Question

i have paid no poll - tax for six years. i was put into a jail once on this account, for one night; and, as i stood considering the walls of solid stone, two or three feet thick, the door of wood and iron, a foot thick, and the iron grating which strained the light, i could not help being struck with the foolishness of that institution which treated me as if i were mere flesh and blood and bones, to be locked up. how does this excerpt best support thoreaus argument? a. it uses parallelism to show his disdain for being jailed for a minor crime. b. it uses his history of disobeying the government to illustrate logos. c. it uses pathos to create a sense of fear of the government. d. it uses his personal experience of civil disobedience to build ethos.

Explanation:

• Option A: The excerpt does not use parallelism (structured repeated phrasing) to make its point, so this is incorrect.
• Option B: The passage focuses on personal experience, not logical (logos) argumentation through a history of disobedience, so this is incorrect.
• Option C: The text expresses disdain, not fear of the government, so this is incorrect.
• Option D: Thoreau uses his own real experience of refusing to pay the poll-tax and being jailed (an act of civil disobedience) to establish ethos, as personal experience builds credibility for his argument against unjust government actions.

Answer:

D. It uses his personal experience of civil disobedience to build ethos.