Question

read the following paragraph:
manny is writing a paper about whether violence in video games makes kids more violent. he found a news article about violence in video games on a national news organization’s .com website. the article seemed to be objective and the news organization is well known. on the website, readers are allowed to post comments about the article. one reader posted a comment with a lot of information that she claimed proved that violent video games do not make kids more violent. manny thinks that the information in this reader’s comment might be helpful in his paper.
which statement is the best evaluation of the reader’s comment as a source of information?
○ the reader’s comment is a credible source because it was posted in response to an objective article.
○ the reader’s comment is a credible source because it was posted on a trusted website.
○ the reader’s comment is not a credible source because nothing is known about the person who wrote the comment.
○ the reader’s comment is not a credible source because the website it was found on is not credible.

Explanation:

To determine the best evaluation, we analyze each option:

• First option: The comment's credibility isn't due to responding to an objective article (the article's objectivity isn't confirmed here).
• Second option: The article is from a national news organization’s website (trusted), and the comment includes "a lot of information" that "proved" a claim. A trusted website’s reader comment with supporting info is more credible.
• Third option: The comment’s credibility isn’t negated by unknown author if the info is substantive (here, it has info to support a claim).
• Fourth option: The website (national news org) is credible, so the comment’s source (the website) is credible.

So the second option is best as it ties the comment’s credibility to the trusted website it’s posted on.

Answer:

The reader’s comment is a credible source because it was posted on a trusted website.