is projected to
rise to over eight million deaths by 2030. Smokers, on average, die ten years
earlier than their nonsmoking peers.
In the United States, local, state, and federal governments typically tax
tobacco products, which leads to high prices. Nicotine addicts sometimes pay
more for a pack of cigarettes than for a few gallons of gas. Additionally,
smokers tend to stink. The smell of smoke is all-consuming and creates a
pervasive nastiness. Smokers also risk staining their teeth and fingers with
yellow residue from the tar.
The author would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The author would likely agree that any reason to quit smoking is valid, based on their anti-smoking stance. The provided extract extensively discusses the harmful effects of smoking, the addictive nature of nicotine, and the negative consequences associated with tobacco products. The author emphasizes the health risks, financial burden, and social implications of smoking, promoting the idea that smokers should quit for any reason that helps them stop. Choice A, suggesting that smokers should only quit cold turkey, is too restrictive and doesn't consider individual differences in quitting methods. Choice B, stating that other substances are more addictive than tobacco, is not directly supported by the extract, which highlights the extreme addictiveness of nicotine. Choice D, proposing that people who want to smoke should advocate for reduced taxes, goes against the anti-smoking stance presented in the extract, which highlights the negative impact of smoking and high tobacco prices.