Question

I recently walked into a local café and noticed a large sign advertising the virtues of the food that was served there. The sign boasted that the tasty choices were high in fiber, a good source of vitamins, and contained no artificial sweeteners. The ad seemed reasonable; after all, fiber and vitamins are good and artificial sweeteners are bad, right? As I thought about it, though, I considered that I did not know a great deal about artificial sweeteners. I decided to do some research, and what I found surprised me.Why does the author ask a question in the first paragraph?


To point out that she is confused.


To challenge readers.


To show a common presumption.


To indicate her doubts.

Answer 1

To show a common presumption.

The rhetorical question highlights a widely held belief (fiber/vitamins = good, artificial sweeteners = bad) that the author is about to examine.