(I) Exercise 1.2 Recognizing Arguments

nonargument (piece of advice)

Bear one thing in mind before you begin to write your paper: Famous literary works, especially works regarded as classics, have been thoroughly studied to the point where prevailing opinion on them has assumed the character of orthodoxy. (J.R. McCuen and A.C. Winkler, Readings for Writers, 4th edition)

Argument (Economics is of practical value in business)

Economics is of practical value in business. An understanding of the overall operation of the economic system puts the business executive in a better position to formulate policies. The executive who understands the causes and consequences of inflation is better equipped during inflationary periods to make more intelligent decisions than otherwise. (Campbell R. McConnell, Economics, 8th edition)

Argument (Conclusion: The coarsest type of humor is the practical joke.)

The coarsest type of humor is the practical joke: pulling away the chair from the dignitary's lowered bottom. The victim is perceived first as a person of consequence, then suddenly as an inert body subject to the laws of physics: authority is debunked by gravity, mind by matter; man is degraded to a mechanism. (Arthur Koestler, Janus: A Summing Up)

Argument (Conclusion: A person never becomes truly self-reliant.)

A person never becomes truly self-reliant. Even though he deals effectively with things, he is necessarily dependent upon those who have taught him to do so. They have selected the things he is dependent upon and determined the kinds and degrees of dependencies. (B. F. Skinner, Beyond Freedom and Dignity)

Argument (Conclusion: The plane mirror remains an important element in the modern arsenal of sophisticated optical devices.)

Although the plane mirror is perhaps the oldest optical instrument known to man, it remains an important element in the modern arsenal of sophisticated optical devices. For example, the earth-moon laser-ranging experiments, initiated in 1969, rely on high-quality reflectors. (Frank J. Blatt, Principles of Physics, 2nd edition)

Argument (Conclusion: Atoms can combine to form molecules, whose properties are generally very different from those of the constituent atoms.)

Atoms are the basic building blocks of all matter. They can combine to form molecules, whose properties are generally very different from those of the constituent atoms. Table salt, for example, a simple chemical compound formed from chlorine and sodium, resembles neither the poisonous gas nor the highly reactive metal. (Frank J. Blatt, Principles of Physics, 2nd edition)

Nonargument (report)

Cancer is not one disease, but many. Some forms are particularly susceptible to radiation therapy. Radiation is carefully aimed at the cancerous tissue, and exposure of normal cells is minimized. If the cancer cells are killed by the destructive effects of the radiation, the malignancy is halted. (John W. Hill and Doris K. Kolb, Chemistry for Changing Times, 7th edition)

Argument (Dachshunds are ideal dogs for small children.)

Dachshunds are ideal dogs for small children, as they are already stretched and pulled to such a length that the child cannot do much harm one way or the other. (Robert Benchley, quoted in Cold Noses and Warm Hearts)

Argument (Conclusion: Fiction provides us with the opportunity to ponder how people react in uncommon situations, and to deduce moral lessons, psychological principles, and philosophical insights from their behavior.)

Fictional characters behave according to the same psychological probabilities as real people. But the characters of fiction are found in exotic dilemmas that real people hardly encounter. Consequently, fiction provides us with the opportunity to ponder how people react in uncommon situations, and to deduce moral lessons, psychological principles, and philosophical insights from their behavior. (J.R. McCuen and A.C. Winkler, Readings for Writers, 4th edition)

Nonargument (report)

Five college students who were accused of sneaking into the Cincinnati Zoo and trying to ride the camels pleaded no contest to criminal trespass yesterday. The students scaled a fence to get into the zoo and then climbed another fence to get into the camel pit before security officials caught them, zoo officials said. (Newspaper clipping)

Argument (Conclusion: For organisms at the sea surface, sinking into deep water usually means death.)

For organisms at the sea surface, sinking into deep water usually means death. Plant cells cannot photosynthesize in the dark depths. Fishes and other animals that descend lose contact with the main surface food supply and themselves become food for strange deep-living predators. (David H. Milne, Marine Life and the Sea)

Argument (Conclusion: Freedom of press is the most important of our constitutional guaranteed freedoms.)

Freedom of the press is the most important of our constitutionally guaranteed freedoms. Without it, our other freedoms would be immediately threatened. Furthermore, it provides the fulcrum for the advancement of new freedoms.

Nonargument (report)

Haydn developed the string quartet from the eighteenth century divertimento, giving more substance to the light, popular form and scoring it for two violins, a viola, and a cello. His eighty-three quartets, written over the course of his creative lifetime, evolved slowly into a sophisticated form. Together they constitute one of the most important bodies of chamber music literature. (Robert Hickok, Exploring Music)

Nonargument (Statement of belief or opinion)

I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures. I believe that we must assist free peoples to work out their own destinies in their own way. I believe that our help should be primarily through economic and financial aid, which is essential to economic stability and orderly political processes. (President Truman, Address to Congress, 1947)

Nonargument (conditional statement)

If a man holding a belief which he was taught in childhood or persuaded of afterwards keeps down and pushes away any doubts which arise about it in his mind, purposely avoids the reading of books and the company of men that call in question or discuss it, and regards as impious those questions which cannot easily be asked without disturbing it—the life of that man is one long sin against mankind. (W. K. Clifford, ''The Ethics of Belief'')

Nonargument (illustration)

If one knows the plant life of an area, certain assumptions can be made about the climate and the animals that will be found there. For example, in grasslands the animal life typically includes large mammalian herbivores, insects, and birds. (King, Saunders, and Wallace, Biology: The Science of Life)

nonargument (conditional statement)

If public education fails to improve the quality of instruction in both primary and secondary schools, then it is likely that it will lose additional students to the private sector in the years ahead.

Argument (Conclusion: If the Van Allen radiation belt is destroyed, then intense cosmic rays will bombard the earth.)

If the earth's magnetic field disappears, then the Van Allen radiation belt will be destroyed. If the Van Allen radiation belt is destroyed, then intense cosmic rays will bombard the earth. Therefore, if the earth's magnetic field disappears, then intense cosmic rays will bombard the earth.

Argument (Conclusion: In areas where rats are a problem, it is very difficult to exterminate them with bait poison.)

In areas where rats are a problem, it is very difficult to exterminate them with bait poison. That's because some rats eat enough poison to die but others eat only enough to become sick and then learn to avoid that particular poison taste in the future. (Rod Plotnik, Introduction to Psychology, 4th edition)

Nonargument (piece of advice)

It is strongly recommended that you have your house inspected for termite damage at the earliest possible opportunity.

Nonargument (explanation)

It is usually easy to decide whether or not something is alive. This is because living things share many common attributes, such as the capacity to extract energy from nutrients to drive their various functions, the power to actively respond to changes in their environment, and the ability to grow, to differentiate, and to reproduce. (Donald Voet and Judith G. Voet, Biochemistry, 2nd edition)

Nonargument (report of an argument)

Lions at Kruger National Park in South Africa are dying of tuberculosis. ''All of the lions in the park may be dead within ten years because the disease is incurable, and the lions have no natural resistance,'' said the deputy director of the Department of Agriculture. (Newspaper clipping)

Nonargument (explanation)

Men are less likely to develop osteoporosis until later in life than women and seldom suffer as severely because they have 30 percent more bone mass on the average and don't undergo the sudden drop in estrogen that occurs with menopause. (Matt Clark, ''The Calcium Craze,'' Newsweek)

Argument (conclusion: Any interest of the state in protecting the woman from an inherently hazardous procedure, except when it would be equally dangerous for her to forgo it, has largely disappeared.)

Mortality rates for women undergoing early abortions, where the procedure is legal, appear to be as low as or lower than the rates for normal childbirth. Consequently, any interest of the state in protecting the woman from an inherently hazardous procedure, except when it would be equally dangerous for her to forgo it, has largely disappeared. (Justice Blackmun, Roe v. Wade)

Nonargument (loosely associated statements)

Nations are made in two ways, by the slow working of history or the galvanic force of ideas. Most nations are made the former way, emerging slowly from the mist of the past, gradually coalescing within concentric circles of shared sympathies, with an accretion of consensual institutions. But a few nations are formed and defined by the citizens' assent to a shared philosophy. (George Will, ''Lithuania and South Carolina'')

Argument (Conclusion: Newspapers, radio, and television are essential for a democracy.)

Newspapers, radio, and television are essential for a democracy. They are the critical link between the people and their government. They provide information and analysis about policy issues, and they also sensitize policymakers to public opinion—which enables them to respond to the needs and desires of the population. Finally, the media play a critical role in reporting and evaluating the decisions of government. (Stephen J. Wayne et al., The Politics of American Government)

Explanation or Argument (Conclusion: Most business organizations include a credit department which must reach a decision on the credit worthiness of each prospective customer.)

No business concern wants to sell on credit to a customer who will prove unable or unwilling to pay his or her account. Consequently, most business organizations include a credit department which must reach a decision on the credit worthiness of each prospective customer. (Walter B. Meigs and Robert F. Meigs, Accounting)

Nonargument (warning)

Shut the cage door, you fool! The lions are escaping into the streets!

Nonargument (explanation)

Since the 1950s a malady called whirling disease has invaded U.S. fishing streams, frequently attacking rainbow trout. A parasite deforms young fish, which often chase their tails before dying, hence the name. (''Trout Disease—A Turn for the Worse,'' National Geographic)

Nonargument (expository passage)

The pace of reading, clearly, depends entirely upon the reader. He may read as slowly or as rapidly as he can or wishes to read. If he does not understand something, he may stop and reread it, or go in search of elucidation before continuing. The reader can accelerate his pace when the material is easy or less than interesting, and can slow down when it is difficult or enthralling. If what he reads is moving he can put down the book for a few moments and cope with his emotions without fear of losing anything. (Marie Winn, The Plug-In Drug)

Nonargument (statements of belief or opinion)

There is no doubt that some businessmen conspire to shorten the useful life of their products in order to guarantee replacement sales. There is, similarly, no doubt that many of the annual model changes with which American (and other) consumers are increasingly familiar are not technologically substantive. (Alvin Toffler, Future Shock)

Nonargument (Illustration)

Water is a good solvent for many different substances, and it picks them up as it moves through the environment. Thus, rain water flowing over and under the ground dissolves minerals such as limestone. (Gilbert Castellan et al., The World of Chemistry)

nonargument (explanation)

Women tend to have higher pitched voices than men because they have shorter vocal chords. Shorter vocal chords vibrate at a higher frequency than longer ones.

Argument (Conclusion: Words are slippery customers.)

Words are slippery customers. The full meaning of a word does not appear until it is placed in its context. . . . And even then the meaning will depend upon the listener, upon the speaker, upon their entire experience of the language, upon their knowledge of one another, and upon the whole situation. (C. Cherry, On Human Communication)

Nonargument (loosely associated statements)

Young people at universities study to achieve knowledge and not to learn a trade. We must all learn how to support ourselves, but we must also learn how to live. We need a lot of engineers in the modern world, but we do not want a world of modern engineers. (Winston Churchill, A Churchill Reader, ed. Colin R. Coote)