ELA 10 A Semester Exam

Question

2 of 362 of 36 Items
Feature

"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.

Reprinted by permission of author Richard Conniff

Question
Use the passage to answer the question.

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

(1 point)
Responses

syntax
syntax

pathos
pathos

logos
logos

ad hominem
ad hominem
Skip to navigation

Answer 1

The author uses a logos argument in this passage. Logos refers to logical reasoning and the use of facts and statistics to persuade an audience. In this case, the author discusses the perceived value of wildlife and argues against the economic justification (like jobs from a shopping mall or profits from wildlife trafficking) for destroying habitats or killing animals. The contrast between the long-term ecological value and short-term economic gains illustrates a logical argument against harmful actions towards wildlife.