Question

The following text is from a fictitious personal blog.

[1] In recent years, many people have turned from dairy milk to plant-based milks, such as soy or almond milk, with the hope that they will be drinking a more nutrisious product. [2] The use of plant-based milks is widespread enough that there is substantial value to questioning this assumption: Is the use of such products truly healther? [3] Aparently so. [4] I have seen data on U.S. News and World Report that fortified soy milk contains as much protein and calcium as cow’s milk, and less sugar. [5] Speaking only for myself, this comes as a substantial frustration: I strongly prefer the smooth and familiar taste of dairy to its pungent and sometimes oddly textured plant-based counterparts. [6] Frankly, I highly doubt that these data are true.

–“Are Plant-Based Milks Better?”
Eleanor Strutt

Which element most weakens the accuracy of the source?

rhetorical questioning
first-person narration
complex syntax
lack of specific data

Answer 1

lack of specific data

The author cites “data on U.S. News and World Report” but gives no figures, citations, or studies to verify the claim; without specific evidence the accuracy of the reported facts can’t be confirmed.