Question

Read the paragraph about conducting school locker searches.

A school has the right to search student lockers to keep things safe for all students and the community at large. Education and safety are a school’s biggest responsibilities. Unfortunately, lockers can become a container for dangerous items that do not belong in a school setting. Studies have shown that when a safety issue regarding one or more students arose, evidence relating to the situation was often found in student lockers—notes, weapons, and other items that had to be confiscated. However, when students are aware that lockers are subject to unscheduled searches, they often think of other ways to store their belongings; items are instead concealed in backpacks, pockets, and purses, which are much more accessible to students.

Which text from the paragraph is a counterclaim to the author’s thesis statement?
notes, weapons, and other items that had to be confiscated.
Unfortunately, lockers can become a container for dangerous items that do not belong in a school setting.
items are instead concealed in backpacks, pockets, and purses, which are much more accessible to students.
Education and safety are a school’s biggest responsibilities.

Answer 1

When we say counterclaim, from the term itself, this means to counteract a certain and given claim. Based on the given paragraph above regarding school locker searches, the text that shows as a counterclaim to the thesis statement of the author is this: Unfortunately, lockers can become a container for dangerous items that do not belong in a school setting. The answer would be the second option.

Answer 2

Answer: C) items are instead concealed in backpacks, pockets, and purses, which are much more accessible to students.

Explanation: an argument or claim is a statement assertion that something is true. A counterclaim is a statement or an idea that refutes the claim. In the given paragraph, the author's thesis statement is that the school has the right to search student lockers to keep things safe for everybody (because lockers can be containers for dangerous items), the counterclaim to this claim is that if a school makes unscheduled searches, the students will store the items in backpacks, pockets, and purses, which are much more accessible to them.