Which text-dependent question is the best one for this passage?

A. What is the "Course of human events" to which the author refers? Why are these events significant? Cite explicit text evidence to support your answer.

B. How does the author use rhetorical features to make his argument more effective? Cite explicit text evidence to support your answer.

C. Why do the colonies need to "dissolve the political bands which have connected them?" Give evidence from the text to support your answer.

D. What does Jefferson mean when he uses the word "dissolve"? How would he go about dissolving the colonies from England? Use examples from the text.

Answer: Incorrect. This question directs the students to prior knowledge or "events" that may help relay the context of the Declaration of Independence. However, text-dependent questions should require the students to stay focused on the central idea of the text as a whole. Try again. Correct. This question requires students to analyze the rhetorical features used to persuade the audience as to the author's argument. This question is most closely aligned to the MCCRS for 11th and 12th grades. Incorrect. This question cannot be answered thoroughly with text support at this point. The author has stated the importance of "dissolution" without cause. Therefore, the student would have to engage in imaginative speculation without reading further to discover the author's reasons. Try again. Incorrect. This question is off-track. Jefferson does not give detailed reasons for why the thirteen colonies should separate from England, nor does he propose a plan for how they should separate. Try again.