Exam 5: How Is a Unit of Argument Created

Read the following argument and then answer multiple choice items. There is every reason to believe that the concussion crisis in NFL football will get worse. The speed and size of professional athletes have made American football more dangerous. Offensive linemen now average nearly 315 pounds-65 more pounds than they did 30 years ago. They launch that weight from a three-point stance, headfirst, at opposing linemen of nearly the same size. The impact of two such massive players produces a concussion in the cranium when the brain bangs against the skull. Professor of Neurology at Boston University, Dr. Ann McKee, notes, "when helmets clash, the head decelerates instantly, yet the brain continues to lurch forward, like a driver who jams the brakes on. Even though the skull is protected by a helmet, the brain itself is still in motion and a concussion is often the result." -"The speed and size of professional athletes have made American football more dangerous. Offensive linemen now average nearly 315 pounds-65 more pounds than they did 30 years ago. They launch that weight from a three-point stance, headfirst, at opposing linemen of nearly the same size" functions as which part of this unit of argument?

Claims end the process of argument by stating what the listener or reader is expected to accept as true or probable.

Claims begin the process of argument by identifying the stand being taken.

The grounds are that portion of the argument which requires further proof before the listener is willing to accept it as verified.

"Unemployment is harmful" is a

Read the following argument, and then answer multiple choice question. "This is an unsatisfactory place to live, because unemployment nationally is running at a lower rate than it is here. The U.S. Department of Labor announced an 8.5% national rate of unemployment while the State Employment Security Commission has said that the local unemployment rate is 11.5%." -"Because unemployment nationally is running at a lower level than it is here" functions as

The warrant is the conclusion which the listener does not want to accept or assume, but toward which we attempt to move his thoughts and beliefs through argumentation.

The information used to ground claims needs to be evaluated for reliability, quality, consistency, and audience acceptability.

Read the following argument, and then answer multiple choice question. "This is an unsatisfactory place to live, because unemployment nationally is running at a lower rate than it is here. The U.S. Department of Labor announced an 8.5% national rate of unemployment while the State Employment Security Commission has said that the local unemployment rate is 11.5%." -"The U.S. Department of Labor announced an 8.5% national rate of unemployment" functions as

Claims may be stated as compound sentences in order to make argumentation more economical

Read the following argument, and then answer multiple choice question. "This is an unsatisfactory place to live, because unemployment nationally is running at a lower rate than it is here. The U.S. Department of Labor announced an 8.5% national rate of unemployment while the State Employment Security Commission has said that the local unemployment rate is 11.5%." -"The State Employment Security Commission has said that the local unemployment rate is 11.5%" functions as

"The wholesale value of a used textbook is the price per copy that the bookstore pays the wholesale provider before adding its own amount to the retail price charged to students," is an example of a definitional claim.

Factual claims are, in principle, directly verifiable or provable by direct recourse to the proof which supports them.

Read the following argument and then answer multiple choice items. The lakeshore condominium project will threaten the ecology of the Lake Superior shoreline. The plan calls for widening Lakeshore Drive to four lanes, putting in six highrise buildings, and building a four-foot wall around the complex. Look what happened when a similar project was built in Duluth-water fowl lost their nesting places and the grasses that hold the shoreline were uprooted by construction equipment. When there is a major construction project along a shoreline, the plant and animal life are harmed. -"The plan calls for widening Lakeshore Drive to four lanes, putting up six high-rise buildings, and building a four-foot wall around the complex," functions as which part of this unit of argument?

"Unemployment is harmful" is

What can a factual claim make and assertion about?

Read the following argument and then answer multiple choice items. There is every reason to believe that the concussion crisis in NFL football will get worse. The speed and size of professional athletes have made American football more dangerous. Offensive linemen now average nearly 315 pounds-65 more pounds than they did 30 years ago. They launch that weight from a three-point stance, headfirst, at opposing linemen of nearly the same size. The impact of two such massive players produces a concussion in the cranium when the brain bangs against the skull. Professor of Neurology at Boston University, Dr. Ann McKee, notes, "when helmets clash, the head decelerates instantly, yet the brain continues to lurch forward, like a driver who jams the brakes on. Even though the skull is protected by a helmet, the brain itself is still in motion and a concussion is often the result." -The opening sentence, "there is every reason to believe that the concussion crisis in NFL football will get worse," functions a which part of this unit of argument?

"The bookstore should pay students the wholesale value for a used textbook," is an example of a factual claim.

Read the following argument and then answer multiple choice items. There is every reason to believe that the concussion crisis in NFL football will get worse. The speed and size of professional athletes have made American football more dangerous. Offensive linemen now average nearly 315 pounds-65 more pounds than they did 30 years ago. They launch that weight from a three-point stance, headfirst, at opposing linemen of nearly the same size. The impact of two such massive players produces a concussion in the cranium when the brain bangs against the skull. Professor of Neurology at Boston University, Dr. Ann McKee, notes, "when helmets clash, the head decelerates instantly, yet the brain continues to lurch forward, like a driver who jams the brakes on. Even though the skull is protected by a helmet, the brain itself is still in motion and a concussion is often the result." -The statement by Dr. Ann McKee that concludes the argument functions as which part of this unit of argument?

Read the following argument and then answer multiple choice items. The lakeshore condominium project will threaten the ecology of the Lake Superior shoreline. The plan calls for widening Lakeshore Drive to four lanes, putting in six highrise buildings, and building a four-foot wall around the complex. Look what happened when a similar project was built in Duluth-water fowl lost their nesting places and the grasses that hold the shoreline were uprooted by construction equipment. When there is a major construction project along a shoreline, the plant and animal life are harmed. -"The lakeshore condominium project will threaten the ecology of the shoreline," functions as which part of this unit of argument?