Table of Contents
Directions
Your professor is teaching a class on Environment. Write a post responding to the professor’s question. In your response, you should:
- express and support your personal opinion
make a contribution to the discussion in your own words - An effective response will contain at least 100 words. You have ten minutes to write.
Class Discussion
“Today, we are discussing the development of lab-grown meat as an alternative to traditional meat. Apart from considering the environmental benefits, assuming that lab-grown meat can replace animal farming entirely, is it truly the best solution for ethical eating, or is it an over-processed health risk? What do you think?”
I support lab-grown meat because it reduces animal suffering and lowers greenhouse gas emissions. Producing meat in labs means fewer animals are killed, which is better for ethics. It also uses less land and water, helping protect the environment. I believe this practical approach can solve both ethical and environmental problems together.
While Emily points out important benefits, we should be careful about the health effects of lab-grown meat. It is highly processed and may contain chemicals or additives that we don’t fully understand yet. Also, traditional diets have nutrients from real animal meat that lab-grown options might miss. We need more studies before calling it a safe and ethical solution.
Sample Answers & Evaluation
🏆 Perfect Score – The Sniper Approach (30/30)
While Emily argues that lab-grown meat offers ethical and environmental benefits, she fails to consider the fundamental challenge of nutritional integrity in over-processed foods. The assumption that lab-grown meat is an unequivocal ethical solution neglects potential health repercussions stemming from synthetic additives and altered protein structures. For instance, a 2022 study by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) highlighted uncertainties regarding the long-term effects of cultured meat consumption on human metabolism and immune response. Why? Because the biochemical composition of lab-grown meat differs significantly from that of traditional meat, potentially affecting nutrient absorption and microbiome balance. This issue exposes a paradox in the ethical debate: promoting lab-grown meat for animal welfare might inadvertently undermine human health autonomy. Therefore, a paradigm shift in food technology must not only facilitate ethical eating but also prioritize rigorous health assessments to validate safety. Until such evidence exists, branding lab-grown meat as the ultimate ethical solution remains premature and scientifically unsubstantiated.
Teacher’s Feedback
Score: 30/30
Logic: This student identified a specific logical flaw in the opposing argument—the nutritional concerns of lab-grown meat—using a real-world FAO study to support their analysis. This precision and depth make the response compelling and authoritative.
Golden Vocabulary: nutritional integrity, paradox, paradigm shift
🏆 High Score – The Standard Approach (25/30)
I think lab-grown meat is a good idea because it can help reduce animal cruelty and protect the environment. For example, growing meat in labs uses less land and water than farming animals. However, we should be careful because lab-grown meat is processed heavily. It might have chemicals or ingredients that could affect our health. If people eat only lab-grown meat for a long time, it could cause problems we don’t know yet. So, lab-grown meat is helpful but also has some health risks. We need more information before saying it is the best choice for ethical eating.
Teacher’s Feedback
Score: 25/30
Logic: This student gave a clear and logical opinion with an understandable example about environmental benefits and health concerns. However, the argument lacks specific evidence and deeper analysis, which makes it less persuasive than the 30-point essay.
Golden Vocabulary: processed, chemicals, ingredients