Question

WORD CHOICE: EMOTIONAL APPEALS
A. DIRECTIONS: Read the passage. Then, answer the questions.
(1) All of us want to provide students with a safe and welcoming environment for learning at
school. (2) Unfortunately, bullying in schools is a serious problem. (3) Each day, about 160,000
students skip school because they are afraid of being bullied, showing clearly why we need to
act to end all forms of bullying in schools. (4) As a child, I was a victim of bullying in school, and
I can tell you that it is an experience from which it is hard to recover. (5) We need to let our kids
know that there are resources to help them if they have been the victims of bullying. (6) We also
need to let the students who bully others know that there are resources to help them find a
better way to deal with their problems and frustrations than taking them out on others.
1. What is the author’s claim, or position?
2. Which type of appeal is used in sentence 1 of the passage?
a. appeal to logic c. appeal to shared values
b. appeal to sympathy d. appeal to a negative emotion
3. Which type of appeal is used in sentence 3 of the passage?
a. appeal to logic c. appeal to shared values
b. appeal to sympathy d. appeal to a negative emotion
4. Which type of appeal is used in sentence 4 of the passage?
a. appeal to logic c. appeal to shared values
b. appeal to sympathy d. appeal to a negative emotion
5. Which of the following best describes the tone of the passage?
a. nervous c. playful
b. concerned d. unfeeling
B. DIRECTIONS: Read each statement below. Then, indicate the type of appeal being used (logic,
sympathy, shared values, or negative emotions), and explain your answer.
1. The use of tobacco, such as cigarettes, is the largest preventable cause of death and disease
in the United States. Each year, more than 480,000 Americans die because of tobacco use.
Do yourself a favor! Don’t start!
2. We all want to work in safe conditions while making a living. Secondhand smoke is very
harmful to non-smokers, which is why it’s so important that smoking be banned in all
workplace environments.

Answer 1

A.
1. The author’s claim: Schools should act to end bullying and provide resources to help both victims and students who bully.

2. Sentence 1: c. appeal to shared values.
- It appeals to a common belief that students deserve a safe, welcoming learning environment.

3. Sentence 3: a. appeal to logic.
- It uses a factual statistic (about 160,000 students skipping school) as logical evidence for the need to act.

4. Sentence 4: b. appeal to sympathy.
- The author’s personal experience as a bullying victim is an emotional anecdote meant to elicit sympathy.

5. Tone of the passage: b. concerned.

B.
1. Type of appeal: logic.
- The statement cites a concrete statistic (more than 480,000 deaths) as factual evidence to support the recommendation not to start smoking.

2. Type of appeal: shared values.
- It begins with “We all want to work in safe conditions,” invoking a common value (safety at work) to justify banning smoking in workplaces.