What is the appeal made when Terry uses his late basketball game and the death of his tarantula to explain why he didn't read the chapter?

The appeal being made by Terry when he uses his late basketball game and the death of his tarantula to explain why he didn't read the chapter is clearly an appeal to pity. This type of appeal seeks to elicit sympathy from the audience, encouraging their emotional response by presenting a personal misfortune or hardship. In this case, Terry’s reference to two unfortunate events—his basketball game and the death of his pet—serves to create a narrative that aims to gain understanding or leniency from others regarding his failure to complete the reading assignment. This strategy often relies on invoking feelings of compassion to distract from the actual argument or issue at hand, which is his responsibility to read the chapter.

While other choices represent different persuasive techniques, they do not align with the emotional and sympathetic context that Terry is attempting to utilize.