Question

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read the excerpt from \social media made the arab spring, but couldnt save it\ by jessi hempel.
five years ago this week, massive protests toppled egyptian president hosni mubarak, marking the height of the arab spring. empowered by access to social media sites like twitter, youtube and facebook, protesters organized across the middle east, starting in december 2010 in tunisia, and gathered together to speak out against oppression, inspiring hope for a better, more democratic future. commentators, comparing these activists to the us peace protesters of 1968, praised the effort as a democratic dawn for an area that had long been populated by autocracies. in a photo collection published by the new york times a few months later, irish writer rose mccann wrote: \the light from the arab spring came from the ground up, the hope is now that the darkness doesnt fall.\
the darkness has fallen. half a decade later, the middle east is roiling in violence and repression. activists are being intimidated into restraint by more totalitarian than those they replaced. if any government as such really exists at all. meanwhile, militants have harnessed the same technology to organize attacks and recruit converts, catapulting the world into instability instead of new democracies, we have a global challenge with no that social media and the internet were going to unleash a new wave of positive social change. but the past five years have shown that liberty isnt the only end toward which these tools can be turned.
activists were able to organize and mobilize in 2011 partly because authoritarian governments didnt yet understand very much about how to use social media they didnt see the potential, says nyu professor of politics joshua tucker, a principal investigator at the social media and political participation lab at new york university. \there are a lot of reasons the people in power were slow to pick up on this,\ he adds. \one of the things about not have a free press is it is harder to learn what was going on in the world
which statement best evaluates the evidence in this excerpt?
○ the author uses verifiable facts and expert testimony to support her argument effectively, but the excerpt would be stronger if she deleted references to a past protest.
○ the author uses specific data, reasons, and quotations to support her argument effectively, but the excerpt would be stronger if she included eyewitness testimony or personal stories.
○ the author uses quotations and data about historical instances to support her argument effectively, but the excerpt would be stronger if she included verifiable facts.
○ the author uses eyewitness testimony and personal stories to support her argument, but the argument would be stronger if she deleted the quotations from experts.

Explanation:

To determine the best evaluation, analyze the excerpt:

• The author uses verifiable facts (e.g., toppling of Mubarak, timeline of events) and expert testimony (Joshua Tucker’s quote).
• The reference to past (Arab Spring’s start) is relevant, so deleting it would weaken, not strengthen. Other options have flaws: Option 2 claims specific data/quotations, but data is limited; Option 3 says no verifiable facts, but there are facts; Option 4 says delete expert quotes, but experts add credibility. So Option 1 is correct.

Answer:

A. The author uses verifiable facts and expert testimony to support her argument effectively, but the excerpt would be stronger if she deleted references to a past protest.