Answer b is correct.
Throughout the reading, the author offers definite opinions about Mayfield's music and personality. If those opinions were countered by opposing ones, you might still be able to argue that the author's purpose was to inform. But they are not, thus b is the only possible correct answer to the question.
Answer b is correct.
As the reading unfolds, the author offers a definite opinion about the consequences of the tragedy: They could have been avoided. In addition, she argues that Isaac Cline and the Weather Bureau played a role in causing those consequences. Although she points out that Cline's memoir and other accounts challenge her opinion, she does not really give equal weight to both sides. Instead, she undercuts Cline's claim by mentioning that it lacks any support in accounts by survivors. If there were any doubt that this reading is designed to persuade, the charged language of the last sentence would eliminate it: "Sadly, the city of Galveston paid a terrible price for this bureaucratic blindness."
Answer a is correct.
The thesis statement makes a point that can be verified: "During the course of the war, only a few hundred men were shot for deserting. Most were subject to humiliating and painful punishments that intentionally left them alive and capable of continued service to the cause." In addition, neither the title nor the tone suggest that the author wants readers to take sides on the topic of punishing deserters.
Answer b is the better answer although this is a case where you could argue that the reading offers an equal mix of information and persuasion.
The persuasive intent is less obvious in this reading than in Reading 1. At first glance, the thesis statement might not seem to be an opinion but if you look at it carefully, it clearly blends fact and opinion: "As a mail carrier, the Pony Express lasted little more than a year and a half—from April 3, 1860 until November 20, 1861—but it made a lasting impression on the national consciousness." The first part of the statement can be checked for accuracy, but there is no way to verify the "national consciousness," making this statement a blend of fact and opinion. Although the body of the reading does include straightforward information about the Pony Express, it also returns to the opinion expressed in the thesis statement in order to convince readers of its correctness. And finally, the title's use of the word "legendary" with its positive connotations tips the scales in favor of persuasion.