The correct answer is D. Statistic
Step-by-step explanation:
Statistics explain reality by using numbers or percentages. For example, the sentence "35% of the people choose vanilla ice cream over chocolate ice cream" is a statistic because this uses percentages to explain/describe phenomena in the world. This type of evidence is the one used by the author in the excerpt presented because he uses numbers such as "fifty-six gallons per person" to explain the intake of soda in America and develop his argument.