GED Reasoning Through Language ArtsExtended Response (Essay)Medium
A student is writing an argumentative essay advocating for increased funding for public libraries. They have gathered several pieces of evidence: a statistic showing a rise in library program attendance, a quote from a local librarian about community impact, and a historical overview of library funding cuts. Which of the following best demonstrates strong development of ideas using this evidence?
- AFocusing only on the attendance statistic as it is quantitative and therefore the most objective evidence available.
- BUsing the rise in attendance to support the claim that libraries are vital, followed by the librarian's quote to personalize the impact, and the funding cuts to illustrate the problem.
- CBeginning with the historical overview to establish context, then briefly mentioning the other evidence as supporting points.
- DPresenting the statistic, then the quote, then the historical overview in separate paragraphs without explicit connections.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Using the rise in attendance to support the claim that libraries are vital, followed by the librarian's quote to personalize the impact, and the funding cuts to illustrate the problem.
Strong development of ideas involves strategically deploying different types of evidence to build a coherent argument, where each piece of evidence serves a specific purpose in supporting the overall claim. It's about how the evidence works together.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. This is an incomplete approach that discards valuable qualitative and historical evidence, limiting the depth of the argument.
- C. While establishing context is good, merely 'briefly mentioning' other evidence doesn't fully develop ideas or leverage the strength of each piece.
- D. This approach lacks integration and explicit connections, which is crucial for strong idea development.
Developing Ideas with Evidence
Developing ideas with evidence involves selecting, integrating, and explaining how specific pieces of evidence directly support and elaborate on the claims made in an argumentative essay.
- Evidence must be relevant to the claim.
- Explanation connects evidence to the argument.
- Varies types of evidence for comprehensive support.
- Builds a logical progression of thought.
Memory trick: Each piece of evidence is a puzzle piece fitting into your argument's picture.