1. II. Analyzing Arguments
Identify the ultimate conclusion

2. II. Analyzing Arguments
Identify the ultimate conclusion
Determine which other ideas are important.

3. II. Analyzing Arguments
Identify the ultimate conclusion
Determine which other ideas are important.
Determine how these other ideas work together to support the ultimate conclusion.

4. 1. Identify the Ultimate Conclusion
The ultimate conclusion is the main idea that the argument is trying to prove.
Sometimes, it’s unstated.

5. 2. Determine What Other Ideas are Important
An idea is important if it helps the argument to establish the truth of the ultimate conclusion.
Frequently, some of the sentences in a passage that contains an argument don’t convey important ideas.

6. 3. See How these Other Ideas Work Together to Support the Ultimate Conclusion
Four Basic Patterns of Cooperation
Combinations of Basic Patterns

7. i. Premise / Ultimate Conclusion
Idea
Idea

8. i. Premise / Ultimate Conclusion
Idea
Idea
Ultimate Conclusion

9. i. Premise / Ultimate Conclusion
This is an idea that the argument assumes to be true without support.
Idea
Idea
Ultimate Conclusion

10. i. Premise / Ultimate Conclusion
This is an idea that the argument assumes to be true without support.
Inference
This is the connection that holds between the idea(s) at the top of the arrow and the idea at the bottom of the arrow when the truth of the idea(s) at the top is supposed to establish the truth of the idea at the bottom.
Idea
Idea
Ultimate Conclusion

11. i. Premise / Ultimate Conclusion
This is an idea that the argument assumes to be true without support.
Inference
This is the connection that holds between the idea(s) at the top of the arrow and the idea at the bottom of the arrow when the truth of the idea(s) at the top is supposed to establish the truth of the idea at the bottom.
Idea
Idea
Ultimate Conclusion
(This is an argument diagram.)

12. For example:
“What’s your opinion of critical thinking? Critical thinking helps us to understand how other people think. Therefore, critical thinking is important.”

13. For example:
“What’s your opinion of critical thinking? Critical thinking helps us to understand how other people think. Therefore, critical thinking is important.”
Critical thinking is important.

14. For example:
“What’s your opinion of critical thinking? Critical thinking helps us to understand how other people think. Therefore, critical thinking is important.”
Critical thinking is important.

15. For example:
“What’s your opinion of critical thinking? Critical thinking helps us to understand how other people think. Therefore, critical thinking is important.”
Critical thinking helps us to understand how other people think.
Critical thinking is important.

16. For example:
“What’s your opinion of critical thinking? Critical thinking helps us to understand how other people think. Therefore, critical thinking is important.”
Critical thinking helps us to understand how other people think.
Inference Indicator Expression
(Conclusion Indicator)
Critical thinking is important.

17. ii. Subconclusions
Idea

18. ii. Subconclusions
Idea
Idea

19. ii. Subconclusions
Idea
Idea
Idea

20. ii. Subconclusions
Idea
Idea
Idea
Ultimate Conclusion

21. ii. Subconclusions
Premise
Idea
Idea
Idea
Ultimate Conclusion

22. ii. Subconclusions Idea Idea Idea Premise Subconclusion
This is an intermediate idea on the way from the premises to the ultimate conclusion.
Idea
Idea
Ultimate Conclusion

23. For example:
“What’s your opinion of critical thinking? Look at it this way. Critical thinking helps us to understand the arguments that other people give. Thus, critical thinking helps us to understand how other people think. Therefore critical thinking is important.”

24. For example:
“What’s your opinion of critical thinking? Look at it this way. Critical thinking helps us to understand the arguments that other people give. Thus, critical thinking helps us to understand how other people think. Therefore critical thinking is important.”
Critical thinking is important.

25. For example:
“What’s your opinion of critical thinking? Look at it this way. Critical thinking helps us to understand the arguments that other people give. Thus, critical thinking helps us to understand how other people think. Therefore critical thinking is important.”
Critical thinking is important.

26. For example:
“What’s your opinion of critical thinking? Look at it this way. Critical thinking helps us to understand the arguments that other people give. Thus, critical thinking helps us to understand how other people think. Therefore critical thinking is important.”
Critical thinking helps us to understand the arguments that other people give.
Critical thinking is important.

27. For example:
“What’s your opinion of critical thinking? Look at it this way. Critical thinking helps us to understand the arguments that other people give. Thus, critical thinking helps us to understand how other people think. Therefore critical thinking is important.”
Critical thinking helps us to understand the arguments that other people give.
Critical thinking helps us to understand how other people think.
Critical thinking is important.

28. For example:
“What’s your opinion of critical thinking? Look at it this way. Critical thinking helps us to understand the arguments that other people give. Thus, critical thinking helps us to understand how other people think. Therefore critical thinking is important.”
Critical thinking helps us to understand the arguments that other people give.
Critical thinking helps us to understand how other people think.
Critical thinking is important.

29. iii. Dependent Reasons + Idea Idea Idea Dependent Reasons
Neither idea can support the conclusion alone but together they can support the conclusion. +
Idea
Idea
Idea

30. For example:
“Critical thinking helps us to understand how we think because in the process of assessing arguments, we clarify our own basic assumptions and clarifying our own basic assumptions helps us to understand how we think. I really enjoy teaching and studying critical thinking.”

31. For example:
“Critical thinking helps us to understand how we think because in the process of assessing arguments, we clarify our own basic assumptions and clarifying our own basic assumptions helps us to understand how we think. I really enjoy teaching and studying critical thinking.”
Critical thinking helps us to understand how we think.

32. For example:
“Critical thinking helps us to understand how we think because in the process of assessing arguments, we clarify our own basic assumptions and clarifying our own basic assumptions helps us to understand how we think. I really enjoy teaching and studying critical thinking.”
In the process of assessing arguments, we clarify our own basic assumptions.
Clarifying our own basic assumptions helps us to understand how we think. +
Critical thinking helps us to understand how we think.

33. For example:
“Critical thinking helps us to understand how we think because in the process of assessing arguments, we clarify our own basic assumptions and clarifying our own basic assumptions helps us to understand how we think. I really enjoy teaching and studying critical thinking.”
Inference Indicator Expression
(Reason Indicator)
In the process of assessing arguments, we clarify our own basic assumptions.
Clarifying our own basic assumptions helps us to understand how we think. +
Critical thinking helps us to understand how we think.

34. For example:
“Critical thinking helps us to understand how we think because in the process of assessing arguments, we clarify our own basic assumptions and clarifying our own basic assumptions helps us to understand how we think. I really enjoy teaching and studying critical thinking.”
Inference Indicator Expression
(Reason Indicator)
In the process of assessing arguments, we clarify our own basic assumptions.
Clarifying our own basic assumptions helps us to understand how we think. +
Critical thinking helps us to understand how we think.

35. iv. Independent Reasons
Each idea can support the conclusion on its own.
Idea
Idea
Idea

36. iv. Independent Reasons
Each idea can support the conclusion on its own.
Idea
Idea
This gives us independent lines of reasoning.
Idea

37. For example:
“Critical thinking is important since it helps us to understand how other people think. It’s also important because it helps us to understand how we think.”

38. For example:
“Critical thinking is important since it helps us to understand how other people think. It’s also important because it helps us to understand how we think.”
Critical thinking is important.

39. For example:
“Critical thinking is important since it helps us to understand how other people think. It’s also important because it helps us to understand how we think.”
Critical thinking helps us to understand how other people think.
Critical thinking is important.

40. For example:
“Critical thinking is important since it helps us to understand how other people think. It’s also important because it helps us to understand how we think.”
Critical thinking helps us to understand how other people think.
Critical thinking helps us to understand how we think.
Critical thinking is important.

41. Combinations of the Four Basic Patterns

42. Combinations of the Four Basic Patterns
“What’s your opinion of critical thinking? Look at it this way. Critical thinking helps us to understand how other people think because it helps us to understand the arguments that other people give. Hence critical thinking is important. In addition, in the process of assessing arguments, we clarify our own basic assumptions, and clarifying our own basic assumptions helps us to understand how we think, so critical thinking helps us to understand how we think. I really enjoy teaching and studying critical thinking.”
For example:

43. Combinations of the Four Basic Patterns
“What’s your opinion of critical thinking? Look at it this way. Critical thinking helps us to understand how other people think because it helps us to understand the arguments that other people give. Hence critical thinking is important. In addition, in the process of assessing arguments, we clarify our own basic assumptions, and clarifying our own basic assumptions helps us to understand how we think, so critical thinking helps us to understand how we think. I really enjoy teaching and studying critical thinking.”
For example:

44. Combinations of the Four Basic Patterns
“What’s your opinion of critical thinking? Look at it this way. Critical thinking helps us to understand how other people think because it helps us to understand the arguments that other people give. Hence critical thinking is important. In addition, in the process of assessing arguments, we clarify our own basic assumptions, and clarifying our own basic assumptions helps us to understand how we think, so critical thinking helps us to understand how we think. I really enjoy teaching and studying critical thinking.”
For example:

45. Combinations of the Four Basic Patterns
“What’s your opinion of critical thinking? Look at it this way. Critical thinking helps us to understand how other people think because it helps us to understand the arguments that other people give. Hence critical thinking is important. In addition, in the process of assessing arguments, we clarify our own basic assumptions, and clarifying our own basic assumptions helps us to understand how we think, so critical thinking helps us to understand how we think. I really enjoy teaching and studying critical thinking.”
For example:

46. Combinations of the Four Basic Patterns
In the process of assessing arguments, we clarify our own basic assumptions. +
Clarifying our own basic assumptions helps us to understand how we think.
Critical thinking helps us to understand the arguments that other people give.
Critical thinking helps us to understand how other people think.
Critical thinking helps us to understand how we think.
Critical thinking is important.

47. Combinations of the Four Basic Patterns
In the process of assessing arguments, we clarify our own basic assumptions. +
Clarifying our own basic assumptions helps us to understand how we think.
Critical thinking helps us to understand the arguments that other people give.
Critical thinking helps us to understand how other people think.
Critical thinking helps us to understand how we think.
Critical thinking is important.

48. Combinations of the Four Basic Patterns
In the process of assessing arguments, we clarify our own basic assumptions. +
Clarifying our own basic assumptions helps us to understand how we think.
Critical thinking helps us to understand the arguments that other people give.
Critical thinking helps us to understand how other people think.
Critical thinking helps us to understand how we think.
Critical thinking is important.

49. Combinations of the Four Basic Patterns
In the process of assessing arguments, we clarify our own basic assumptions. +
Clarifying our own basic assumptions helps us to understand how we think.
Critical thinking helps us to understand the arguments that other people give.
Critical thinking helps us to understand how other people think.
Critical thinking helps us to understand how we think.
Critical thinking is important.

50. Where next?