Regents English Argumentative Writing 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In an argumentative essay, the writer's primary goal is to:
- tell an entertaining story about a personal experience
- convince the reader to accept a specific position using evidence and reasoning (Correct answer)
- describe a place or person in vivid detail
- explain how a process works step by step
Correct answer: convince the reader to accept a specific position using evidence and reasoning
Argumentative writing is designed to persuade the reader to accept the writer's claim through logic, evidence, and reasoning.
Question 2: Which type of appeal relies on logic, facts, and evidence?
- Ethos
- Pathos
- Logos (Correct answer)
- Kairos
Correct answer: Logos
Logos is the rhetorical appeal to logic and reason, using facts, data, and evidence to support a claim.
Question 3: An appeal to ethos is meant to establish:
- The emotional connection with the audience
- The author's credibility and trustworthiness (Correct answer)
- The logical structure of the argument
- The urgency of the topic
Correct answer: The author's credibility and trustworthiness
Ethos appeals establish the author's authority, expertise, or moral character to make the audience trust their argument.
Question 4: Which of the following is an example of a logical fallacy?
- Using a statistic from a peer-reviewed study
- Claiming that if we allow X then eventually Z will happen without evidence (slippery slope) (Correct answer)
- Acknowledging a counterargument and responding to it
- Providing expert testimony to support a claim
Correct answer: Claiming that if we allow X then eventually Z will happen without evidence (slippery slope)
The slippery slope fallacy assumes one event will inevitably lead to extreme consequences without providing evidence for the chain.
Question 5: When the Regents ELA exam asks students to 'write a well-developed argument,' this means they should:
- Write one sentence taking a side
- Present a claim, support it with evidence from texts, and analyze the evidence thoroughly (Correct answer)
- List opinions without using any textual evidence
- Copy sentences from the provided texts
Correct answer: Present a claim, support it with evidence from texts, and analyze the evidence thoroughly
A well-developed argument includes a clear claim, relevant evidence from source texts, and thorough analysis connecting evidence to the claim.
Question 6: Pathos in an argument appeals to:
- The reader's logic and reasoning ability
- The writer's credentials and expertise
- The reader's emotions and values (Correct answer)
- The historical context of the topic
Correct answer: The reader's emotions and values
Pathos is the rhetorical appeal to the audience's emotions, values, or sympathies to make the argument more compelling.
Regents English Argumentative Writing 1
In an argumentative essay, the writer's primary goal is to: