1 CRT/205 What is Critical Thinking? CRT/205 What is Critical Thinking? Steven Bradley Student University of Phoenix Since critical thinking begins with assumptions we must first be aware of the assumption, then make the assumption and finally assess it. Critical thinking is how a person assesses the reasons for or against a decision being made so the assumption is neither good nor bad until fully assessed. Critical thinking is also done by being completely unbiased. This can be hard sometimes due to our emotions. Our emotions make up who we are which can sometimes cause barriers when making a critical decision. So the trick is to not ignore or deny our emotions but learn how to manage and handle them. In order to manage our emotions we may need to argue with ourselves or others whether or not something is true or not. An argument will allow the issue to be assessed along with the reasons of why or why not a decision is valid. The argument will also lead to one or more conclusions in determining what the final decision should be. The ultimate objective in thinking critically is to come to conclusions that are correct and to make decisions that are wise. (Critical thinking (10th ed.) (Moore & Parker). So to me critical thinking is not ill formed decisions but decisions that have been thought through and weighed to come up with the best conclusion. It usually isn’t our first thought that comes to mind. You have to critically think about the conclusions you are trying to come to without being biased in the process, which as I said can be difficult because we all have emotions. Citations Critical thinking (10th ed.) (Moore & Parker) Pg. 4 Peer Review Checklist COM/150 Version 6 1 Associate Program Material Peer Review Checklist* What is the main point of this essay? The main point of the essay is about teens eating a lot of fast food. Having these habits can cause risk factors and health issues. What is the greatest strength of this essay? I feel the greatest strengths of this essay is when the student states the risk factors and health issues that can occur if they continue to just eat fast food. Does the introduction grab your interest and make you want to read on? Explain your answer. No, I don’t feel it grabs my attention because the thesis: “While many parents think fast-food is harmless to a typical teen’s diet,(it starts out like a comparison using the word “while”) it can cause weight problems as well as health problems that can follow them through adulthood” I was hoping for an comparison, maybe the student can use a different word for the thesis sentence. What material does not seem to fit the main point of the essay or does not seem to be appropriate for the audience? The material I felt didn’t fit the main point and was inappropriate for the audience was when the student talks about why teens are unhappy for many reasons. I think it can be left out. Where should the author add more deta.

1. 1
CRT/205 What is Critical Thinking?
CRT/205 What is Critical Thinking?
Steven Bradley
Student
University of Phoenix
Since critical thinking begins with assumptions we must first
be aware of the assumption, then make the assumption and
finally assess it. Critical thinking is how a person assesses the
reasons for or against a decision being made so the assumption
is neither good nor bad until fully assessed. Critical thinking is
also done by being completely unbiased. This can be hard
sometimes due to our emotions. Our emotions make up who we

2. are which can sometimes cause barriers when making a critical
decision. So the trick is to not ignore or deny our emotions but
learn how to manage and handle them. In order to manage our
emotions we may need to argue with ourselves or others
whether or not something is true or not. An argument will allow
the issue to be assessed along with the reasons of why or why
not a decision is valid. The argument will also lead to one or
more conclusions in determining what the final decision should
be.
The ultimate objective in thinking critically is to come to
conclusions that are correct and to make decisions that are wise.
(Critical thinking (10th ed.) (Moore & Parker). So to me critical
thinking is not ill formed decisions but decisions that have been
thought through and weighed to come up with the best
conclusion. It usually isn’t our first thought that comes to mind.
You have to critically think about the conclusions you are
trying to come to without being biased in the process, which as
I said can be difficult because we all have emotions.
Citations
Critical thinking (10th ed.) (Moore & Parker) Pg. 4
Peer Review Checklist
COM/150 Version 6
1
Associate Program Material
Peer Review Checklist*
What is the main point of this essay?
The main point of the essay is about teens eating a lot of fast
food. Having these habits can cause risk factors and health
issues.

3. What is the greatest strength of this essay?
I feel the greatest strengths of this essay is when the student
states the risk factors and health issues that can occur if they
continue to just eat fast food.
Does the introduction grab your interest and make you want to
read on? Explain your answer.
No, I don’t feel it grabs my attention because the thesis: “While
many parents think fast-food is harmless to a typical teen’s
diet,(it starts out like a comparison using the word “while”) it
can cause weight problems as well as health problems that can
follow them through adulthood” I was hoping for an
comparison, maybe the student can use a different word for the
thesis sentence.
What material does not seem to fit the main point of the essay
or does not seem to be appropriate for the audience?
The material I felt didn’t fit the main point and was
inappropriate for the audience was when the student talks about
why teens are unhappy for many reasons. I think it can be left
out.
Where should the author add more details or examples? Explain
your answer.
I like that the student talks about how fast food is a bad habit
and how unhealthy it is, however the student should list
healthier alternatives where the fast food can be replaced.
Maybe suggest for the parents to pack the teen a lunch, with
health snacks, eating last night leftovers. Parent and teen also
can sit down and make a schedule by planning means together.
Where is the writing unclear or vague?
The writing is somewhat unclear where the student is stressing
the point of fast food being a unhealthy food choice. With some
of the repeated information, it hard to understand where the

4. student is trying to go with this.
What is your favorite part of this piece of writing?
My favorite part of this piece of writing is when the student
uses the example of their cousin. When you have that type of
person in your life, it makes you want to change because you
don’t want to go through the same thing they are going through.
It also makes you want to help them but it does start with them
wanting to help themselves first. Support is the main thing to
have when a person is having this type of issue. Try to be there
as much as possible physically, mentally, and emotionally.
What other comments might you provide for the author?
I like the topic that was chosen, however the student should do
a spell check. Some of the words are not spelled right. Also, a
lot of the material is repeated. I recommend doing a
compare/contrast with the alternative food.
Good Essay!
*Adapted from Reinking, J. A., Hart, A. W., & Von der Osten,
R. (2001). Strategies for successful writing: A rhetoric, research
guide, reader, and handbook (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Prentice-Hall.
You scored 28/40 on this assignment. See my comments below
in “Blue.”
Week 7: Introduction and Conclusion
Points
Possible
Points

5. Earned
Comments
- The paper consists of an introduction and a conclusion for the
expository essay that is added to the body paragraphs from
Week 6.
- The paper is also submitted to the Center for Writing
Excellence and the Plagiarism Checker.
5
5
Yes. Thank you for completing the assignment in full and
according to the instructions.
The introduction provides sufficient background on the topic,
includes the thesis statement, and previews major points.
15
5
The main problem with the intro is the tone. It is based almost
entirely on personal experience Remember, this is a research
paper. Your job is to present facts, not comment on those facts.
You must prove your argument with facts alone.
As I have mentioned several times before, when you are
constructing a piece of academic writing, you should always
avoid referring to yourself or to your audience. That means no
"you" "your" "my" "I" or "we". Please eliminate these from your
paper.
In addition, your own personal experience should not appear
anywhere in your writing. Statements that refer to yourself or to
people you know are not appropriate here.
The conclusion is logical, flows from the body of the paper, and
reviews the major points.
15
15
I like the way you constructed this section. It does a nice job of
providing closure to your topic Remember, now that you have

6. this completed; it is your job to ensure that all of the main
points in your paper can be connected back to the ideas
presented in the conclusion.
The tone is appropriate for the intended audience. Both sections
are written in third-person point of view.
5
3
(See Comments Above)
Total Points Earned: 28/40
I would like to see some revision for these sections in your final
draft. Once you the basic framework for the “bookends” of your
paper, along with the rough draft you completed last week, you
are nearing the final stages of the writing process. Moving
forward, continue using the feedback you have received thus far
to improve the organization and clarity of your writing for the
final draft. Good luck!
Healthy Eating: Teens and Fast-Food Restaurants
Steven Bradley
University of Phoenix
Running head: HEALTHY EATING: TEENS AND FAST-FOOD
1

7. HEALTHY EATING: TEENS AND FAST-FOOD 4
“While many parents think fast-food is harmless to a typical
teen's diet, it can cause weight problems as well as health
problems that can follow them thru adulthood.”
HEALTHY EATING: TEENS AND FAST-FOOD 2
Healthy Eating: Teens and Fast-Food Restaurants
How would you like your teen to be like my cousin? I have a
cousin who weights almost 500lbs
and she is in her early twenties. Her parents found it easier to
feed her fast-food for her meals,
due to their busy schedules while she was growing up. She has a
lot of health issues now and
fights to live every day. She has problems breathing, walking
and has type 2 diabetes. If she had
been taught at a young age about eating healthy she would not
have these issues today. The
statistics show that teens that eat fast-food more than twice per
week are over weight and end up
with health issues. My cousin is a good example that this is
true.

8. Parents today do not watch what their children eat on a daily
basis. Parents are working long
hours or just in a rush to get teens to soccer practice or
gymnastics. The fast way to feed their
family and keep to their busy schedules is to stop at a fast-food
restaurant on the way. The
children eat in the car while the parent is eating and driving
them where they need to be. This
lifestyle is part of the problem. When teens are use to this, they
tend to snack on unhealthy food
as well. Parents tend to purchase unhealthy snacks that are fast
and available. When teens go to
the cabinet for a snack it is not fruit and vegetables that they
see. It is snack cakes, and candy.
Teens that grow up from childhood eating this way will
continue as teens and young adults.
“Home food environment of families who ate fast food for
dinner more than three times a week
consisted of more chips and soda pop and less fruits and
vegetables than families who ate fast
food less than three times a week. A higher frequency of fast
food dinners was also associated
with obesity (University of Minnesota, 2007)”. This is why
teens with two working parents are

9. more at risk to become obese.
Obesity in teens continues to dramatically increase during
the 1990’s (Palo Alto Medical
Foundation n.d.). One reason is due to the consumption of fast-
food more than twice per week.
More teens are left to themselves to find something to eat when
at friends homes or out on the
town. The easy thing for a teen is to have fast-food to curb their
hunger. Teens with a fast-food
restaurant within walking distance from their school are also at
higher risk of obesity. This gives
them access to eat lunch there every day. One meal at a fast
food restaurant is typically the
equivalent of a full day’s calorie intake (Andrews, 2007). “After
15 years, those who
ate at fast-food restaurants more than twice each week
compared to less than once a week had
gained an extra ten pounds” (National Institutes of Health
2004). “Among children and teens
ages six to 19, 15 percent are overweight according to the 1999-
2000 data, or triple what the
proportion was in 1980” (Palo Alto Medical Foundation n.d.).
This means “almost 9 million

10. teens have weight problems” (Palo Alto Medical Foundation
n.d.) and will have health issues in
the future if they are not taught what is healthy and good for
them to eat. For teens and parents,
higher frequency of fast food meals was associated with eating
significantly fewer fruits and
vegetables and drinking less milk. More fast food around the
dinner table also meant pantry
shelves were stocked with more salty snacks and soda, creating
poor access to healthy foods at
home. Parents who ate fast food often were more likely to be
overweight than those who ate it
less (University of Minnesota, 2007). Teens that live close to
these restaurants are at high risk for
obesity due to daily consumption during lunch. The risk factors
for health issues in over weight
teens increases with every extra pound they put on.
Teens with weight issues are at risk for a number of health
problems including heart disease,
type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, and some forms of
cancer (Palo Alto Medical
Foundation n.d.). These health issues will follow teens into
their adulthood. Being overweight
can also affect a person's joints, breathing, sleep, mood, and

11. energy levels. The numbers of
health issues that can arise for a teen overweight are great. They
all start out with the weight
issue and end in health concerns that a teen should not have to
deal with at such a young age.
Some teens health issues can also be a large factor in their
weight issue. The majority of teens
that are unhappy for any reason (fights with classmates, parents,
and lack of boyfriend or
girlfriend) they eat. The majority of teens never take the time to
fix something healthy they go
for what is fast and available.
These health issues are very serious and could end with
death. Teens should be made aware
by both their doctors and parents to these health issues and what
the teens can expect in the
future. Most teens are very smart, and when health issues are
explained in detail they will make
the correct choice to get healthy and well again. Teens have
proven over the years that when well
informed about a subject they can and will make the right
choice. Teens should be taught the
health issues that can arise from certain fast-food ingredients, to
assist them when they are

12. looking for something to eat or snack.
Most teens do not have a clue regarding what ingredients are
put into their food when eating
at fast food restaurants. For starters, McDonald’s eggs are made
with the following ingredients;
sodium acid pyrophosphate, citric acid, and monosodium for
starters (Andrews, 2007). These
ingredients are not only bad for your weight but some are not
even allowed to be used in the
making of cat food as they have not been proven safe for
animals (Andrews, 2007). Salads can
usually be counted on to be a "what you see is what you get"
item. But McDonald's adds some
interesting ingredients. Several salads have either cilantro lime
glaze, or orange glaze
added. Along with many of McDonald's sauces, both the
cilantro lime glaze and the orange glaze
contain propylene glycol alginate. While propylene glycol is
considered "GRAS" for human
consumption, it is not legal for use in cat food because the
safety hasn't been proven yet.
Propylene glycol is also used “As the killing and preserving
agent in pitfall traps, usually used to

13. capture ground beetles” (Andrews, 2007). Some ingredients in
fast foods can not be found in
local grocery stores because they are not food. They can be
found at your local hardware store,
and low tox-antifreeze is one example (Andrews, 2007). This
item and others like it are
consumed on a daily basis by teens today. These ingredients are
some of the reasons teens have
weight issues, which causes health problems in the future. A
Big MAC has 540 calories
(Andrews, 2007). Teens that eat at their local McDonald’s
might consume one of these a day.
Add fries and a large soft drink and there went the day’s calorie
allowance and possibly half of
tomorrow’s. All fast-food restaurants use the same ingredients
to preserve their food (Andrews,
2007). The food is pre-made and shipped to each restaurant and
needs to be preserved for the
shipping.
“Limiting fast food intake at home is one way families can
attempt to improve eating habits
and the overall health of the family” (University of Minnesota,
2007). Teen’s that are not
properly taught how to eat healthy have weight and health

14. issues that can follow them into
adulthood. Study’s show fast food eating more than twice a
week causes weight issues in teens
that will follow with health issues. A teen can become a type 2
diabetic or have heart problems.
For parents interested in keeping their teens healthy they need
to make sure their children are
taught how to eat healthy as children so these good habits are
practiced into the teen years.
If after reading the facts I stated in my essay about fast-food
being unhealthy, you still do not
believe it. Please reread my introduction about my cousin.
Nobody wants to go thru the things
she has had to endure over the years. Parents need to take the
time to teach their children about
healthy eating and the issues that can arise if they do not take
care of themselves as they get
older.
Reference:
National Institutes of Health (December 30, 2004) Eating at
Fast-food Restaurants More than

15. Twice Per Week is Associated with More Weight Gain and
Insulin Resistance in Otherwise
Healthy Young Adults
Retrieved 7/18/09 from
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/dec2004/nhlbi-30.htm
Palo Alto Medical Foundation (n.d.) Teen Obesity, Retrieved
7/18/09 from
http://www.pamf.org/teen/health/diseases/obesity.html
Andrews, J. (2007) Surprise Ingredients in Fast Food. Citizen
Journalist. Retrieved on 7/18/09 from
http://www.naturalnews.com/022194.html
University of Minnesota (2007, January 9). Fast Food As
Family Meals Limits Healthy Food
Intake, Increases Obesity Risk. ScienceDaily. Retrieved on
(7/18/09) from
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070108114306.ht
m