Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the following questions from 12 to 19.
How Modern Parenting Created a Generation of Picky Eaters
In 1915, when a Maine mother asked the U.S. Children's Bureau why her son rejected certain foods, officials dismissed the idea of "preference", suggesting a medical cause instead. At the time, voluntary food rejection was virtually unheard of; children were expected to eat whatever was served with enthusiasm. Picky eating, as a recognized behavioral trait, simply did not exist in the American cultural landscape.
Today, however, American children are often labeled the "pickiest in history". In her recent research, historian Helen Zoe Veit argues that a century of shifting adult attitudes has fundamentally reshaped childhood. She contends that modern parenting has inadvertently normalized selective eating. Before the 20th century, there was no "children's food"; youngsters shared adult meals and developed robust appetites, partly because snacking was nonexistent.
The mid-20th century brought pivotal changes in child psychology and autonomy. Influential parenting guides, such as those by Dr. Benjamin Spock, began encouraging parents to grant children more control over their diets. This was bolstered by studies suggesting that, left to their own devices, children could naturally regulate their nutritional needs. Meanwhile, the rise of Freudian theory warned that pressuring children to eat could cause lasting psychological trauma, further softening parental authority at the dinner table.
Simultaneously, the explosion of processed foods and aggressive marketing transformed family dynamics. By the 1960s, supermarkets offered unprecedented variety, and advertisers began targeting impressionable children directly, granting them immense influence over household purchases. Veit criticizes this modern exceptionalism, noting that while parents enforce hygiene and safety, they often treat nutrition as negotiable. She advocates for consistent family meals and repeated exposure to new foods, viewing picky eating as a misguided outcome of otherwise good intentions.
(Adapted from https://www.economist.com/culture)
