Question

Excerpt from: The Ethanol Debate Natalie Stewart In addition, opponents of ethanol note that government subsidies cost American taxpayers more money. State and federal government subsidy programs offer tax credits to gas stations for each gallon of ethanol they mix in with the gasoline they sell. Government programs also supply companies that produce ethanol with corn! Where does the government get the money for these subsidies? Money for these projects comes from our—the taxpayers’—pockets. These costs are in addition to rising fuel prices, which are currently almost four dollars per gallon. Many people are disappointed in ethanol because they believed that it would help reduce the price at the pump, not increase it. Overall, it would be more cost-effective for everyone if the government pursued other options for fuel and energy sources. The tone in paragraph 4 shifts from informative to persuasive. How does the sentence structure help create this shift in tone? A) The use of declarative sentences creates a persuasive tone. B) The use of a sentence containing dashes creates a persuasive tone. C) The use of the introductory phrase in addition creates a persuasive tone. D) The use of an exclamatory sentence and a rhetorical question create a persuasive tone.

Answer 1

D) The use of an exclamatory sentence and a rhetorical question create a persuasive tone.
It is clear once the author begins using exclamatory language and adds a rhetorical question, that she is trying to convince the audience to be on her side of the argument. The exclamation and question marks engage the reader and make the tone behind those statements feel a lot more like persuasive arguments rather than just facts.