G ROUNDWORK FOR C OLLEGE R EADING WITH PHONICS Fourth Edition John Langan © 2008 Townsend Press

Part II, Chapter Ten: The Basics of Argument THIS CHAPTER IN A NUTSHELL A good thinker understands what it means to make a point. A good thinker understands what it means to support a point.

THE BASICS OF ARGUMENT What is the mans argument here? That is, what is his point? What is his support for his point? © 2002 by Randy Glasbergen.

THE BASICS OF ARGUMENT What is the mans argument here? That is, what is his point? The mans point is that smoking is good for him. What is his support for his point? His support is not convincing. Standing outdoors smoking is not good exercise for the lungs. Cigarettes are not a leafy vegetable. He makes a clear point, but he fails to support it. © 2002 by Randy Glasbergen.

EVALUATING ARGUMENTS A critical thinker can look at an argument and decide whether there is support that effectively backs up the point.

EVALUATING ARGUMENTS Read the four items below. Which one is the point? Which ones are the support that backs up the point? C. Someone dumped scrap metal in the lake, and you could cut yourself badly. D. You should not go swimming in that lake. A. A six-foot snapping turtle lives at the bottom of the lake. B. Rattlesnakes have nests on the shoreline and often swim in the lake. Point and Support

EVALUATING ARGUMENTS Explanation C. Someone dumped scrap metal in the lake, and you could cut yourself badly. Support D. You should not go swimming in that lake. Point A. A six-foot snapping turtle lives at the bottom of the lake. Support B. Rattlesnakes have nests on the shoreline and often swim in the lake. Support Point and Support Statements A, B, and C all describe specific dangers of swimming in the lake. Statement D is the point that all of the other sentences support.

EVALUATING ARGUMENTS Once you identify a point and its support, you need to decide if the support really applies to the point. Logical Support I

EVALUATING ARGUMENTS Read the point and the three items of support that follow. Then decide which is the one item that logically supports the point. Logical Support I B.She is lots of fun in class, always joking around and making wisecracks. On Halloween, she came in dressed as a witch. Once she handed out test booklets that said inside, April fool! Point: The teacher takes a personal interest in her students. A.Her lectures are well prepared, and she always follows her class syllabus. When asked a question in class, she answers promptly and fully. She has co- written a textbook on the subject that shes teaching. C.She has a one-on-one interview with each student at least twice a year. She makes a point of knowing their families and often asks how their parents or siblings are doing. If a student is having a special problem, she often visits him or her at home.

EVALUATING ARGUMENTS Explanation Logical Support I B.She is lots of fun in class, always joking around and making wisecracks. On Halloween, she came in dressed as a witch. Once she handed out test booklets that said inside, April fool! The teacher described here is cheerful and fun-loving, but does nothing to show that she takes a personal interest in her students. This item does not support the point. Point: The teacher takes a personal interest in her students. A.Her lectures are well prepared, and she always follows her class syllabus. When asked a question in class, she answers promptly and fully. She has co- written a textbook on the subject that shes teaching. This teacher knows her subject and is skilled at teaching, but nothing that she does shows that she takes a personal interest in her students. This item does not support the point. C.She has a one-on-one interview with each student at least twice a year. She makes a point of knowing their families and often asks how their parents or siblings are doing. If a student is having a special problem, she often visits him or her at home. The teacher described here clearly goes out of her way to establish and maintain a personal connection to each of her students. This item does support the point.

EVALUATING ARGUMENTS A critical thinker asks, Is this support logical and relevant? Or is it beside the point? Logical Support I

EVALUATING ARGUMENTS Read the point and the five items of support that follow. Then decide which three items logically support the point. Logical Support II B.They drop him off at the home of people they barely know, then disappear for days. Point: Those parents are careless about their childs health and safety. A.They leave him alone in the house at night, sometimes not returning at all. C.They rarely take him to see the doctor or dentist. D.They never check to see if he has done his homework. E.They do not allow him to have any pets.

EVALUATING ARGUMENTS Explanation Logical Support II B.They drop him off at the home of people they barely know, then disappear for days. Point: Those parents are careless about their childs health and safety. A.They leave him alone in the house at night, sometimes not returning at all. C.They rarely take him to see the doctor or dentist. D.They never check to see if he has done his homework. E.They do not allow him to have any pets. Items A, B, and C all support the point that the parents are careless about their childs health and safety. Items D and E do not directly involve the childs health or safety. Neither supports the point.

EVALUATING ARGUMENTS The skill of coming to a logical conclusion is an important part of good thinking. Logical Support II

EVALUATING ARGUMENTS Read the three items of support that follow. Then decide which point is logically supported by the evidence. Logical Support II Support: Although the boss gives very unclear directions for what he wants, he is furious if a job isnt done exactly as he intended. The boss has hired his lazy, incompetent niece, and no one is allowed to complain about anything she does. The boss takes two-hour lunches, while no one else is allowed to have more than half an hour. Point: A.The boss is supportive of his family members. B.All bosses have their good and bad points. C.The boss does not care if his business succeeds or fails. D.The boss is an unpleasant man to work for.

EVALUATING ARGUMENTS Explanation Logical Support II Support: Although the boss gives very unclear directions for what he wants, he is furious if a job isnt done exactly as he intended. The boss has hired his lazy, incompetent niece, and no one is allowed to complain about anything she does. The boss takes two-hour lunches, while no one else is allowed to have more than half an hour. Point: A.The boss is supportive of his family members. Only one of the supports mentions the bosss family. You should not have chosen this point.

EVALUATING ARGUMENTS Explanation Logical Support II Support: Although the boss gives very unclear directions for what he wants, he is furious if a job isnt done exactly as he intended. The boss has hired his lazy, incompetent niece, and no one is allowed to complain about anything she does. The boss takes two-hour lunches, while no one else is allowed to have more than half an hour. Point: B.All bosses have their good and bad points. None of the supports says anything about the bosss good points, only his bad points. You should not have chosen this point.

EVALUATING ARGUMENTS Explanation Logical Support II Support: Although the boss gives very unclear directions for what he wants, he is furious if a job isnt done exactly as he intended. The boss has hired his lazy, incompetent niece, and no one is allowed to complain about anything she does. The boss takes two-hour lunches, while no one else is allowed to have more than half an hour. Point: C.The boss does not care if his business succeeds or fails. The fact that the boss becomes furious if a job isnt done exactly as he intended indicates that he cares whether his business succeeds or fails. You should not have chosen this point.

EVALUATING ARGUMENTS Explanation Logical Support II Support: Although the boss gives very unclear directions for what he wants, he is furious if a job isnt done exactly as he intended. The boss has hired his lazy, incompetent niece, and no one is allowed to complain about anything she does. The boss takes two-hour lunches, while no one else is allowed to have more than half an hour. Point: D.The boss is an unpleasant man to work for. All the details support the statement that the boss is an unpleasant person to work for. This is the item you should have chosen as the point.

CHAPTER REVIEW In this chapter, you learned the following: A good argument is made up of a point, or a conclusion, and evidence to back it up. To think through an argument, you need to decide if each bit of evidence is relevant and logical. Sound thinking also includes looking at evidence and deciding what logical point, or conclusion, can be drawn from that evidence.