The author uses cause and effect structure in the second paragraph to set the context for his main argument. By highlighting the historical attitudes toward voting rights and the disenfranchisement of children, the author frames the importance of addressing the lack of suffrage for young people, thus leading into the main argument that there should be children's suffrage.
"Let Children Vote. Even 13-Year-Olds."
by Laurence Pevsner
On the second night of the Democratic National Convention, New Yorker staff writer Lauren Collins commented: “Strange little uncontestable truism of political rhetoric, that children are the sole factor driving our desires and decisions.”
It is strange that our politicians spend so much time fawning over America’s largest group of disenfranchised citizens. Of course, the pandering isn’t actually to children - it’s to their parents. And the policies that politicians champion disproportionately favor adults. Policies don’t favor young people because young people don’t get a say in the decisions that affect them. There’s no such thing as children’s suffrage. But there should be.
Most adult Americans would laugh at the idea of a 13-year-old walking into a polling booth. But that’s a familiar attitude in the history of American voting rights.
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Question
Use the passage to answer the question.
Why does the author use cause and effect structure in the second paragraph?
(1 point)
Responses
to refute commonly accepted counterclaims
to refute commonly accepted counterclaims
to reinforce the validity of historic policies
to reinforce the validity of historic policies
to set the context for his main argument
to set the context for his main argument
to establish credibility as an authority on the topic
to establish credibility as an authority on the topic
1 answer
1 answer