IXL | Choose the best evidence to support a claim

Consider this claim:

Restaurants should have live music to boost business.

Which is the strongest evidence to support the claim?

One study found that restaurants offering live music attract customers who are willing to spend more money on food and beverages.

Hiring data suggests that restaurants featuring live music often have an easier time attracting new employees.

Joseph Gibbons, a self-described "foodie," said, "I eat out at least three times a week, and I always prefer to dine in restaurants with live music."

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Learn with an example

question

Consider this claim:

Rather than being promoted as art, graffiti should be condemned and prohibited.

Which is the strongest evidence to support the claim?

Calling graffiti "art" encourages its creation, which in turn leads to a costly community expense. For instance, the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department spent approximately $130,000 in 2012 to remove graffiti.

Studies have demonstrated that the majority of people who make graffiti are males between the ages of twelve and twenty-one years old, whereas only about 15 percent of graffiti taggers are young females.

Graffiti Hurts, a grassroots community education program in the United States, cites fame, rebellion, self-expression, and power as the four motivating factors for graffiti vandalism.

key idea

To make an effective argument, be sure to provide evidence that your readers will find trustworthy and persuasive.

The strongest evidence to support a factual claim

directly supports the claim;
comes from a credible source, such as well-conducted research or an expert in the field;
is not merely anecdotal, or based on the personal experiences of just one person or a small group of people.

Claim: In contrast to previous generations, millennials don't feel as compelled to get married.

Strong evidence: Among all age groups surveyed, millennials were most likely to agree with the statement, "Marriage is becoming obsolete."

solution

Given the claim Rather than being promoted as art, graffiti should be condemned and prohibited, the first answer choice provides the strongest evidence:

The other answer choices don't provide strong evidence.

The demographics of the people who make graffiti aren't relevant to the question of whether the practice is art or vandalism.

Graffiti Hurts, a grassroots community education program in the United States, cites fame, rebellion, self-expression, and power as the four motivating factors for graffiti vandalism.

The motives for creating graffiti aren't relevant to the question of whether the practice is art or vandalism.

$Confetti$

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Work it out

Not feeling ready yet? This can help:

K.2Identify stronger and weaker evidence to support a claim

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