Methods of Argument Development Practice Test

Read the following excerpt and answer the question.

A public library is not merely a building full of books; it is a civic tool that converts private curiosity into public resilience. During last summer’s heat wave, our branch became an unofficial cooling center, and staff helped seniors navigate online forms for energy assistance. When the local factory closed, the library’s job-search workshops filled, not because people suddenly loved résumés, but because they needed a place with computers, guidance, and dignity. Critics argue that libraries are obsolete because “everything is online.” Yet online information still requires devices, reliable internet, and the skills to evaluate what you’re seeing. The library supplies those missing pieces, quietly preventing inequality from becoming permanent. Defund it, and the cost doesn’t vanish; it reappears in emergency services, unemployment, and social isolation.

The passage develops its argument mainly through…

Read the following passage and answer the question.

When people argue about “success,” they often smuggle in assumptions: money, fame, or the right job title. But success is better defined as sustained agency—the ability to choose goals and pursue them without being trapped by debt, fear, or someone else’s script. By that definition, the student who works twenty hours a week to stay enrolled and still reads for pleasure may be more successful than the valedictorian who feels locked into a path they hate. Critics of this definition will say it excuses low ambition; after all, shouldn’t success require measurable achievement? Yet measurable achievement without agency is a trophy in a locked case: impressive, untouchable, and ultimately owned by the expectations that produced it. Agency also explains why “quick wins” can feel hollow. A viral post, a sudden promotion, or a lucky investment may look like success, but if it narrows options—by demanding constant performance or risking financial collapse—it is closer to dependence than freedom. If we want schools and workplaces that cultivate success, we should reward not just outcomes but the habits that expand choice: learning, saving, asking for help, and declining paths that shrink one’s life.

Which method does the author primarily use to develop the argument?​