Question

Mother Earth . . . is no more than the commonality of organisms and the physical environment they maintain with each passing moment, an environment that will destabilize and turn lethal if the organisms are disturbed too much. . . . To disregard the diversity of life is to risk catapulting ourselves into an alien environment. We will have become like the pilot whales that inexplicably beach themselves on New England shores.

Which of the following choices best expresses the type of appeal Wilson uses in this passage?
The author uses logos to develop his argument by providing factual information about pilot whales in New England.
The author uses logos to develop his argument by gaining sympathy for the pilot whales in New England.
The author uses pathos to develop his argument by including emotionally charged language to evoke a response.
The author uses pathos to develop his argument by chastising the reader for the destruction of the environment.

Answer 1

The author uses pathos to develop his argument by chastising the reader for the destruction of the environment.

Step-by-step explanation:

"To disregard the diversity of life is to risk catapulting ourselves into an alien environment". The author here is clearly stating that not caring about nature is gonna put us in a situation there we are not supposed to exist. Maybe an era without nature, or with a very harsh one. Things will change and not for the better. "We will have to become like the pilot whales that inexplicably beach themselves on New England shores", meaning that to find solutions and to navigate the new era that we will enter for neglecting Mother Nature, we will end up blind to what the future will be like and most likely, we will not even know where humanity will be going to end.

Also, it is important to notice that by using the imagery of the whales and by using the term "mother nature", its quite clear that the author is trying to provoke an emotional response.

Answer 2

The type of appeal used by Wilson in the passage is: the author uses pathos to develop his argument by chastising the reader for the destruction of the environment. It is very clearly understood that the goal of the writer was to create awareness on what is happening to the environment. Pathos is a style of writing that evokes pity or sadness to a readers.