Question 15 • 25-26 JISD TX EOC English II IGC Requirement
Read this paragraph from a rhetorical text that argues that hate speech should be regulated.[S]oldiers’ families, shoppers and workers are protected from troubling speech. People of color, women walking down public streets or just living in their dorm on a college campus are not. The only way to justify this disparity is to argue that commuters asked for money on the way to work experience a tangible harm, while women catcalled and worse on the way to work do not—as if being the target of a request for change is worse than being racially disparaged by a stranger.
Answer
A
The writer is assuming all readers are familiar with the phenomenon of verbal assault.
B
The writer thinks it is ridiculous that the First Amendment has been regulated to protect soldiers’ families.
C
The writer is assuming that readers will identify with soldiers’ families, shoppers, and workers.
D
The writer would like the audience to take action against catcallers and racists.
Explanation
The writer points out that soldiers’ families, shoppers, and workers receive protection from troubling speech, then contrasts them with people who face racial insults or catcalling. This argument is likely to persuade readers by assuming they can identify with the groups already protected and recognize the unfairness of leaving others unprotected. The writer’s main point is the disparity, not that the First Amendment should protect no one or that readers should take a specific action against individual speakers.
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