Question 1
(Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts for one-third of the total essay section score.)
The legal drinking age in the United States has been a controversial issue for a long time. The laws, ages,
and limitations concerning the consumption of alcohol are constantly changing.
Many claim that outlawing liquor for individuals younger than twenty-one years of age decreases the risk
of drunk driving and ensures cautious drinkers. On the other hand, some assert that lowering the drinking
age to eighteen years old would largely eliminate the desire to drink and that the alcohol, losing its
“forbidden fruit” status, would be consumed more safely.
Carefully read the following sources. Then, after considering each one, take a stance on whether the
drinking age should remain at twenty-one years of age, or, if it should be lowered to the age of eighteen.
Make sure that your argument is central; use the sources to illustrate and support your reasoning. Avoid
merely summarizing the sources. Indicate clearly which sources you are drawing from, whether through
direct quotation, paraphrase, or summary. You may cite the sources as Source A, Source B, etc., or by
using the descriptions in parentheses.
Source A
Source B
Source C
Source D
Source E
Source F
(Health Journal)
(Engs)
(Cartoon)
(Chart)
(Belluck)
(Table)
Source A
"Higher minimum legal drinking ages linked to lower rates of suicides and homicides later in
life." NewsRx Health 4 Dec. 2011: 35. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 22 Feb. 2012.
The following is an article found in a Health journal that describes the results from a study attempting to
determine whether or not a lower legal drinking age results in more consequences than a higher legal
drinking age.
"Many scientists believe the adolescent brain is especially vulnerable to the effects of drugs, including
alcohol," said Grucza. "But a lot of the findings supporting that idea come from animal experiments that
can't be extended to humans. We saw drinking-age changes as a 'natural experiment' to see what happens
to young people who have easy access to alcohol compared to those whose access is restricted: if early
drinking was a true risk factor for subsequent alcoholism, then we should see multiple adverse long-term
consequences among people who lived under more permissive drinking age laws as youth. Our results
help to solidify the case for drinking age laws."
Keyes concurred. "Grucza and colleagues have elegantly demonstrated that individuals who were young
adults during a time in which they could legally drink between the ages of 18 and 21 have far-reaching
health consequences in adulthood," she said. "Given that debate over the MLDA in the U.S. continues to
persist, especially in light of the Amethyst Initiative supported by many college presidents which
advocates returning to an age 18 MLDA, this study is an important reminder of the public-health
effectiveness of controlling alcohol at the population level during a very critical time in development.
These data underscore that, especially for young women, drinking during young adulthood can lead to a
wide range of consequences throughout the life course."
"The 21 MLDA was initially adopted to reduce the number of DUI related accidents and other social
consequences of drinking involving young people," added Grucza. "The finding that it may also save
lives and reduce problems during adulthood shows the importance of maintaining these laws, and
developing other interventions aimed toward reducing drinking among young people."
Source B
"Why Drinking Age Should Be Lowered: Dr. Ruth Engs." Indiana University. Web. 22 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.indiana.edu/~engs/articles/cqoped.html>.
The following is an article written by a professor of Applied Health Sciences at Indiana University. It
contains her research and opinion on why the drinking age should be lowered to 18.
The legal drinking age should be lowered to about 18 or 19 and young adults allowed to drink in
controlled environments such as restaurants, taverns, pubs and official school and university
functions. In these situations responsible drinking could be taught through role modeling and
educational programs. Mature and sensible drinking behavior would be expected. This opinion is
based upon research that I have been involved in for over twenty years concerning college age
youth and the history of drinking in the United States and other cultures.
Although the legal purchase age is 21 years of age, a majority of college students under this age
consume alcohol but in an irresponsible manner. This is because drinking by these youth is seen
as an enticing "forbidden fruit," a "badge of rebellion against authority" and a symbol of
"adulthood." As a nation we have tried prohibition legislation twice in the past for controlling
irresponsible drinking problems. This was during National Prohibition in the 1920s and state
prohibition during the 1850s. These laws were finally repealed because they were unenforceable
and because the backlash towards them caused other social problems. Today we are repeating
history and making the same mistakes that occurred in the past. Prohibition did not work then
and prohibition for young people under the age of 21 is not working now.
The flaunting of the current laws is readily seen among university students. Those under the age
of 21 are more likely to be heavy -- sometimes called "binge" -- drinkers (consuming over 5
drinks at least once a week). For example, 22% of all students under 21 compared to 18% over
21 years of age are heavy drinkers. Among drinkers only, 32% of under age compared to 24% of
legal age are heavy drinkers.
Research from the early 1980s until the present has shown a continuous decrease in drinking and
driving related variables which has parallel the nation's, and also university students, decrease in
per capita consumption. However, these declines started in 1980 before the national 1987 law
which mandated states to have 21 year old alcohol purchase laws.
The decrease in drinking and driving problems is the result of many factors and not just the rise
in purchase age or the decreased per capita consumption. These include: education concerning
drunk driving, designated driver programs, increased seat belt and air bag usage, safer
automobiles, lower speed limits, free taxi services from drinking establishments, etc.
Source C
"To Lower or Not To Lower? (The Drinking Age)." To Lower or Not To Lower? (The Drinking Age).
Web. 22 Feb. 2012. <http://newblogger-thedrinkingage.blogspot.com/>.
The following cartoon originally appeared in The Columbia Dispatch written by Jeff Stahler, and was republished onto a blog website all about lowering the drinking age. The blog is most likely written by a
young adult.
Source D
Rampell, Catherine. "Carousing Teens, Around the World." Economix Blog. New York Times, 8
Dec. 2009. Web. 23 Feb. 2012.
<http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/08/carousing-teens-around-the-world/>.
The following chart appeared in the New York Times, and depicts the percentage of 15-year-olds that
have been drunk at least twice, in different countries.
Source E
Belluck, Pam. "Vermont Considers Lowering Drinking Age to 18." The New York Times. The
New York Times, 13 Apr. 2005. Web. 23 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/13/national/13drink.html?pagewanted=1>.
The following is an excerpt from an article in which recently retired president of Middlebury
College, John M. McCardell Jr. discusses the attempts to lower the drinking age in the state of
Vermont from 21 to 18.
"The 21-year-old drinking age is bad social policy and terrible law," Mr. McCardell wrote,
saying it had led to binge drinking by teenagers. "Our latter-day prohibitionists have driven
drinking behind closed doors and underground."
Mr. Marron, a four-term legislator who is vice chairman of the appropriations committee,
decided that the law needed changing, and he has introduced a bill to lower the drinking age to
18, setting off a debate about public safety, age discrimination and the rights of young people as
well as whether it is possible to teach teenagers to drink responsibly.
"Now we have a legal age of 18 to do everything else, but you can't drink until you're 21," Mr.
Marron said. "I'm not pushing it to the level of it being unconstitutional, but I do think it's a form
of age discrimination. If we did something else, like said you couldn't use a public campsite until
you're 21, we would have an equal-protection-of-laws issue."
"Philosophically, it's difficult to reconcile the notion that you can enlist in the military, serve
your country, go to war, but not go into your local pub and get a draft beer," Mr. Gibbs said.
The American Cancer Society has generally withheld support for such proposals, saying that
there was not a lot of data on their effectiveness and that adoption might make cigarettes more of
a forbidden fruit A survey of Vermont voters conducted by a state senator last month, before
debate or hearings on the proposals, showed some support for lowering the drinking age (33
percent), but more for raising the smoking age (51 percent).
The forbidden-fruit argument is also made by advocates for lowering the drinking age. Instead of
doing it in a controlled situation, going to a bar with a drink limit or something, they're doing it
at keg parties in places that are harder to control," Mr. Koroknay-Palicz said.
Statistics from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration show that the
number of drunken drivers under age 21 involved in fatal crashes decreased by 61 percent from
1982 to 1998. The agency also estimates that 22,798 lives were saved from 1975 to 2003 by
higher-drinking-age laws.
And in Vermont, Kerry Sleeper, the public safety commissioner, said all fatal crashes involving
alcohol dropped to 25 in 2002, from 50 in 1986, the year the drinking age was raised.
Source F
"Alcohol: Problems and Solutions." Minimum Legal Drinking Ages around the World. Web. 23 Feb.
2012. <http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/LegalDrinkingAge.html>.
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Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Bahamas
Barbados
Belarus
Belize
Bermuda
Bolivia
Botswana
Brazil
British Virgin Islands
Bulgaria
Cameroon
Canada (19 in some provinces)
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chile
China
Columbia
Congo, Republic of
Costa Rica
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt*
El Salvador
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Finland
France
Guatemala
Guyana
Hungary
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
Jamaica
Kazakhstan
18 (cont.)
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Kenya
Latvia
Lesotho
Lithuania
Malawi
Mauritius
Mexico
Moldova
Mongolia
Mozambique
Namibia
New Zealand
Niger
Nigeria
Norway*
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Peru
Philippines
Russia
Samoa
Seychelles
Singapore
Slovak Republic
South Africa
Spain (16 in Asturias)
St. Maarten
Sweden*
Thailand
Trinidad and Tobago
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Uganda
Ukraine
United Kingdom (age 5
with parents)
Uruguay
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Zambia
Zimbabwe
21
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Fiji
Pakistan (for non-Muslims, prohibited for
Muslims)
Palau
Sri Lanka
United States*
This table is from a website that
informs about alcohol. It displays
the countries in the world that
have drinking ages of 18 or 21
respectively