CORRECT ANSWER GETS POINTS
Read the paragraph.

When people adopt pets, they often choose a puppy or a kitten. But people should give more serious consideration to adopting an older animal. Older animals make loyal pets, and they often require much less training. According to the National Humane Society, older pets are already house trained, they are less likely to destroy items within the home, and many of them know basic commands. Veterinarian Dr. Maria Hendricks agrees. "Older pets often make better companions than younger ones," she said, "because they are often much more calm and obedient." So the next time you visit the pet shelter looking for a new member of your family, think seriously about adopting an older animal. It just might be the perfect pet.

What would make the author's argument more effective?
A) developing a clear and reasonable claim
B) recognizing and refuting a counterclaim
C) motivating readers with a call to action
D) providing evidence from a reliable source

We can eliminate option A because, in this specific paragraph, the author already has a clear and reasonable claim: Older pets make better companions because they are loyal and obedient.

We can also eliminate letter C because the author made sure to include a call to action, which is found in the last lines of the paragraph: "So the next time you visit the pet shelter looking for a new member of your family, think seriously about adopting an older animal. It just might be the perfect pet."

We can eliminate letter D because the author also made sure to provide evidence from a reliable source. In this case, the source is a veterinarian, Dr. Maria Hendricks.

For that reason, we should choose letter B. The only thing the author did not do was recognize and refute a counterclaim. A counterclaim is an opinion contrary to the author's opinion. Notice that none is mentioned in this paragraph.

Learn more about counterclaims here:

https://brainly.com/question/11953701