Chapter 1 Making Room for Argument-Good Reasoning Matters A Constructive Approach to Critical Thinking test bank

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CHAPTER 1
Making Room for Argument

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The basic unit of reasoning is ________.
a) the argument
b) the premise
c) the conclusion
d) the python
e) none of the above

2. In which of the following places might you find an argument?
a) Blogs
b) Newspapers
c) Advertisements
d) Television shows
e) All of the above

3. Which of the following is what we mean when we use the term “argument” in critical thinking?
a) A quarrel
b) A disagreement
c) A contradiction
d) An attempt to provide evidence or reasons for some point of view
e) All of the above

4. Psychological research suggests that we tend to be overconfident in our judgements and our reasoning. This bias is called ________.
a) the “overconfidence effect.”
b) the “ego effect.”
c) the “superconfidence effect.”
d) the “artificial courage effect.”
e) none of the above

5. ________ suggests that we favour arguments that confirm the biases and beliefs we already have, ignoring or dismissing evidence that contradicts them.
a) Favour bias
b) Confirmation bias
c) Pre-conceived bias
d) Prejudice bias
e) None of the above

6. How do we guard against the illegitimate influence of our belief systems?
a) We need to reject all of our beliefs and re-build our belief systems from the very basics of what we cannot doubt.
b) We can simply accept all arguments that support the claims that we already believe.
c) We need to ask ourselves what assumptions underlie our claims and make sure that these assumptions are defensible in an argument.
d) We can assume that others hold the same beliefs that we hold strongly.
e) None of the above

7. When would it be reasonable to assume that whatever evidence convinces you of some conclusion will convince other audiences?
a) When your audience shares similar systems of belief and points of view
b) When you are defending your argument on television
c) When your audience is drunk
d) When your audience consists of your parents
e) None of the above

8. Which of the following types of specific audiences will be hardest to convince?
a) The sympathetic audience
b) The open audience
c) The unsympathetic audience
d) The hostile audience
e) None of the above

9. In arguments, there is often a give and take between the arguer and the argument’s opponents in the shape of arguments and responses. This process of exchange is called ________.
a) “tit for tat”
b) “dialectic”
c) “eye for an eye”
d) “dialogue”
e) none of the above

10. You try to convince your parents to let you borrow the car by pointing out that you mowed the lawn and that they had promised that you could borrow the car if you mowed the lawn. Which of the following best describes what you were saying?
a) You offered an argument intended for a universal audience.
b) You offered an argument intended for a specific audience.
c) You offered an explanation of why you want the car.
d) You offered a description of why you should be allowed to borrow the car.
e) None of the above

11. You are offering an argument to a specific audience composed of creationists (people who believe that a greater being created all that exists.) Which of the following statements is this audience most likely to reject?
a) All mammals are very complex creatures.
b) Extra-terrestrials exist.
c) The origin of life on Earth is due purely to chance.
d) Chimpanzees are intelligent animals.
e) All of the above

12. Determine whether or not the following passage is an argument. Choose the answer with the best justification.

I am disgusted that New Woman printed the letter from B. A. Showalter. Showalter said, “You don’t see straight people pushing their lifestyle on everyone.” But straight people do just that. From day one, children are assumed to be heterosexual. They are exposed to tales of heterosexual romance, pushed to enjoy the company of the opposite sex, and given little opportunity to explore the alternative.

a) Non-argument. The author is simply expressing disgust with New Woman and B.A Showalter.
b) Argument. Conclusion: Straight people and straight society do just that [pushing their lifestyle on everyone].
c) Argument. Conclusion: From day one, children are assumed to be heterosexual.
d) Argument: Conclusion: Children are given little opportunity to explore the alternative [to heterosexuality].
e) None of the above

13. Determine whether or not the following passage is an argument. Choose the answer with the best justification.

She’s the best boss I’ve ever had. She buys everyone a present on her birthday.

a) Non-Argument: The author is expressing their love and admiration for her boss.
b) Non-Argument: The author is expressing her love of receiving birthday presents.
c) Argument. Conclusion: She’s the best boss I’ve ever had.
d) Argument. Conclusion: She buys everyone a present on her birthday.
e) None of the above

14. Determine whether or not the following passage is an argument. Choose the answer with the best justification.

We had a really fun day at the beach. We played Frisbee, had a picnic, and jumped in the waves. We topped off the day with dancing at the local club.

a) Non-Argument: The author is describing the nice day he had at the beach.
b) Argument. Conclusion: We had a really fun day at the beach.
c) Argument. Conclusion: We played Frisbee, had a picnic, and jumped in the waves.
d) Argument. Conclusion: We topped off the day with dancing at the local club.
e) None of the above

15. Determine whether or not the following passage is an argument. Choose the answer with the best justification.

It’s your turn to do the laundry. I did it last time, and on the calendar I have it that it’s my turn to clean the bathroom.

a) Non-Argument: Description of weekly chores in a household
b) Argument. Conclusion: It’s your turn to do the laundry.
c) Argument. Conclusion: I did it [the laundry] last time.
d) Argument. Conclusion: On the calendar I have it that it’s my turn to clean the bathroom.
e) None of the above

16. You would have to assume a ________ if you were arguing in a news¬paper, in a political debate, or to specialists who embrace competing points of view.
a) media audience
b) overall audience
c) universal audience
d) all of the above
e) none of the above

17. The ________ is the most important audience with which to argue, for it is the audience that, more than any other, needs a reason to be convinced.
a) sympathetic audience
b) open audience
c) unsympathetic audience
d) hostile audience
e) none of the above

18. ________ tend to assume that whatever evidence convinces them of some conclusion will convince other audiences.
a) Strong reasoners
b) Average reasoners
c) Poor reasoners
d) all of the above
e) none of the above

True or False Questions

1. Arguments play an important role in helping us decide what views we should accept or reject.

2. The over confidence effect and confirmation bias suggest that we are not sufficiently confident in our beliefs and tend to be ambivalent toward the evidence that might change them.

3. There is evidence that we tend to accept or reject some perspectives, not because of the reasons for accepting (or rejecting) them, but because of the way they are “framed” (in a way that emphasizes losses rather than gains, for example).

4. A bias called “the halo effect” occurs when people assume, as they often do, that people who play the game Halo are intelligent, pleasant, moral, and so on.

5. Evidence suggests that people have a natural tendency to reject simplistic stereotypes (about Americans, Canadians, the Chinese, the French, “foreigners,” men with beards, professional women, welfare recipients, and so on) when making decisions and forming opinions.

6. In many cases, we are not even aware of biases that interfere with our assessment of the evidence at our disposal.

7. In many cases, poor arguments successfully convince an audience of a particular point of view, not because they present compelling evidence for the perspective they propound, but because they illegitimately play upon our biases.

8. The simplest arguments have only one premise.

9. It is important to guard against the unconscious or illegitimate influence of an arguer’s belief system.

10. When the conclusion of an argument is true, the argument and premises offered for it are never weak.

11. One of the best ways to strengthen a position is by pointing out the flaws in weak arguments for it, and by showing how those flaws might be remedied or avoided.

12. Sometimes we are our own audience.

13. Arguments are a means we use to convince people who have the same points of view that they should share our conclusions.

14. Future audiences will find our arguments and advertisements peculiar because they will assume some other, yet to be determined, system of beliefs and values.

15. When assessing someone else’s arguments, the fact that they are directed toward a specific audience will not be a relevant factor in what we expect of the argument.

16. Even when you argue to convince a specific audience—when you must strive to understand their beliefs, assumptions, and knowledge—remember that you should be able to defend your perspective in front of a broader audience with many different (and contrary) points of view.

17. Being able to satisfy both specific and universal audiences is an important way to test your arguments and your conclusions.

18. The sceptical criticisms of opponents are an important way to test our reasoning.

19. Whether or not opponents are included in our immediate audi¬ence, we are never obligated to develop our arguments in a way that tries to anticipate and answer their objections.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why is the study of argument (and related knowledge) important?

2. What is an argument? Include the names and the descriptions of an argument’s main parts.

3. What is a complex extended argument?

4. What is a specific audience? What should you keep in mind when preparing an argument for such an audience?

5. What is a universal audience? Why is it important to prepare our arguments for such an audience?

Short Answer Questions

1. Studying argument is a good idea because argument is a difficult and complex subject. This is reflected in the fact that errors in judgement and reasoning, and the faulty arguments that result, are commonplace. The study of argument is one way to minimize the influences that may interfere with the careful weighing of evidence for and against particular claims that are put to us. Thus, skill at assessing argument is one way to counter the many influences that conspire against our ability to reason well. More generally, the biases we must contend with underscore the importance of learning to reason well. Coupled with the prevalence of argument in all facets of our lives, this makes argument an important topic that you will do well to take seriously. (p. 5)

2. We define an argument as a set of reasons offered in support of a claim. The reasons may be presented orally, in a written text, or by means of photographs, symbols, and other non-verbal means (see Chapter 3). They provide the evidence that is supposed to back the claim in question. The claim for which the reasons are given in support is called the argument’s conclusion. The reasons are called its premises. (p. 7)

3. An extended argument is one that contains at least one sub-argument aiming to support one of the premises leading to the main conclusion. A complex extended argument might contain hundreds of premises arranged in sub-arguments that establish different parts of the case made for the principal conclusion. These types of arguments might be the subject of a book or speech or film (p. 8)

4. A specific audience shares some set of beliefs and commitments. If you want to successfully address such an audience, you need to recognize the beliefs that characterize its members and respond to them. This may mean that you use different variations of an argument when you address the different audiences made up of pro¬fessional women; sports fans; property owners; renters; stay at home husbands; young people; seniors; automobile drivers; conservatives; atheists; Catholics; gay rights activ¬ists; attendees at a scientific conference; and so on. In each case, your argument will be most effective if you make an effort to respond to their convictions and concerns. (p. 19)

5. It is important to recognize specific audiences in many instances. If one develops a good argument that is addressed to a specific audience, then one should also be able to defend it in front of a broader audience that includes reasonable people who have dif¬ferent points of view. In theoretical discussions of argument, the audience that includes all reasonable people is commonly referred to as the universal audience. Arguments that attempt to satisfy this audience must meet the most stringent standards for good arguments. (p. 20)