Part 4: Writing an Argumentative Paragraph about an Informational Text
Question 10 • [HSPE2] PE Sem 4 (26-27)
Which statement is the strongest rebuttal to the counterclaim?Counterclaim: Countries had been trading globally for centuries before the chronometer, and they would have continued to do so without it.
Answer
A
However, MacGregor states that sailors had long established their location at sea by “measuring the height of the Sun above the horizon at noon.”
B
Even though countries were already trading globally, the chronometer allowed for accurate maps so that traders could reach their destinations more efficiently.
C
Even so, it was the Industrial Revolution, not the chronometer, that allowed for the mass production of steel goods, such as ship ladders.
D
However, if not for the chronometer’s simple design for use on ships, the Beagle would not have been able to map the coastline of South Africa.
Explanation
The counterclaim says global trade existed before the chronometer and would have continued without it. A strong rebuttal should show how the chronometer still made global trade more effective. Choice B explains that it helped create accurate maps, allowing traders to reach destinations more efficiently, so it directly challenges the idea that trade would have continued just as well without it.
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