Passage The main character of this passage from a novel is Ree, a teenager living in the Ozark Mountains in
Missouri
(1) The snow fell first in hard little bits, frosty white bits blown sideways to polt Roo's face as she raised the
ax, swung down, raised it again, splitting wood while being stung by cold flung from the sky (2) Bits worked
inside her neckline and melted against her chest. (3) Ree's hair was shoulder-length and full with
ungovernable loose curls from temples to neck and snow bits gathered in the tangle (4) Her overcoat was
an implacable black and had been Mamaw's, grim old wool battered by decades of howling winter and
summer moths (5) The buttonless coat fell past her knees, below her dress, but draped open and did not
hamper her chopping strokes (6) Her swings were practiced and powerful, short potent whacks (7)
Splinters flow, wood split, the pile grew (8) Ree's nose ran and the blood came up in her face and made
pink on her cheeks (9) She pinched two fingers high on her nose, snorted a splat to the ground, dragged a
sleeve across her face, swung the ax again
(10) Once the pile of splits became big enough to sit on, she did (11) She sat with her long logs close
beneath hor, booted feet spread wido, pulled headphones from a pocket and clamped them over her ears,
then turned on The Sounds of Tranquil Shores (12) While frosty bits gathered in her hair and on her
shoulders she raised the volume of those ocean sounds (13) Ree needed often to inject herself with
pleasant sounds, stab those sounds past the constant screeching, squalling hubbub rogular life raised
inside her spint, poke the soothing sounds past that racket and down deep where her tonng soul paced
on a stone slab in a gray room, agitated and endlessly provoked but
bring a moment's rest. (14) The tapes had been given to Mom whout yearning to hear something that might
sounds and did not care to confront these, but Roe tried them and felt something unknot (15) She also
favored The Sounds of Tranquil Streams, The Sounds of Tropical Down, and Alpine Dusk
(16) As the frosty bits dwindled the wind slowed and big snowflakes began falling as serenely as anything
could fall the distance from the sky (17) Roe listened to lapping waves of far shores while snowflakes
gathered on her (18) She sat unmoving and let snow etch her outline in deepening clean whiteness
From Dar Woodret Winter Bone 2005 by De Wood
Question
The mood in the final paragraph (sentences 16-18) is best described as
tranquil
cautious
optimistic
sullen

to create suspense.

formal arguments

in written, formal arguments, the best way to build credibility with readers is to provide them with evidence. no matter what your argument might be and which side you agree with, citing strong evidence to back up your claim leaves the opposition with little to argue.

emotional appeal is often used in oral arguments. written arguments, however, rely on four main types of evidence. as you read further, you will see that some types are more credible than others and "hold more water" so to speak.

statistical evidence

the strongest type of evidence in formal writing is statistical evidence. this ranges from true, hard data presented as a percentage or number, to survey-type data. for example, statistical evidence could be:

4 out of 5 experts claim

85% of women in the united

7 members were present

statistical evidence can be proven as fact. you can actually go out and find hard information to prove your particular claim.

testimonial evidence

the use of celebrities as credibility evidence can be considered testimonial in nature. many people look up to celebrities as role models in their lives. good or bad, when a person chooses a life-path that takes them into public light, there will be many others out there who want to emulate the celebrity. these celebrity endorsements provide the second-strongest type of evidence found in formal arguments.

testimonial evidence can also be collected from experts and authorities in a given field. doctors, dentists, lawyers often provide expert testimonials. their authority is not often questions. they are expected to "know their stuff."

anecdotal evidence

when storytelling is involved as evidence, anecdotal evidence is being used. due to its less objective nature, anecdotal evidence is not extremely strong. when coupled with statistical or testimonial evidence, anecdotal evidence can be highly effective in determining credibility or proof.

storytelling, although based on fact, can include quite a bit of opinion, thus making it less objective. usually, eyewitnesses are used as providers of anecdotal evidence. they saw or experienced the phenomenon at hand are telling their version or side of the story.

analogical evidence

when information is scarce about something and little is known, analogical evidence is often used in a formal argument to increase credibility of the proof. if the phenomenon in question is new and little is known about it, analogical evidence that pulls in known factors about a similar phenomenon to show parallels can be an effective way to provide proof.

due to limited knowledge about the phenomenon, in this situation, analogical evidence can be regarded as the weakest type of evidence used in formal arguments. one can only imagine and hope that the comparison-phenomenon is close enough that the results can be applied to the new phenomenon.

in the

all that really matters in a formal argument is whether or not the writer has credible evidence to back up what they want to say or what they are thinking. so often, we hear people say, "prove it! " to one another.

one last little formal arguments not only provide credible evidence to support claims, don't forget that acknowledgment of the opposing point of view in an argument also strengthens the entire product.

wow there were a thousand people in the concert. that’s great