The biggest claims that stands out in section 11 is the evaluative claim. In section 11 the line, “Brannan gave the packet to Katie’s kindergarten teacher, but thinks the teacher just saw it as an excuse for bad behavior.” It involves the judgment of an item on the teachers part and judgment of the situation on Brannan’s part. The teacher judge it thinking that it was an excuse for bad behavior and Brannan judged the teacher for thinking that.
” ‘She’s not a normal kid. She does things, and says things. She’s a grown-up in a six-year-old’s body in a lot of ways.’ She certainly looks like a normal kid when she comes down from her room dressed for tap class. In a black leotard, pink tights, and shiny black tap shoes, she looks sweet as pie.” This is an illustrative claim, trying to evoke emotion/sympathy from the audience.
Counterintuitive Fall 2024 
Is this all you could manage with an hour to spend evaluating your section, i.p.?
Without looking at the material you didn’t reproduce here, let’s spend a minute on the second example you did provide:
“‘She’s not a normal kid. She does things, and says things. She’s a grown-up in a six-year-old’s body in a lot of ways.’ She certainly looks like a normal kid when she comes down from her room dressed for tap class. In a black leotard, pink tights, and shiny black tap shoes, she looks sweet as pie.”
First of all, there are two “speakers” here.
The author quotes Brannan, Katie’s mother, who describes Katie as “not a normal kid . . . a grown-up in a six-year-old’s body.”
That’s both Evaluative and clearly Comparative.
“Not normal” is meant to persuade us to believe that Katie has been influenced by living with an erratic, often violent, PTSD sufferer to have an “abnormal” relationship with reality. The things she “says” and “does” are not indicative of an overly compassionate and sympathetic youth. They’re warped and weird and, frankly, they frighten people like most abnormalities in youth.
A “grown-up in a six-year-old’s body” is classically Comparative. Notice also, she’s not a child in a grown-up’s body. She’s a kid who might as well be a two-tour combat war vet, according to Brannan. And why? Because she’s suffered as much Stress as a combat vet by living with her dad, who often feels like the enemy.
Then there’s the author’s claim:
Is it illustrative? Surely. Is there “body English” in the looks like? You bet there is. Does the author want to evoke BOTH the sweet image of the kid in a tutu? Sure. Does she also acknowledge, with both “looks like” and “looks sweet as,” that things are not what they seem? You tell me.
And then spend 60 minutes on the rest of Section 11.
I’ll grade this as is, imaginary.persona. Put the post into Grade Please or back into Feedback Please, or both, following any significant improvements.