16Hit1600
Craft and StructureVery hardResponding with a distinction between register and skill

Craft and Structure practice question

Text 1 A linguist claims that texting is degrading young people's writing, citing the abbreviations and missing punctuation in their messages. Text 2 A second linguist notes that the same young people write formal essays with standard punctuation. The abbreviations, she argues, are a style chosen to suit the medium, not a loss of ability — just as adults speak differently to a friend and to a judge.

Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the claim in Text 1?

  1. A. By arguing that the features Text 1 cites reflect a style chosen for texting rather than a decline in skill.Correct
  2. B. By denying that young people use abbreviations in their messages.
  3. C. By agreeing that young people's writing skills are declining.
  4. D. By arguing that adults text more often than young people do.

Answer: A. By arguing that the features Text 1 cites reflect a style chosen for texting rather than a decline in skill.

Text 2 accepts the abbreviations exist and reinterprets them: a register for the medium, alongside intact formal writing.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. By denying that young people use abbreviations in their messages.
Text 2 doesn't deny the abbreviations; it explains them.
C. By agreeing that young people's writing skills are declining.
Text 2 points to standard formal essays as evidence skills are intact.
D. By arguing that adults text more often than young people do.
Adults appear only in an analogy about speaking, not about texting frequency.

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