Question

read the claim.
the overuse of social media has led to a decline in the academic performance of this country’s high school students.
which reasons are logically sound and could be used to support the claim? select two options.
□ high school students are spending more time on social media than they are studying and completing homework.
□ grades at a specific high school are worse this year than they were 20 years ago, when social media was not a
distraction.
□ social media is causing many problems in society, including a lack of attention and a more negative attitude toward
education among students in my neighborhood.
□ you can read several articles about students around the country causing problems at school rather than focusing on
academics.
□ standardized test scores dropped or remained stagnant in many states in 2017, which was the peak year to date for
social media use.

Explanation:

1. For the option "High school students are spending more time on social media than they are studying and completing homework": If students spend more time on social media than on studying/homework, it logically follows that this could lead to a decline in academic performance as less time for academic work would likely impact learning and grades.
2. For the option "Standardized test scores dropped or remained stagnant in many states in 2017, which was the peak year to date for social media use": There is a correlation between the peak of social media use and a drop/stagnation in standardized test scores, which can be used to support the claim that overuse of social media led to a decline in academic performance (as standardized test scores are a measure of academic performance).

The other options are less logical: The option about a specific high school's grades over 20 years ago is too narrow and doesn't necessarily link to social media overuse (other factors could have changed in 20 years). The option about social media causing problems in society generally is too vague and doesn't directly link to academic performance decline. The option about students causing problems at school rather than focusing on academics doesn't directly link to social media overuse causing academic performance decline.

Answer:

A. High school students are spending more time on social media than they are studying and completing homework.
E. Standardized test scores dropped or remained stagnant in many states in 2017, which was the peak year to date for social media use.