Elements of Argument InQuizitive

HANDBOOK PAGE W-8a First, watch the video below. Then, identify whether the following statement is true or false: The claim Carlos makes in his thesis statement is an arguable one.

True

Emotional appeals may not be appropriate for some writing situations.

True

One method for developing good reasons in support of an argument is to state your claim and then imagine a reader asking, "Why do you say that?"

True

Using singular "they" and other types of inclusive language can help build common ground with your readers and establish your trustworthiness as a writer.

True

What are some situations in which it makes sense to qualify your claim? Drag each of the following scenarios into the appropriate box.

--Makes sense to qualify---- When you know readers are likely to challenge your argument. When you want to avoid overstating your case. When you want to acknowledge the complexity of an issue. --Does not make sense to qualify---- When you feel very sure of the validity of your claim. When you feel that a qualifier would lessen the impact of your claim.

Is the following statement an effective claim for an argument? Air pollution is bad for the environment and for people's health.

no its not effective.

How might Carlos establish credibility in his essay?

--Good strategies for establishing credibility---- Carlos could use a qualifier in his claim. Carlos could discuss his own experience of playing in a basketball tournament that used the Elam Ending. Carlos could use quotes from sports analysts to support his argument. Carlos could carefully document any sources he uses in his essay. Carlos could admit that the Elam Ending might have drawbacks. --Not good strategies for establishing credibility---- Carlos could use exclamation points to make his argument seem more believable.

A student has drafted two possible claims for an argument she's working on for her early childhood development class. Which of the following two claims would be easier for the student to support?

Overpraising a child may damage their self-esteem.

For a literature class, a student is writing an analysis of a character in the novel The Underground Railroad. What type of evidence would readers most likely expect to see?

Textual Evidence

Writers often address counterarguments by acknowledging, refuting, or accommodating them. Match each of the descriptions on the left to corresponding strategy on the right.

With this strategy, you make a case for why an opposing viewpoint is incorrect. Refuting With this strategy, you concede or accept an opposing viewpoint and perhaps adjust your own stance. Accommodating With this strategy, you show readers that you're aware of viewpoints that differ from your own. Acknowledging

If reasonable people might disagree with your claim, then your claim is ___for an argument.

appropriate

Identify the words in the passage below that help qualify the writer's claim. A real or perceived lack of access to vaccines is likely a major contributor to the low rates of Covid vaccination in some communities, as recent survey data suggest.

suggest likely some

Drag each of the following statements about claims into the appropriate box.

--Accurate-- The main claim of an argumentative essay is also known as a thesis statement. --Inaccurate-- Most of the time, a claim should be expressed in the form of question. A claim must be stated explicitly in a text.

The following passage is taken from an essay about minority student clubs by Gabriela Moro. Identify the sentence in the passage below that best represents the writer's claim.

While minority clubs have proven to be beneficial to minority students in some cases, particularly on campuses that are not very diverse, my research suggests that colleges would enrich the educational experience for all students by introducing multicultural clubs as well.

The following claim appears in an essay by Sanjana Ramanathan about sexism in esports and other gaming communities: Sexism appears in every level of the gaming community, from casual players to professionals. Is this statement an example of a qualified claim?

No, the claim is not qualified.

Which of the following words or phrases would help qualify a claim? Drag each into the appropriate box.

---Qualifying term--- possibly almost for the most part might ---Not a qualifying term-- always never

Sometimes claims aren't directly stated. Instead, they're suggested or implied. In a separate browser window, do a Google search for "National Geographic cover planet or plastic" to find the June 2018 cover of National Geographic. After looking at it carefully, respond to the prompt below. Imagine you're writing an explicit claim to accompany the magazine cover. You want your claim to be clear and arguable, and you want it to capture the message of the cover. Which of the following statements are good possibilities for your claim?

--Good possibilities-- Plastic pollution is a much more serious problem than people may realize. Plastic bags and other single-use plastics can have a disastrous effect on our planet --Not good possibilities-- Many aquatic animals are affected by plastic pollution. Pollution is a problem. Should plastic bags be banned?

Which of the following questions would be helpful to ask yourself as you develop emotional appeals for an argument?

--Helpful questions-- Is there a vivid example or story I could share with my readers to help them feel more connected to my topic and my argument? What values do my readers hold? Are there any photographs or other visuals I could use to engage my audience on an emotional level? Are emotional appeals appropriate to my genre, purpose, and audience? ---Unhelpful questions--- N/A

magine you are writing an argument essay. Which strategies might help you identify other viewpoints to address in your argument?

Helpful strategies------ reading about your topic and taking note of multiple positions on it imagining how someone who disagrees with you would respond to each of the reasons you've developed to support your position making a Venn diagram that maps out various positions on your topic talking with people whose position on your topic is different from yours talking with people whose position on your topic is neutral or the same as yours Not helpful strategies---- N/A

A student is writing an essay arguing that the practice of tipping restaurant workers should end. In the passage below, he acknowledges an opposing viewpoint. Does he do so effectively? Many restaurant owners oppose the idea of going tip free, arguing that they'll have to raise menu prices in order to pay their waitstaff appropriately. Such owners are greedy people who care only about pleasing customers, not about taking care of their own employees.

No

In an argument she's writing for a capstone course in her major, a student incorporates some of the specialized language of her field of study. For example, she refers to concepts like "self-regulation" and "executive functioning." Using such terminology in her essay can help the student establish her credibility as a writer.

True

After reviewing his notes, Carlos made a list of points he wants to be sure to incorporate somewhere in his essay. Which points would serve as reasons in support of Carlos's argument in favor of the Elam Ending, and which points would serve as counterarguments?

counterarguments- The Elam Ending would eliminate the possibility—and the excitement—of overtime. With the Elam Ending, players' box scores and other statistics could be negatively affected. reasons- The Elam Ending would decrease the number of intentional fouls made at the end of a game, making the final minutes more fast paced and fun. The Elam Ending has received rave reviews from fans and players when it's been used in special contexts, like the NBA All-Star game. Teams would develop new, more interesting strategies for end-of-game play because of the Elam Ending.

Which newspaper headlines below make arguable claims? Drag each of the headlines below into the appropriate box.

--Arguable-- Children are overscheduled, and it's taking a toll on their mental health. Travel delays are making it hard for people to plan trips. It's the fault of the airlines. --Not arguable-- Is America serious about space travel? Debating the value of preschool. A new generation of gamers is discovering the old classics.

Are the following statements about using evidence correct or incorrect?

--Correct-- When using data from experiments, observations, or case studies, you should avoid making overgeneralized assertions based on the data. When using quotes from authorities as evidence, you should make sure the person quoted is reputable, trustworthy, and qualified to address your subject. --Incorrect-- When using charts, graphs, or other visuals as evidence, there's no need to explain their relevance within your text itself. Using a personal anecdote as evidence is never appropriate for an academic argument.

The following statement is an arguable claim: Yellow roses are more beautiful than red ones.

False

Fill in the blanks to complete the following statement. In most academic contexts, certain kinds of statements are not arguable, including___which cannot be opposed, and____, which cannot be proven.

verifiable statements of fact 1st issues of faith or belief 2nd

After watching the video below, respond to the following prompt .Below are several passages from Carlos's essay. How does Carlos address opposing viewpoints in each passage?

Carlos refutes the opposing view.----- Some argue that the rules of a 130-year-old game shouldn't be changed just to make the game more exciting. But other changes—like the addition of the shot clock and the three-point shot—were also made to liven up the game. Because the Elam Ending eliminates the timeclock, fans may worry they'd miss the adrenaline rush of a buzzer-beater ending. However, the statistics in the chart below illustrate that only a small percentage of games played under the current rules end with a buzzer beater. And with the Elam Ending, every game would end with a game-winning shot. Carlos accommodates the opposing view.------- Some sports commentators say that the Elam Ending is too new to be widely embraced by fans. I, too, share this concern and would recommend that the Elam Ending be phased in gradually, perhaps by using it in place of overtime for the next year.

As a writer, you should always state your claim as assertively as possible.

False

A student is writing a position paper on the question of whether body mass index (BMI) is a useful measure of a person's health. Would the following be an appropriate counterargument for the student to address in their paper? Some medical professionals argue that waist circumference is a better measure of health than BMI.

It depends

The following passage is from an essay by Justin Vinh arguing that the negative aspects of social media outweigh the positive ones. Identify the sentence or sentences in which the author refutes an opposing viewpoint.

However, those rare users are massively outnumbered by those who do [show signs of addiction].3

Some of the following statements present clear and arguable positions, and some do not. Drag each into the appropriate box.

Clear and arguable------- The minimum wage should be abolished, not raised. Raising the federal minimum wage to $15.00 per hour can help fight poverty in the United States. The minimum wage should not be raised because many employers will outsource jobs to other countries, adversely affecting US workers. Not clear and arguable----- Should the minimum wage be raised? The federal minimum wage has not been raised since 2009. Many people disagree about whether the minimum wage should be raised.

Facts and statistics are the most effective types of evidence you can use to support an argument.

False

The following sentences are taken from an article by Nicholas Brody about the effects of technology on human relationships. Select the sentence or sentences that state the author's own arguable claim on the topic.

The truth of the matter is that social media and smartphones never drove us away from one another. Rather, these tools highlighted the most fundamental need of all—to be connected.

A student is writing an essay arguing that driver's licenses and other government identification documents should offer more than two gender choices. In the essay's opening, the student shares a vivid anecdote about the anxiety they felt in filling out a passport application as a nonbinary person. What kind of appeal is the student making through the anecdote?

apples to both emotions and ethos

The following passages are from an essay by Nicholas Carr arguing that smartphones negatively affect humans' thinking and behavior. What type of evidence is presented in each passage?

experiment- The researchers recruited 520 undergraduate students at UCSD and gave them two standardized tests of intellectual acuity. . . . In both tests, the subjects whose phones were in view posted the worst scores, while those who left their phones in a different room did the best. example- It isn't just our reasoning that takes a hit when phones are around. Social skills and relationships seem to suffer as well. Because smart phones serve as constant reminders of all the friends we could be chatting with electronically, they pull at our minds when we're talking with people in person, leaving our conversations shallower and less satisfying.

Which of the following are key elements of an argument?

--Key element-- good reasons and convincing arguments. an arguable claim. appeals to readers' emotions and to the writer's credibility. consideration of other viewpoints. --Not a key element-- causes and effects

First, watch the video below. Then, respond to the prompt that follows it. The following are thesis statements Carlos drafted but later rejected for his argument essay. Identify the most likely reason that Carlos decided not to use each one.

This is a statement of fact. The Elam Ending is an alternative scoring system for basketball that was invented by Nick Elam in 2007. This is a statement of personal taste. I find basketball boring. This statement is too general There are pros and cons to the Elam Ending. This paper will argue in favor of the Elam Ending.v\

After watching the video below, respond to the following prompt. Sort the evidence Carlos plans to use in his essay according to type.

authorities A quote from player LeBron James about how much fun the Elam Ending was in the 2020 NBA All Star game. A quote from a basketball columnist about her reaction to the Elam Ending. - anecdotes A story about Carlos's experience of boredom while watching the end of a traditional college basketball game. - surveys A summation of comments made in response to a questionnaire that Carlos distributed to college students. - visuals A photograph of Nick Elam holding some of the game tapes he studied while developing his Elam Ending. - statistics Data on the percentage of intentional fouls made in a game that used the Elam Ending versus one that did not.