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Grade 7 Persuasive Power worksheet
from Gradelings · Name: ______________________
How to explain it
- Ethos appeals to credibility (trust me, I’m an expert). Pathos appeals to emotion. Logos appeals to logic, facts and numbers.
- Fallacies are weak reasoning: bandwagon (everyone does it), false cause, slippery slope (one step leads to disaster).
- The strongest evidence is specific, relevant and from a reliable source.
Example: A speaker mentions years of coaching experience so the audience will trust their advice. Which appeal is this? The speaker is building trust, not using feelings or numbers. Trust in the speaker is credibility. Answer: Ethos (credibility)
Question 1
Which logical fallacy does this argument use?
- Bandwagon
- Slippery slope
- False cause
- Attacking the person (ad hominem)
- Either-or (false dilemma)
Bandwagon
Hint: Saying “everyone is doing it” isn't proof that something is good. That's the bandwagon fallacy.
Question 2
Which is the strongest rebuttal to this counterclaim?
A later start time would be too hard for bus schedules.
- Buses are yellow.
- Students are often sleepy in the morning.
- Anyone who disagrees hasn't thought about it.
- Several school districts changed their routes and kept buses on time, so schedules can be adjusted.
Several school districts changed their routes and kept buses on time, so schedules can be adjusted.
Hint: A strong rebuttal answers the exact worry. This worry is about bus schedules.
Question 3
Which persuasive technique is used here?
Do we really want our children breathing dirty air every day?
- Rhetorical question
- Expert opinion
- Personal anecdote
- Statistic
Rhetorical question
Hint: The speaker doesn't expect an answer; the answer is obvious. That's a rhetorical question.
Question 4
Which sentence is a claim, not evidence?
- A survey found that 62% of residents would bike more if lanes were safer.
- Bike traffic on Elm Street doubled after a lane was added.
- The city's two bike lanes each carry about 800 riders a day.
- Our city should build more bike lanes.
Our city should build more bike lanes.
Hint: A claim is the opinion being argued (often with “should”). Evidence is facts or data that support it.
Question 5
Which persuasive appeal does this mostly use?
As a lifeguard who has trained swimmers for fifteen years, I urge every family to sign up for lessons.
- Ethos (credibility)
- Logos (logic and evidence)
- Pathos (emotion)
Ethos (credibility)
Hint: The speaker builds trust by mentioning their job and experience. Appeals to credibility are ethos.
Question 6
Which appeal tries to make the audience feel strong emotions, like sympathy or excitement?
- Pathos (emotion)
- Ethos (credibility)
- Logos (logic and evidence)
Pathos (emotion)
Hint: Pathos is related to words like “sympathy” and “empathy”: it targets feelings.
Question 7
Which appeal relies mostly on facts, statistics and reasoning?
- Ethos (credibility)
- Logos (logic and evidence)
- Pathos (emotion)
Logos (logic and evidence)
Hint: Logos is related to the word “logic.”
Question 8
Which sentence best rebuts the counterclaim “School uniforms cost families too much money”?
- Some people really like uniforms.
- Uniforms are worn at many schools around the world.
- The school could run a free uniform swap so families pay little or nothing.
- Uniforms come in many different colours.
The school could run a free uniform swap so families pay little or nothing.
Hint: A rebuttal answers the specific concern. The concern here is cost.
Question 9
You're writing an essay arguing for a longer lunch break. Which counterclaim is most important to address?
- Lunch breaks have existed for a long time.
- A longer lunch might make the school day end later.
- Lunch is a meal eaten in the middle of the day.
- Some students prefer sandwiches to soup.
A longer lunch might make the school day end later.
Hint: A counterclaim is a real reason someone might disagree with you. Which choice is an actual objection?
Answer key
- 1. Bandwagon
- 2. Several school districts changed their routes and kept buses on time, so schedules can be adjusted.
- 3. Rhetorical question
- 4. Our city should build more bike lanes.
- 5. Ethos (credibility)
- 6. Pathos (emotion)
- 7. Logos (logic and evidence)
- 8. The school could run a free uniform swap so families pay little or nothing.
- 9. A longer lunch might make the school day end later.
Want more than 9 questions?
In Gradelings the questions change every time and adjust to your child, with hints and kind feedback.