Question

read the two passages.
which passage provides the more effective argument,
and why?
passage 1
violence in video games is unavoidable. more than half
of the top video games contain some element of
violence. does this lead to violence in the real world?
logical people know the answer, and the facts prove it.
between 1994 and 2004, video game sales increased
by 204 percent. during that same time period, the
arrest rate for juveniles committing violent crimes
decreased by 63 percent. these facts make it obvious
that video games are not a problem.
passage 2
the majority of video games contain violence. children
playing these games leads directly to acts of violence.
several studies, including a 2014 study by the journal
of the american medical association, have shown a
passage 1 is more effective because passage 2
relies on personal anecdotes as the main evidence.
passage 1 is more effective because it uses
overstatement for extra emphasis, and passage 2
does not.
passage 2 is more effective because it contains
logical and anecdotal, while passage 1 contains a
bandwagon appeal and a false dilemma.
passage 2 is more effective because it presents
data as empirical evidence, and passage 1 does not.

Explanation:

Passage 2 presents data from studies (such as the 2014 study by the Journal of the American Medical Association) as empirical evidence. Empirical evidence is more reliable in an argument as it is based on research and facts. Passage 1, while it has some data (video game sales increase and juvenile arrest rate decrease), also has a bit of a hasty conclusion (“logical people know the answer, and the facts prove it” - which is a bit of an over - simplification). But the key is that Passage 2's use of multiple studies (including a well - known medical association's study) gives it more credibility. Passage 1 has a bit of a false dilemma (suggesting that because sales went up and arrests went down, video games are not a problem, ignoring other possible factors).

Answer:

Passage 2 is more effective because it contains logical and anecdotal, while passage 1 contains a bandwagon appeal and a false dilemma.