Question

A writer presents the following claim and counterclaim:

Claim: The county school board should adopt a less strict absentee policy for students

Counterclaim: Evidence showing a connection between increased attendance and higher grades

Which answer most clearly connects the claim to the counterclaim?

A) Many argue that a high number of absences result in lower grades; however, the studies making these connections do not consider the educational reasons students might miss school.

B) The evidence that shows a connection between increased attendance and higher grades does not include a representative sample of the population, so we can't be sure that the study's claims are actually even true.

C) Students who can miss more days of school could use these days to participate in educational activities like field trips. Being absent from school doesn't always mean a student isn't being exposed to new learning opportunities.

D) If students have a bad teacher and can learn the material on their own, then it shouldn't even matter if they miss a few extra days. The study should consider different teachers and how they affect students' grades.

Answer 1

A) Many argue that a high number of absences result in lower grades; however, the studies making these connections do not consider the educational reasons students might miss school.

This is the best choice for a few reasons. The first being that it clearly connects the claim to the counterclaim by talking about the issue of absenteeism in schools in regards to grades. Another reason this is a better choice than the others is that it maintains the formal tone throughout the entire sentence. Some of the other options begin to lose the formal tone that is required of an argumentative essay.

Answer 2

The answer would be A. This is because the answer takes the information from the question and molds it into a statement. The other answers add unknown information to the statement, which makes it more confusing and unrelated to the actual claim.