Reading Comprehension Success in 20 Minutes a Day, 3rd Edition

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E M O T I O N A L V E R S U S L O G I C A L A P P E A L S
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1 3 4

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You probably noticed immediately that this pas-
sage also gives three reasons for not supporting the
mandatory recycling program—so the authors don’t
differ over whether or not to reject the proposed pro-
gram. The two passages don’t have as much in common
in their style of argument, though, and that is our focus
here. Let’s take a closer look at passage 2.
What Reasons Does the Writer Offer?
Break this argument down as you did the first one.
Here are the reasons the author of passage 2 provides
in arguing that the mandatory recycling program
should be rejected. Underneath each reason, make a
note about the logic behind the reason; say what rea-
soning, evidence, or common sense the author points
to in support of the argument.
1. The proposed mandatory recycling program
would cause as much pollution as it would
eliminate.
2. New waste treatment facilities lessen the need for
recycling programs.
3. The mandatory recycling program is not needed
to raise people’s awareness of the environment.
Are the Appeals Logical?
Whether you agree with the author, you can see that
this is a much more effective argument because the
writer uses logic and common sense in backing up
what he has to say.
The first argument is supported in the follow-
ing way:
■
The proposed contractor caused a great deal of
pollution from smokestacks in a nearby city five
years before.
■
The smokestack toxicity in the nearby city was so
extensive that even voluntary recycling was halted
for a year, meaning that even less recycling took
place than before the mandatory recycling pro-
gram began.
The second argument is supported by the
following logic:
■
New waste treatment facilities allow all waste to be
reused without the need for sorting it into waste to
be recycled and waste to be incinerated or put in a
landfill, but the proposed plan does not involve
these new facilities.
Finally, the third argument is supported this way:
■
The populace of Ste. Jeanne is already highly
conscious of the environment, and benefit for
educational programs in the schools and the
mass media.
■
The high environment-consciousness of the
people shows (a) the high rate of voluntary
recycling, (b) the celebrated reopening of the
Ste. Jeanne Waterway to fishing, and (c) the
city’s downtown winning a state environmental
award the previous year.
More Practice
Now that you’ve examined two brief essays—one that
appeals to emotion and one that appeals to logic—see
if you can correctly identify the approaches used by the
writers of the following sentences. Look carefully for a
sense of logic. If the writer is appealing to your emo-
tions, is the author’s argument also backed up by logic
(common sense, reason, or evidence)? Write an E in the
blank if it appeals only to your sense of emotion and an
L if it appeals to logic.