Question

Which of the following options would be the best hook for an argument in favor of paying college athletes? Question 13 options: a) College sports programs make a lot money every year. b) The National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA, earned a staggering $1 billion in 2017, and college athletes will never see a penny of that profit. c) College athletes dedicate considerable time and effort to their sports and risk serious injury. d) Do you like sports?

Answer 1

b) The National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA, earned a staggering $1 billion in 2017, and college athletes will never see a penny of that profit.

Option B is the best hook for an argument in favor of paying college athletes. A hook is the first sentence or two of the essay that gets the reader interested in the topic of the essay. In this hook, the author provides startling data to hook the audience. People may want to better understand what the NCAA does with all that money. It's also obvious this hook what the author's stance is on the topic. The use of the word "staggering" and "never" set the tone that author is appalled by this. Option A is too vague. So what if they make a lot of money...good for them. Or the audience might already know it. Why would they then want to read the essay. Option D has a similar problem. The question is a yes or no answer. The audience says no so what then, or even if they say yes. Where does the essay go from there? A hook should entice the audience and make them want more.