Study the editorial cartoon by john branch.

a couple are standing together. the woman sees a blowing leaf and says "fall is in the air." plastic bags are flying around the man, and he says "so are a few other things."

what is the cartoonist's purpose in this cartoon?

to show readers what type of weather they can expect to experience in autumn
to persuade readers that plastic bags negatively affect people and the environment
to convince readers that leaves are just as annoying as plastic bags
to tell readers that they should be happy about fall and not annoyed by it

B). To persuade readers that plastic bags negatively affect people and the environment.

Explanation:

Editorial Cartoons are described as the visual or graphic representation of the certain specific ideas, comments, or opinions of the creator that primarily intends to convey an implied social or political message for the audience.

In the given cartoon, the author's intent or purpose is to reveal a social message and 'convince the readers that plastic bags create a negative impact on people and the environment'. The use of phrase 'fall is in the air' for the 'blowing leaf' and 'so are few other things' for plastic bags implies the 'damaging' impact of plastic bags on surroundings. Thus, option B is the correct answer.