Deck 3: What Am I Going to Argue About

Question 1

The proposition is a statement, the acceptance of which would result in an alteration of belief or behavior.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The advocate has the first opportunity to define the terms of a proposition.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The wording of a proposition points to the kind of change the advocate must support.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

In a factual proposition, the argumentative ground concerns opposing evaluations of a person, event, idea, or object.

Question 5

Propositions of fact assert a relationship between things, events, or persons.

Question 6

Propositions should be phrased as a single statement, containing one central idea about the object of change and the direction of change.

Question 7

Propositions should be phrased so that they contain several different ideas about the object of change and the kinds of changes that might be made.

Question 8

It is best to phrase a proposition in such a way that the audience knows your exact feelings about the topic.

Question 9

The dictionary problem is that a standard dictionary does not necessarily tell us the meaning or a word or term as it is used in a particular field.

Question 10

The dictionary problem refers to the problem that we often need to define terms using synonyms and a standard dictionary seldom provides synonyms for a word.

Question 11

However you choose to define a term, the definition should include all items which properly fall under the term being defined, and exclude all items which do not.

Question 12

Definitions should be phrased so that their meaning is adapted to the needs of the audience.

Question 13

Definitions should be descriptive of your feelings about the term being defined.

Question 14

The definition of a key term should be phrased in such a way that its meaning becomes clearer for the audience.

Question 15

You should define the terms of a proposition only if they are highly technical in nature.

Question 16

The only terms you really need to define are those that are likely to be ambiguous, open to a variety of interpretations by the audience.

Question 17

A vague term need not be defined since the listener or reader of argumentation will supply his own definition.

Question 18

New terms are those that are invented when a convenient term does not already exist.

Question 19

When we define terms operationally, we turn to some authoritative source, such asBlack's Law Dictionary.

Question 20

A behavioral definition of a term tells us what function that term performs.

Question 21

The use of a proposition identifies the alteration of belief or behavior the advocate desires, the burden of proof, and presumption. This is the objective of propositions.

A)definition of terms
B)direction of change
C)issue identification
D)extent of response

Question 22

These are the central questions suggested by the wording of a proposition and how the advocate defines the key terms of the proposition.

A)Presumptions
B)Issues
C)Interpretations
D)Ideas

Question 23

"Unemployment will not be solved by job retraining programs," is an example of a proposition of

A)fact.
B)value.
C)policy.
D)definition.

Question 24

"Restrictions on foreign imports will not solve the problems of American industry" is an example of a proposition of

A)fact.
B)value.
C)policy.
D)definition.

Question 25

"The university's operating budget can be significantly reduced by changing to a ten- week semester system," is an example of a proposition of

A)fact.
B)value.
C)policy.
D)definition.

Question 26

"The Bush Administration's methods of reducing the high cost of medical care have been ineffective," is an example of a proposition of

A)fact.
B)value.
C)policy.
D)definition.

Question 27

"Protecting the welfare of the American farmer is more important than balancing the Federal budget," is an example of a proposition of

A)fact.
B)value.
C)policy.
D)definition.

Question 28

"Changing the academic calendar can be an effective way to reduce the university's operating budget." Which of the terms in this proposition is the value object?

A)"can be"
B)"an effective way"
C)"to reduce the university's operating budget"
D)"changing the academic calendar"

Question 29

What must the advocate do in defining the value object?

A)Define the thing that is being evaluated.
B)Define the figurative ground over which evaluation is being made.
C)Clarify whether this is a singular or comparative value judgment.
D)Provide a source of criteria to use in evaluating the value object.

Question 30

"Selected senior students can be adequately prepared to teach entry level courses at this university ." Which of the terms in this proposition is the value judgment term?

A)"selected senior students"
B)"adequately prepared"
C)"can be"
D)"entry level courses at this university"

Question 31

What must the advocate do in defining the value judgment term?

A)Define the thing that is being evaluated.
B)Define the figurative ground over which evaluation is being made.
C)Clarify whether this is a singular or a comparative value judgment.
D)Provide a source of criteria to use in evaluating the value object.

Question 32

"The Federal Government should implement a program which guarantees employment opportunities for all U.S. Citizens in the labor force," is an example of a proposition of

A)fact.
B)value.
C)policy.
D)definition.

Question 33

The term "should" most commonly appears in propositions of

A)fact.
B)value.
C)policy.
D)definition.

Question 34

A standard dictionary can be useful in some instances for defining the terms of a proposition for argumentation. Which of the following is one of these uses?

A)You need to define the technical terms of the jargon used in field, such as "paradigm," to operationally define a policy term.
B)You need to define the relationship between the subject and predicate in a proposition of fact.
C)You need a list of synonyms for a vague or abstract value judgment term.
D)You need to clarify the use of the word "should" in a policy proposition.

Question 35

The definitional rule that states "phrase definitions so that the meaning is appropriate to the context of the argument," is known as the rule.

A)adaptation
B)neutrality
C)specificity
D)clarity

Question 36

terms require clarification because they have two or more equally correct meanings.

A)Vague
B)Technical
C)New
D)Equivocal

Question 37

"By education, I mean the publicly financed school system, including grades kindergarten through twelve" is a definition by

A)example.
B)synonym.
C)function.
D)negation.

Question 38

In The Uses of Argument, Stephen Toulmin defines a "claim" as a statement that expresses a specific position or some doubtful or controversial issues that the arguer wants the audience to accept. This illustrates the technique of definition known as

A)example.
B)operation.
C)synonym.
D)authority.

Question 39

"By a six-day academic week, I mean a schedule in which four-credit classes will meet for one hour and forty-five minutes and courses will be blocked in a Monday- Wednesday-Friday or a Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday pattern," illustrates which technique of definition?

A)Example
B)Operation
C)Synonym
D)Authority

Question 40

This type of argument specifies how something should be classified or understood.

A)Definitional argument
B)Presumption argument
C)Inherency argument
D)Functional argument