ANSWER KEY
Unit 6 Persuasive Writing
Study Guide
What is a Claim?
States an opinion clearly on one side of an issue.
A good claim contains the following 4 components?
1.Does not include yes/no
2. Makes the argument very clear
3. Written in formal language
4. Answer the specific question
Which of the following the best claim for responding to the prompt “Should middle school students be able to have a
Facebook account”?
A) Middle school students should be able to have a Facebook account if they keep their account private, and not public.
B) Yes, they should.
C) Middle school students should not be able to have a Facebook account.
D) No, Facebook is lame.
Defend your answer. Why is it the best claim? What is wrong with the others?
A- adds a stipulation - changes the question
B- doesn’t state the topic, uses yes
C- States the topic, clearly on one side or the other, uses formal language
D- Lame=informal, uses no
What does Formal Voice mean?
Does not insult the reader, uses language for school, not friends, texting, etc.
Write a claim in formal voice for a persuasive essay that addresses the prompt “Should schools be required to provide
healthier breakfast and lunch options for students?”
Schools should be required to provide healthier breakfast and lunch options for students.
Circle the sentence below with the most appropriate and formal voice. Explain why the others are NOT in formal voice
on the line below the sentences you do not choose.
Healthy food is totally overrated, and kids don’t care about that stuff.
No - “totally overrated” “stuff” = informal // casual language
If you think kids don’t need healthier food options for breakfast and lunch, you really don’t understand schools’ cafeteria
situation.
No--“you really don’t understand...” -- insults the reader
It would be really dumb to have sugary candy in a vending machine in the lunchroom.
No--“really dumb” -- insults the reader
It would be very beneficial for students to have healthier choices for breakfast and lunch at school.
YES - “beneficial” is a formal way to say it would be good for students
Read the paragraph below and answer the questions that come after it:
Tired, crabby, or unfocused in class? It could be the food you are eating. The lack of healthy and tasty school lunch
selections has recently become a problem in almost every elementary, middle and high school across the nation. Most
schools sell junk food to students and I think this is wrong. There are many good reasons to remove junk food from school
lunch menus, and creating a healthier student body is number one. Junk foods should be taken out of school lunch menus
because they affect your body and mind in negative ways.
What paragraph is this?
A) Body Paragraph
B) Introduction Paragraph
C) Concluding Paragraph
D) This paragraph doesn’t belong in a persuasive essay
What does this paragraph include that helped you determine it was the introduction paragraph?
This paragraph sets up the situation and explains the argument. It also hooks/engages the readers. Finally, it has
the claim as the last sentence.
The reason should support the claim and is supported by the evidence.
The reason should be less specific than the evidence that supports it.
The strongest, most persuasive reason should be given in the last body paragraph.
Read the two body paragraphs below and circle the reason in each AND label the paragraph with the most persuasive
reason:
Junk food is a major cause of childhood obesity. 32% of youth are overweight and nearly 74% are unfit. The bad
food offered in public schools contributes to this unacceptable problem. A single 12-ounce can of soda has as much as 13
teaspoons of sugar in the form of high-fructose corn syrup. Many of these sodas are available to kids in school at low
prices as well as many other completely unhealthy foods like chips and cookies. School lunches have a very high fat
content and the USDA supplies schools with the same commodity foods as prisons. Due to the lack of fresh and flavorful
food, many students will choose to buy the cheap junk food offered instead. If we could stock vending machines and
cafeterias with healthier foods, it would definitely make a dent in the childhood obesity rate.
(This paragraph is missing a transition sentence.) Cafeterias should start serving healthier food because junk
food does not give kids the energy needed to stay focused in school or the power to participate in sports. Lunch is right in
the middle of the day; if you eat fatty or sugary foods, it could cause you to get tired and not pay attention in your
afternoon classes. In addition, junk food zaps your energy, which affects your physical activity. You cannot perform your
best if you don’t have any energy. Many people on my swim team used to snack on chips and soda before practice. When
some of us complained about getting tired and not being able to make it through practice, our coach asked us what we
were eating beforehand. When he heard about our diet, he told us that we shouldn’t be consuming fried, fatty foods before
we exercise. We should be eating healthy, natural foods because these give us energy and are good for our bodies.
From the excerpt above, second paragraph is missing a transition from body paragraph one to body paragraph two..
Write a transition for that paragraph below:
Healthier foods in vending machines and cafeterias don’t just impact child obesity rates, but also the energy
levels of students in school.
Which of the following would be a reason we would NOT want to include if we were going to add another body paragraph
to support the claim that we SHOULD have healthier school lunches:
A) By starting to eat healthy at a young age, students will learn good habits they will carry with them throughout life.
B) Studies have shown that it is important for students to learn to make their own decisions about what to eat.
C) 40% of students do not get a well-balanced diet outside of school.
D) Students will be able teacher their families at home about the benefits of eating healthy that they learn at school.
Evidence is the support for a reason. Writers use specific facts and examples as types of evidence to be more
convincing when illustrating the reason.
From excerpt above, which of the following is the most effective piece of evidence to support the reason, “Junkfood is a
major cause of childhood obesity.”?
A) Many people on my swim team used to snack on chips and soda before practice.
B) If we could stock vending machines and cafeterias with healthier foods, it would definitely make a dent in the
childhood obesity rate.
C) If you eat fatty or sugary foods, it could cause you to get tired and not pay attention in your afternoon classes
D) You cannot perform your best if you don’t have any energy.
Which of the following is the most effective piece of evidence you could use to prove that those who play violent video
games are more likely to have behavior problems?
A) A research report in the May 2010 issue of "Psychological Bulletin" led by Iowa State University psychology
professor Craig Anderson found that violent gaming can increase feelings of aggression and antisocial behavior
in teenagers.
B) Because of many differences in personalities, everyone is affected differently by playing violent video games.
C) Violent video games are not to blame for having behavior problems, it is only a phase that person is going through.
D) Violent computer games have long been popular with teenagers, and with the improvement in technology, many violent
games have become more realistic.
Which of the following pieces of evidence would be most relevant if you were arguing that students/parents should NOT
have to pay $180 per student per school year to ride the bus?
A) In a recent survey, 10 out of 15 parents in the Southeast Polk School District stated that they think paying the annual
bus fee is really dumb.
B) Paying the annual bus fee saved parents $500.00 this year in gas money by not having to take their students to school
themselves.
C) Since the fee, there has been a 23% decrease in bus riders this year, so many parents would rather drive their
students to school, which has created a lot more traffic and accidents in the mornings.
D) Most students enjoy riding the bus and they miss their friends who don’t ride on it anymore.
The following statement is made in a persuasive essay: "I understand that many people believe students/parents should
not have to pay a fee to ride the school bus if they only ride once in awhile; however, the bus schedule is set up at the
beginning of the year to follow the same route every day regardless of riders’ absences.
What purpose does the statement above serve?
A. Adds evidence to support the reason
B. Acknowledges the opposing claim
C. Concludes the argument
D. Begins the argument
When acknowledging the opposing claim, the statement should always begin with the words like: I understand, It may
seem, etc. then end with your reasoning of why you are arguing against it, beginning with a word like: However, yet,
but, ect.
Why is it important to acknowledge the opposing claim when making an argument or writing a persuasive essay?
When both sides are acknowledged, it makes the the argument even more convincing and persuasive to the
intended audience. It strengthens your argument and shows that the other viewpoint is false.
Providing junk food in school cafeterias is just an all-around bad idea. We need to eat healthy food so we can reach our
fullest academic and physical potential. The food we eat affects our body and mind and we need to take advantage of
that! (This paragraph is missing the concluding statement)
What would be the best concluding statement to support your argument that schools need to provide healthier breakfast
and lunch options for students?
A) In conclusion, schools are not responsible to provide healthier breakfast and lunch options for students.
B) Finally, now you know why schools need to provide healthier breakfast and lunch options for students.
C) In conclusion, students need healthy meals to reach their fullest potential, therefore schools need to provide
healthy breakfast and lunch options.
D) Those are the reasons why schools need to provide healthier meals.
Explain your answer? (Why is that the best concluding statement?)
This is the best concluding statement because it recaps/reviews the most important reason, or a general overall
reason, and it restates the claim.
