Chapter 2 Practice Exercises Critical Question: What are the issue and the conclusion? In the following passages, locate the issue and conclusion. As you search, e sure to look for indicator words Home schooling is a valid concept if the parent makes teaching a full time job, and has the insight, knowledge and patience to do so. However, the truth of the natter is that few parents who home school their child are capable of doing so Parents may choose to pull their student out of public schools for the wrong rea sons. Sometimes, when children are a discipline problem, the parents will pull them out of school rather than tolerating the rules associated with the punish ment. Such a motivation does not speak well for the probable results of the home schooling that follows. In addition, when there are no other adults what is going on at home, it is likely that if there is a case of abuse in the home that it will go unnoticed. Society needs to know whether these children ar getting the education and treatment they deserve P Television advertising agencies are very clever in the way that they construct ads Often the ads are similar to the cartoons that the children enjoy. Children see these characters interacting with a certain product and associate their affection for the character with affection for the product. The com do not want the children to perceive a difference between the shows they are watching and the advertisements. By using this strategy, these companies take advantage of the fact that children are often not able to discriminate between the cartoons and the ads and do not understand that these things offered come at a cost. Often the adver- tising is about sugary snacks or fatty foods, leading the children down a path bad health. Advertising geared towards children should be regulated -just as here are regulations now about tobacco and alcohol ads targeted at children Should the public be shown actual courtroom trials on television? It seems as though the system can easily be corrupted by having cameras in the courtroom Victims are hesitant enough when testifying in front of a small crowd, but their knowledge that every word is being sent to countless homes would increase the likelihood that they would simply refuse to testify. There is little to no assumed nnocence for the accused when their trial is put on television. People do not watch court television because they are concerned about our countrys ability to
2 2 Chapter 2 Practice Exercises (JM Critical Question: What are the issue and the conclusion? In the following passages, locate the issue and conclusion. As you search, be sure to look for indicator words. Passage 1 Home schooling is a valid concept if the parent makes teaching a full time job, and has the insight, knowledge and patience to do so. However, the truth of the matter is that few parents who home school their child are capable of doing so. Parents may choose to pull their student out of public schools for the wrong reasons. Sometimes, when children are a discipline problem, the parents will pull them out of school rather than tolerating the rules associated with the punishment. Such a motivation does not speak well for the probable results of the home schooling that follows. In addition, when there are no other adults to monitor what is going on at home, it is likely that if there is a case of abuse in the home that it will go unnoticed. Society needs to know whether these children are getting the education and treatment they deserve. Passage 2 Television advertising agencies are very clever in the way that they construct ads. Often the ads are similar to the cartoons that the children enjoy. Children see these characters interacting with a certain product and associate their affection for the character with affection for the product. The companies do not want the children to perceive a difference between the shows they are watching and the advertisements. By using this strategy, these companies take advantage of the fact that children are often not able to discriminate between the cartoons and the ads and do not understand that these things offered come at a cost. Often the advertising is about sugary snacks or fatty foods, leading the children down a path to bad health. Advertising geared towards children should be regulated -just as there are regulations now about tobacco and alcohol ads targeted at children. Passage 3 Should the public be shown actual courtroom trials on television? It seems as though the system can easily be corrupted by having cameras in the courtroom. Victims are hesitant enough when testifying in front of a small crowd, but their knowledge that every word is being sent to countless homes would increase the likelihood that they would simply refuse to testify. There is little to no assumed innocence for the accused when their trial is put on television. People do not watch court television because they are concerned about our country's ability to
What Are the lssue and the Conclusion? ffectively carry out the proceedings of the judicial system; instead, they are looking for the drama in witness testimony: entertainment. Thus, leave the cam- eras out of the courtrooms, and let the public view sitcom drama based off of The author states her conclusion in the second sentence of the passage. The con clusion is identified by the phrase, "the truth of the matter is". The author does not explicitly state the issue, but it can be inferred by the conclusion and the reasons There are listed reasons in the second paragraph that suggest why motivation to home school their children would lend to an ineffective home school- Ing experience. Thi ample is prescriptive because it asks what ought to be done. ISSUE: Should all parents be allowed to home school their children? 2 There are no indicator words to point towards the conclusion, but a good place to look for the conclusion is either at the beginning or end of the excerpt. In this case, the very last statement is the conclusion, and you can tell it is the conclusion be cause it gives finality to the passage using the phrase"should be. This phrase also indicates that this is a prescriptive issue. It is not talking about the way things are or are not, but how they ought to be. The issue is assumed from the conclusion and from the preceding statements explaining why the author came to her conclusion ISSUE: Should advertisements geared towards children be regulated? CONCLUSION: Advertisements geared toward children should be regulated CRITICAL QUESTION SUMMARY: WHY THIS QUESTION IS TMPORTANT What Are the issue and the conclusion? Before you can evaluate an authors argument you must clearly identify the issue and conclusion. How can you evaluate an argument if you don't know exactly what the author is trying to persuade you to believe? Finding an author main point is the first step in deciding whether you will accept or reject it
What Are the Issue and the Conclusion? 2 3 effectively carry out the proceedings of the judicial system; instead, they are looking for the drama in witness testimony: entertainment. Thus, leave the cameras out of the courtrooms, and let the public view sitcom drama based off of the legal system. Sample Responses Passage 1 The author states her conclusion in the second sentence of the passage. The conclusion is identified by the phrase, "the truth of the matter is". The author does not explicitly state the issue, but it can be inferred by the conclusion and the reasons. There are listed reasons in the second paragraph that suggest why some parents' motivation to home school their children would lend to an ineffective home schooling experience. This example is prescriptive because it asks what ought to be done. ISSUE: Should all parents be allowed to home school their children ? CONCLUSION: NO, most parents are not capable of home schooling. Passage 2 There are no indicator words to point towards die conclusion, but a good place to look for the conclusion is either at the beginning or end of the excerpt. In this case, the very last statement is the conclusion, and you can tell it is the conclusion because it gives finality to the passage using the phrase "should be". This phrase also indicates that this is a prescriptive issue. It is not talking about the way things are or are not, but how they ought to be. The issue is assumed from the conclusion and from the preceding statements explaining why the author came to her conclusion. ISSUE: Should advertisements geared towards children be regulated? CONCLUSION: Advertisements geared toward children should be regulated. ff) CRITICAL QUESTION SUMMARY: V l ^ WHY THIS QUESTION IS IMPORTANT What Are the Issue and the Conclusion? Before you can evaluate an author's argument, you must clearly identify the issue and conclusion. How can you evaluate an argument if you don't know exactly what the author is trying to persuade you to believe? Finding an author's main point is the first step in deciding whether you will accept or reject it
CHAPTER 3 WHAT ARE THE REASONS? Reasons provide answers for our human curiosity about why someone makes a particular decision or holds a particular opinio Every class should conclude with student evaluations. A pig is smarter than a mule. Employers should be able to fire any employee who refuses to take a drug test Those three claims are each missing something. We may or may not agree with them, but in their current form they are neither weak nor strong. None of the claims contains an explanation or rationale for why we should agree. Thus, if we heard someone make one of those three assertions, we would be left hungry for more What is missing is the reason or reasons responsible for the claims Reasons are beliefs, evidence, metaphors, analogies, and other statements offered to support or justify conclusions. They are the statements that together form the basis for creating the credibility of a conclusion, Chapter 2 gave you some guidelines for locating two very important parts of the struc- ure of an argument-the issue and the conclusion. This chapter focuses on techniques for identifying the third essential element of an argument- the reasons When a writer has a conclusion she wants you to accept, she must present reasons to persuade you that she is right and to show you why
CHAPTE R 3 I WHA T AR E TH E REASONS? Reasons provide answers for our human curiosity about why someone makes a particular decision or holds a particular opinion. Every class should conclude with student evaluations. A pig is smarter than a mule. Employers should be able to fire any employee who refuses to take a drug test. Those three claims are each missing something. We may or may not agree with them, but in their current form they are neither weak nor strong. None of the claims contains an explanation or rationale for why we should agree. Thus, if we heard someone make one of those three assertions, we would be left hungry for more. What is missing is the reason or reasons responsible for the claims. Reasons are beliefs, evidence, metaphors, analogies, and other statements offered to support or justify conclusions. They are the statements that together form the basis for creating the credibility of a conclusion. Chapter 2 gave you some guidelines for locating two very important parts of the structure of an argument—the issue and the conclusion. This chapter focuses on techniques for identifying the third essential element of an argument— the reasons. When a writer has a conclusion she wants you to accept, she must present reasons to persuade you that she is right and to show you why. 25
Chapter It is the mark of a rational person to support her beliefs with adequate proof, especially when the beliefs are of a controversial nature. For example when someone asserts that we should exclude inexperienced lawyers from representing those charged with felonies, this assertion should be met with the challenge, Why do you say that? "You should raise this question whether ee or disa The person's reasons may be either strong or weak, but you will not know until you have asked the question and identified the reasons. If the answer is because I think so, you should be dissatisfied with the argument, because the reason"is a mere restatement of the conclusion however if the answer is evidence concerning serious mistakes made by inexperienced lawyers in felony cases, you will want to consider such evidence when you evaluate the conclusion. Remember: You cannot determine the worth of a conclusi until you identify the reasons Identifying reasons is a particularly important step in critical thinking An opinion cannot be evaluated fairly unless we ask why it is held and get a satisfactory response. Focusing on reasons requires us to remain open to and tolerant of views that might differ from our own. If we reacted to conclusions rather than to reasoning, we would tend to stick to the conclusions we brought to the discussion or essay, and those conclusions that agree with our own would receive our rapid assent. If we are ever to re-examine our own opinions, we must remain curious, open to the reasons provided by those people with opinions that we do not yet share Critical Question: What are the reasons? Reasons Conclusion =Argument In ordinary conversation, an argument refers to a disagreement, a time when blood pressure soars. We will use the concept in a very different manner. An argument is a combination of two forms of statements: a conclusion and the rea- sons allegedly supporting it. The partnership between reasons and conclusion establishes a person's argument It is something we provide because we care about how people live their lives and what they believe. Our continue improvement depends on someones caring enough about us to offer us arg ments and to evaluate the ones we make. Only then will we be able to develop as thoughtful people Sometimes, an argument will consist of a single reason and a conclusi often, however, several reasons will be offered to support the conclusion
26 Chapter 3 It is the mark of a rational person to support her beliefs with adequate proof, especially when the beliefs are of a controversial nature. For example, when someone asserts that we should exclude inexperienced lawyers from representing those charged with felonies, this assertion should be met with the challenge, "Why do you say that?" You should raise this question whether you agree or disagree. The person's reasons may be either strong or weak, but you will not know until you have asked the question and identified the reasons. If the answer is "because I think so," you should be dissatisfied with the argument, because the "reason" is a mere restatement of the conclusion. However, if the answer is evidence concerning serious mistakes made by inexperienced lawyers in felony cases, you will want to consider such evidence when you evaluate the conclusion. Remember: You cannot determine the worth of a conclusion until you identify the reasons. Identifying reasons is a particularly important step in critical thinking. An opinion cannot be evaluated fairly unless we ask why it is held and get a satisfactory response. Focusing on reasons requires us to remain open to and tolerant of views that might differ from our own. If we reacted to conclusions rather than to reasoning, we would tend to stick to the conclusions we brought to the discussion or essay, and those conclusions that agree with our own would receive our rapid assent. If we are ever to re-examine our own opinions, we must remain curious, open to the reasons provided by those people with opinions that we do not yet share. (Jj Critical Question: What are the reasons? Reasons + Conclusion = Argument In ordinary conversation, an argument refers to a disagreement, a time when blood pressure soars. We will use the concept in a very different manner. An argument is a combination of two forms of statements: a conclusion and the reasons allegedly supporting it. The partnership between reasons and conclusion establishes a person's argument. It is something we provide because we care about how people live their lives and what they believe. Our continual improvement depends on someone's caring enough about us to offer us arguments and to evaluate the ones we make. Only then will we be able to develop as thoughtful people. Sometimes, an argument will consist of a single reason and a conclusion; often, however, several reasons will be offered to support the conclusion