Question

What type of argument does the author use in this speech?

A. Pathos
B. Syntax
C. Logos
D. Ad hominem

Excerpt from "Useless Creatures" by Richard Conniff:

"But usefulness is precisely the argument other people put forward to justify destroying or displacing wildlife, and they generally bring a larger and more persuasive kind of green to the argument. Nothing you can say about 100 acres in the New Jersey Meadowlands will ever add up for a politician who thinks a new shopping mall will mean more jobs for local voters (and contributions to his campaign war chest). Nothing you can say about the value of rhinos for ecotourism in South Africa will ever matter to a wildlife trafficker who can sell their horns for $30,000 a pound in Vietnam."

Answer 1

C. Logos

The author uses logical reasoning and concrete examples (politicians prioritizing jobs and campaign contributions; traffickers motivated by high prices for rhino horn) to show that arguments about "usefulness" won't persuade people with conflicting incentives. This is an appeal to logic/evidence rather than emotion (pathos), sentence structure (syntax), or a personal attack (ad hominem).