Research Workshop: Writing and Presenting the Argumentative Essay, Part 2
Question 6 • *CR Expository Reading and Writing S2 [E4260OX]
Read the excerpt from an argumentative essay about college tuition. Is a college education worth the price today? College tuition has almost doubled in the last twenty years. More than half of all recent college graduates are currently unemployed or in jobs that do not require a college degree.Which revision offers the most improvement in sentence fluency?
Answer
A
College tuition has almost doubled in the last twenty years because more than half of all recent college graduates are unemployed or in jobs that do not require a college degree.
B
College tuition has almost doubled in the last twenty years; however, more than half of all recent college graduates are currently unemployed or in jobs that do not require a college degree.
C
College tuition has almost doubled in the last twenty years; therefore, more than half of all recent college graduates are currently unemployed or in jobs that do not require a college degree.
D
College tuition has almost doubled in the last twenty years and more than half of all recent college graduates are unemployed and others are in jobs that do not require a college degree.
Explanation
The two sentences present related facts but do not establish that one caused the other. The semicolon joins the independent clauses smoothly, and “however” signals the contrast between rising tuition and graduates’ employment outcomes. Choice A incorrectly suggests unemployment is the cause of higher tuition, while “therefore” in C wrongly presents unemployment as a result of tuition increases.
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