Unit 17- The Cat's Meow

Authors write argumentative texts for specific purposes. Usually, authors want to share opinions or ideas about certain issues or topic. Sometimes, authors want to persuade readers to think or feel certain ways about the issues or topics.

Authors communicate specific claims and support those claims with evidence. Authors also write argumentative text for intended audiences or readers.

​Logical Fallacies

Logical fallacies are incorrect or problematic arguments that are not based on sound reasoning. Logical fallacies may at first seem reasonable but upon closer investigation become problematic.

Audience or readers are the people authors want to educate or to persuade about the issues or topics. Identifying the intended audience or reader supports an understanding of the text.

The claim is the main argument or point the author expresses in the text. Often, the claim is an idea the author tries to persuade the audience or reader to agree with. The claim is typically stated directly in the text.

Evidence is used in the text to support the claim. Evidence helps the reader know the author's claim about the argument can be trusted.

Rhetorical Devices

Techniques, such as rhetorical devices and logical fallacies, capture the reader's attention and help the reader connect to the issue or topic presented. A rhetorical device is a technique used by the author to influence or persuade the audience or reader. For instance, the author might tell about his or her personal experience or personal story.

Read the text and answer the following questions ​

1. Chloe, Morgan, Cruz, and Matt might disagree, but I say a cat is the best pet for me. Both dogs and cats can improve their owner’s mood and overall health, but cats make better companions because of all the things they DON’T do.

2. Cats don’t bark. Nothing is more annoying than a yelping dog. Dogs bark at the mail carrier, your best friend, and things that go bump in the night. They bark when they are happy to see you, when they are frightened of a thunderstorm, and, I believe, simply because they can. Cats are much cooler. Cats purr.

3. Cats don’t stink. Even if your dog is giving you the silent treatment, which will never happen, the odor emanating from a dog is undeniable and unmistakable. Dog owners think their houses (and their clothes and their cars) don’t smell like dog, but they are fooling themselves. We cat owners know the truth. And don’t get me started on the stench of a wet dog!

4. Cats don’t have “accidents.” I don’t understand how, and I don’t have to, but cats are born knowing how to use a litter box—unlike their canine counterparts that must be potty trained. Enough said.

5. Cats don’t give you guilt trips. Cats are content creatures. They won’t look up at you with big, sad puppy dog eyes if you must leave for soccer practice just moments after you get home from school.

6. Cats are fun. Cats are intelligent enough to entertain themselves. And their antics are also entertaining. I must admit that I have spent the better part of a weekend watching other people’s cats on video!

The first paragraph states the author's main claim that cats make better companions that dogs and supports this claim with evidence throughout the text.

This answer choice provides the use of a rhetorical device, an anecdote, which shares a personal experience about watching YouTube videos.

This answer is clearly connected to the statement that cats are smarter than dogs.