Question

which statement primarily appeals to ethos, or character, to support the position that schools should eliminate long summer vacations in favor of a year - round calendar?
long summer breaks are famously associated with relaxation so extreme that it verges on sloth, as students sleep until noon and spend hours lounging with friends.
although it may come as a surprise, i would prefer a year - round school schedule to our current system. as an academically competitive high school junior, i would appreciate a shorter summer break, since it would help limit the typical summer \memory loss.\
despite the opposition from students that a year - long schedule would surely cause, eliminating long summer vacations would provide a number of important benefits, including improved student learning outcomes.

Explanation:

To determine which statement appeals to ethos, we analyze each option:

• The first option focuses on negative stereotypes of student behavior during summer (pathos, appealing to emotion/judgment).
• The second option introduces the speaker as an "academically competitive high school junior" sharing their preference. Ethos relies on the speaker’s credibility/character; here, the speaker’s academic status and personal stance establish trustworthiness to support the position.
• The third option presents a claim about benefits (logos, logical reasoning) without emphasizing character/credibility.

So the second statement uses ethos by leveraging the speaker’s identity as a credible student.

Answer:

The second statement: "Although it may come as a surprise, I would prefer a year - round school schedule to our current system. As an academically competitive high school junior, I would appreciate a shorter summer break, since it would help limit the typical summer'memory loss.'"