SAMPLE QUESTION 6

As you read the passage below, consider how the author uses

• evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims.
• reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.
• stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed.

Promoting Dignity: Freedom from Trafficking     

“Congratulations!” we exclaim, after hearing of a baby’ s birth, a joyful time of celebration. Regardless of who people are, where they come from, or what stage of life they are in, human beings have great worth and dignity. From the beginning of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the international community recognizes this reality. The idea that people have inherent rights just in virtue of the fact that they are human beings is based on the inherent moral value of human beings. Human trafficking, however, which involves exploiting someone for financial gain, is a direct attack on human dignity. Therefore, we must work together to create a world free of such exploitation.

 It is estimated that nearly 21 million people worldwide are victims of forced labor or sexual exploitation. Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery, in which victims typically are kept in unsanitary conditions and endure physical, sexual and psychological harms. The average age at which people are trafficked is about 13 years old, and they are sometimes brutally violated many times a day. Traffickers use force, fraud, deception, or coercion in order to use other people for the purpose of making money for themselves. Victim’ s inability to escape leads to self-destructive behaviors, including attempted suicide.

 Achieving freedom from trafficking first requires promoting awareness of the signs of it in order to help prevent becoming a victim. Experienced traffickers have subtle tactics to lure people by getting to know them gradually, happening to show up at the same places as the one being targeted, and making attractive offers of good jobs, marriage or a “better life”. One former perpetrator recounted how many times he heard young ladies say that “it cannot happen to me,” and yet they gradually became desensitized in environments where, despite earning money at first and receiving many compliments, they end up with shattered lives. Some signs that someone is being trafficked include working excessively long hours, having high-security measures around the place of employment or living, being fearful or anxious, showing signs of abuse and having a lack of control of possessions, money, and identification.

Creating a world free from trafficking also includes not contributing to it. The super bowl is said to be the single largest human trafficking incident in the United States, where traffickers take advantage of so many men being out of town at a hotel with a festive atmosphere and lowered inhibitions. There are, however, many ways to have a great time without using and abusing other people’ s sons and daughters. Bringing trafficking to an end does not just involve our behavior though; it also includes changing the attitudes and ideas that lead to such behaviors, stimulating the demand for it. Instead of viewing others as objects for one’ s own gratification, we must recognize them as whole persons with minds, wills, and emotions. Each person has intrinsic moral worth and so is deserving of respect and kindness, not degradation and humiliation. According to the U.S Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, an end to human trafficking “can only be achieved by rejecting long-held notions that regard commercial sex as a ‘boys will be boys’ phenomenon, and instead of sending the clear message that buying sex is wrong.” Leaders, they argued, “must foster the belief that it is everyone’ s responsibility to reduce the demand for sex trafficking”.

 In addition to not becoming a victim or a perpetrator, protecting people from trafficking requires what we take positive steps to stop it from happening. At the governmental level, it is important to enact laws that carry with them penalties proportional to the seriousness of the crimes of human trafficking, the enforcement of which will bring people to justice and actually deter them from committing such crimes in the first place. At the individual level, we need to be aware of our surroundings, notice the signs of trafficking and report suspicious activities to the appropriate authorities. A final essential component involves groups of people forming organizations to educate the public, help identify victims and provide aftercare for those that are rescued from enslavement, and contribute toward the elimination of demand for trafficked victims.

It is commonly thought that slavery ended long ago. Let us work together so that one day we can hold that belief truly.

Write a response that demonstrates how the author makes an argument to persuade an audience that a liberal arts education is valuable. In your response, analyze how the author uses at least one of the features from the essay directions (or features of your own choosing) to develop a logical and persuasive argument. Be certain that your response cites relevant aspects of the source text.

Your response should not give your personal opinion on the merit of the source text, but instead, show how the author crafts an argument to persuade readers.