Argumentative Assessment

Every child should own a pet. Pets help children learn many important lessons. Owning a pet helps children learn how to be responsible. They must feed and care for their pets every day. Children will find that pets do not always do what they tell them to. Teaching a cat a trick or showing a dog how to sit helps children learn how to be patient. Having a pet also shows children how to be kind to animals.

How does the author support the argument?

• By explaining what pets teach children

• By showing which pets are best for children

• By showing how children and pets can have fun

• By explaining why children might enjoy having a pet

Excerpt from The Catching of Unshelled Fish "Whoever has leaned over the side of a sailboat, peering down into the green, crystalline waters of the Gulf, and seen, twenty feet down, the shimmering sides of a fifteen-pound red grouper, firmly hooked and coming, will never turn over sleepily, for a last nap, when his door is almost broken in at 5 A.M."

This statement supports the author's argument that fishermen are

• Dedicated

• Generous

• Inquisitive

• Lazy

Which of these sentences would BEST express the main idea of a speech arguing that people should participate in a charity softball tournament?

• Softball is a great way to get some much needed exercise.

• The money raised by the tournament will help local animal shelters.

• The tournament is a fun way to spend time with friends while helping a worthy cause.

• Even if you don’t have any softball experience, you can form a team and participate.

CLAIM: The county council has done the community a disservice by mishandling money, focusing on frivolous causes, and failing to listen to community concerns.

Which explains the BEST way to organize the reasons for this claim?

• Provide your carefully considered opinions as well as general opinions from many sources; be sure to cite your sources correctly

• Provide evidence of mishandling funds, give testimony about the time spent on frivolous causes, and show an example of community concerns being ignored

• Consider potential counterclaims and counterarguments to demonstrate your ability to defend your claim from opposing viewpoints.

• Keep your supporting evidence general so that a variety of evidence will convincingly support your claim.

Which sentence makes a claim for an argument about why cats make good pets for elderly people?

• Cats can stay indoors all the time and can be left alone overnight.

• Cats can sleep the majority of the day and enjoy cuddling with their owners.

• Cats would be a wonderful pet for elderly people because they require minimal care

• Cats do not have to be taken for walks and do not have to be played with all the time.

In Mike Twohy's cartoon, a father working at a computer turns to his son, also at a computer, and asks, "Wanna toss the ol' virtual pigskin?" Pigskin is slang for a football. In her essay, Jane McGonigal writes:

Gamers want to know: Where, in the real world, is that gamer sense of being fully alive, focused, and engaged in every moment? Where is the gamer feeling of power, heroic purpose, and community? Where are the bursts of expanding thrill of success and team victory?

Which choice BEST shows how the cartoon supports the argument in the excerpt?

• The cartoon suggests that the father would enjoy playing an online football game more than real football.

• The cartoon indicates that the father wants his son to be familiar with different computer applications.

• The cartoon suggests that the father prefers that his son play a video game because it’s safer than real football.

• The cartoon indicates that the father thinks his son spends too much time alone on the computer.

Which sentence BEST describes how to effectively analyze an image like the cartoon by Mike Twohy?

• Examine the image closely for literal and figurative meanings.

• Draw conclusions based on what is directly expressed in the image.

• Make inferences based on figurative meanings in the image.

• Examine the image for literal meanings before doing anything else.

Which claim would Reality Is Broken author Jane McGonigal and cartoon artist Mike Twohy both agree with?

• The only way for people to truly connect is through online gaming.

• Some people prefer virtual games over traditional games.

• People spend too much time playing online games these days.

• More people are abandoning reality in favor of virtual games.