Question

preparing for persuasion
carole jenkins
the grammatical errors in this passage are intentional.
(1)persuasive writing tries to influence listeners or readers to accept a position on a distinct issue or to act in a certain way. (2)this type of writing may include advertisements, editorials, speeches, letters, and articles in newspapers or magazines. (3) other types of writing are narrative, descriptive, and expository. (4) before attempting to gain support of others on a particular issue or course of action, you must have an awareness of the intended audience and a clear understanding of your opinion or position on the issue.
(5) who are you trying to influence? (6) sometimes your audience is defined ahead of time by the issue involved. (7) a letter expressing your opinion on the subject of banning a certain book from your high school library would be addressed to the local school board to try to influence the vote. (8) other times, you must select the audience for your persuasive writing. (9) if you want to start a community service organization for students at your high school, you might consider writing to one or more of the following: your school newspaper, student government officers, teachers, administrators, or community leaders. (10) your choice of audience will determine the type of information that you include in your writing and the persuasive strategies that you use.
after we read this passage, the teacher asked us what we thought
which is the best version of this sentence?
a after we read this passage, the teacher asked us what we thought?
b after we read this passage, the teacher asked us what we thought.
c after we read this passage, the teacher asked us \what we thought\?
d after we read this passage, the teacher asked us \what we thought\?

Explanation:

To determine the best sentence, we analyze punctuation and structure. The original sentence is a statement (the teacher asked a question, but the sentence itself is declarative), so it should end with a period, not a question mark. Quotation marks are unnecessary here as it's not a direct quote of what was thought, just a report of the teacher's action. Option A uses a question mark (incorrect for a declarative sentence). Option C uses quotation marks and a question mark (incorrect). Option D has punctuation errors (missing comma after "passage" and incorrect use of quotation marks and question mark). Option B is a properly punctuated declarative sentence.

Answer:

B. After we read this passage, the teacher asked us what we thought.