Read the excerpt from Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington.

Question

To those of the white race who look to the incoming of those of foreign birth and strange tongue and habits of the prosperity of the South, were I permitted I would repeat what I say to my own race: "Cast down your bucket where you are.” Cast it down among the eight millions of Negroes whose habits you know, whose fidelity and love you have tested in days when to have proved treacherous meant the ruin of your firesides. Cast down your bucket among these people who have, without strikes and labour wars, tilled your fields, cleared your forests, builded your railroads and cities, and brought forth treasures from the bowels of the earth, and helped make possible this magnificent representation of the progress of the South. Casting down your bucket among my people, helping and encouraging them as you are doing on these grounds, and to education of head, hand, and heart, you will find that they will buy your surplus land, make blossom the waste places in your fields, and run your factories. While doing this, you can be sure in the future, as in the past, that you and your families will be surrounded by the most patient, faithful, law-abiding, and unresentful people that the world has seen.

Which statement best explains the validity of this argument?

The argument is valid because the author provides reasoning for why Black citizens are “patient, faithful, law-abiding, and unresentful.”
The argument is valid because the author encourages his listeners to look around at the “eight millions” of Black neighbors they already have.
The argument is valid because the author explains his appeal to “cast down your bucket where you are” and gives evidence of what will be found.
The argument is valid because the author explains his claim that listeners need not be afraid of “strange tongue and habits,” as they will bring prosperity if given a chance.

Which statement best explains the validity of this argument?

The argument is valid because the author provides reasoning for why Black citizens are “patient, faithful, law-abiding, and unresentful.” 
The argument is valid because the author encourages his listeners to look around at the “eight millions” of Black neighbors they already have. 
The argument is valid because the author explains his appeal to “cast down your bucket where you are” and gives evidence of what will be found.
The argument is valid because the author explains his claim that listeners need not be afraid of “strange tongue and habits,” as they will bring prosperity if given a chance.

GPT-4o mini · Answer

The statement that best explains the validity of the argument is:

The argument is valid because the author explains his appeal to “cast down your bucket where you are” and gives evidence of what will be found.

This choice highlights how Washington not only makes an appeal to his audience but also provides concrete reasons and evidence about the capabilities and contributions of the Black population, suggesting that they are a viable source of support for economic and social development in the South.