Exam 10: Constructing Arguments

In constructing an argument, you must be skilled in evaluating its

An argument in which the reasons do not support the conclusion so that the conclusion does not follow from the reasons offered is called

An argument in which the reasons support the conclusion so that the conclusion follows from the reasons offered is called

The art of politics is the art of persuasive speaking.If politicians are using a proper form of deductive argument in order to make their points, why is it that Democrats and Republicans can be arguing the same point and yet come to different conclusions?

Around the turn of the century in America, drug use was widely accepted throughout society.The use of opium for medicinal purposes was extensive.Today, there are thousands of men and women in prisons throughout America serving time for the possession and/or sale or marijuana.What reasonsdo you think the federal government gives for outlawing marijuana and do the reasons support the conclusion?

____________is a thinking process that you use to reason from what you already know in order to form new knowledge or beliefs.

A common form of a valid deductive argument is known as a______, which, in part, means offering several alternatives.

Reasons are statements that support another statement, giving validity to previous statements and justification to the argument at hand.

_____is a form of thinking in which certain statements (reasons) are offered in support of another statement (conclusion).

When an argument includes both true reasons and a valid structure, the argument is considered to be__________.

A statement that explains, asserts, or predicts on the basis of statements (known as reasons) that are offered as evidence for it is called

In evaluating an argument, the first aspect you must evaluate is the truth of the reasons being used to support the conclusion.All of the following are questions you should ask yourself except

An argument that has either false reasons or an invalid structure is said to be _____________-.

Consider the following argument: Either I left my credit card in my car or I have lost it.The credit card is not in the car; therefore, I must have lost it.What form does this argument follow?

Just as you can use inferences to make sense of different types of situations, so you can also construct arguments for different purposes.

The first aspect of the argument you must evaluate is the truth of the reasons that are being used to support a conclusion.

Reason: Anything that is harmful should be illegal.Reason: Marijuana is harmful to our ealth.Conclusion: Therefore, marijuana should be illegal.This is an invalid argument because it assumes reasons to be true that are in fact not proven.

When you construct arguments, you are composing and relating to the world by means of your ability to infer.

In constructing an argument, when we assume that the reasons given are true and a conclusion necessarily follows, we call this type of thinking_____________ .

Our language provides guidance in our efforts to identify reasons and conclusions.Certain key words, known as cue words, signal that a reason is being offered in support of a conclusion.Why do you think it is imperative for us to use cue words?