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ENG 113: Composition I
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Evaluate means to make a value judgment about something or someone o Produce, service, program, performance, work of literature or art, candidate Without evaluation you would not be able to function in your day-to-day life o Evaluation is a part of making decisions Before you make any decision, you need to evaluate your options o Evaluate electronics before you buy them o Evaluate a TV show before you decide to watch o Evaluate a major before you choose it
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In an evaluation argument you can: o Make a positive or negative judgment o Assert that someone else’s positive or negative judgment is not accurate or justified o Write a comparative evaluation You demonstrate that one item is (or is not) superior to another Sample topics: o Is a vegan diet really a healthy option? o Is Moby-Dick the great American novel? o Are portable e-book readers better than print books? o Are hybrid cars worth the money?
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Terms to Express Judgments and Indicate the Relative Merits of Two Items Superior/InferiorImportant/TrivialUseful/Useless Original/TriteEfficient/InefficientInnovative/Predictable Effective/IneffectiveInteresting/DullSuccessful/Unsuccessful Inspiring/DepressingDeserving/Undeserving
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Everyone has biases Evaluation arguments often include strong opinions o This may overcome objectivity Be on the lookout for biases in evaluation arguments o When you read: What does the writer reveal/state about his/her values, beliefs, and opinions? Does the writer’s tone or language choices indicate biases? What examples does the writer choose or ignore? o When you write: Are you focused on trying to make a fair assessment of the subject? Have you distorted or slanted evidence? Did you quote out of context? Did you include unfair appeals or logical fallacies?
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In an evaluation argument, you do not simply state that something is good or bad, useful or useless, superior or inferior You must explain why this is so Your evaluation argument is based on criteria o Used to develop your thesis and gather supporting evidence Criteria for evaluation are the standards by which a subject is evaluated o Positive judgment – show that the subject satisfies the criteria o Negative judgment – show that the subject does not satisfy the criteria
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To make a judgment, you must select the specific criteria you will use to assess your subject The criteria you establish will help you decide how to evaluate a given subject A subject that satisfies the criteria you select will be superior to a subject that does not
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Example: Should you make a purchase from a specific online shopping site? What criteria will you use to evaluate the site? o The prices? Bargain, reasonable, or expensive? o The variety of choices of products? Brand names or not? o Customer reviews on the site? o Customer reviews on other sites? o The speed of response to questions? o The return policy? The criteria you choose and how you answer the questions will help you decide whether the site fails or succeeds to capture your business
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Introduction o Establishes the criteria by which you will evaluate your subject o States the essay’s thesis Body paragraphs – present evidence to support the thesis o Evidence Paragraph 1 – Supplies facts, opinions, and so on to support your evaluation in terms of criteria 1 o Evidence Paragraph 2 – Supplies facts, opinions, and so on to support your evaluation in terms of criteria 2 o Evidence Paragraph 3 – Supplies facts, opinions, and so on to support your evaluation in terms of criteria 3 Refutation of opposing arguments o Presents others’ evaluations and your arguments against them Conclusion o Reinforces the main point of the argument o Includes a strong concluding statement
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