Question

analyzing and evaluating arguments
pre-test complete
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read the excerpt from \the role of social media in
the arab uprisings\ by heather brown, emily guskin,
and amy mitchell.
almost immediately after the arab uprisings began,
there was debate over the role and influence of social
media in the ouster of tunisian president zine el
abidine ben ali and the imminent overthrow of
egyptian president hosni mubarak. in covering what
some deemed the facebook or twitter revolutions, the
media focused heavily on young protesters mobilizing
in the streets in political opposition, smartphones in
hand. and since then, the violent and sectarian unrest
in syria has brought increased attention to the role of
citizen journalism.
social media indeed played a part in the arab
uprisings. networks formed online were crucial in
organizing a core group of activists, specifically in
egypt. civil society leaders in arab countries
emphasized the role of \the internet, mobile phones,
and social media\ in the protests. additionally, digital
media has been used by arabs to exercise freedom of
speech and as a space for civic engagement.
now, research is emerging that reexamines in a more
detailed way the role that social media played in the
arab uprisings.
what evidence could be used to support the authors
claims in this excerpt? select three options.

• tweets (twitter messages) describing the overthrow

of ben ali at the time it happened

• verifiable facts that help explain that social media

has little effect on citizen journalism

• speeches that give biographical accounts of the life

and accomplishments of mubarak

• journal entries from a student describing how social

media helped him join a protest

• quotations from experts on social media use during

uprisings within the arab world

Explanation:

To support the authors' claims about the role of social media in the Arab uprisings, we analyze each option:

1. Tweets describing the overthrow of Ben Ali at the time: These are primary - source social media content from the event, directly related to how social media was used during the uprisings, so it can support the claim.
2. Verifiable facts about social media having little effect on citizen journalism: The authors' claims emphasize the role of social media in the uprisings and citizen journalism, so this option contradicts the claims and cannot support them.
3. Speeches about Mubarak's biography: The authors' focus is on social media's role in the uprisings, not Mubarak's biography, so this is irrelevant.
4. Journal entries from a student on how social media helped join a protest: This is a personal account showing social media's role in mobilizing protesters, which supports the claim.
5. Quotations from experts on social media use during the Arab uprisings: Expert opinions on the topic can provide authoritative support for the authors' claims about social media's role.

Answer:

A. tweets (Twitter messages) describing the overthrow of Ben Ali at the time it happened
D. journal entries from a student describing how social media helped him join a protest
E. quotations from experts on social media use during uprisings within the Arab world