CHAPTER 4 Dressing Arguments – Good Reasoning Matters A Constructive Approach to Critical Thinking test bank

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CHAPTER 4
Dressing Arguments

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Learning to ________ is a key part of learning to understand, construct, and evaluate them. Doing it well allows one to present an argument in a way that clarifies its structure, and prepares the way for a detailed evaluation.
a) prepare arguments
b) extend arguments
c) dress arguments
d) construct arguments
e) all of the above

2. ________ has one conclusion supported by one or more premises.
a) An extended argument
b) A simple argument
c) Sub-arguments
d) A dressed argument
e) An argument structure

3. ________’s main conclusion is supported by premise(s) and some premise(s) that are supported by other arguments.
a) An extended argument
b) A simple argument
c) Sub-arguments
d) A dressed argument
e) An argument structure

4. In an extended argument, ________ support(s) the premises that support the argu¬ment’s principal conclusion.
a) an extended argument
b) a simple argument
c) sub-arguments
d) a dressed argument
e) an argument structure

5. In analyzing an extended argument (in dressing it for evaluation) we need to ________.
a) recognize a principal argument that establishes the arguer’s main conclusion
b) recognize the various sub-arguments that are used to back the premises of the principal argument
c) identify the premises and conclusion of the arguments involved
d) dress all sub-arguments with the sub-arguments in an extended argument
e) all of the above
6. The first step in learning how to deal with arguments “on the hoof” is ________.
a) learning how to dress arguments
b) learning how to recognize arguments and their components in the contexts in which they naturally occur
c) learning how to ride a horse
d) learning how to construct our own arguments
e) all of the above

7. We use communication ________.
a) to convey our feelings
b) to report facts
c) to ask questions
d) to offer arguments
e) all of the above

8. Which of the following is the way that arguments are generally expressed by the arguer?
a) The conclusion comes first and is followed by premises.
b) The premises come first and are followed by the conclusion.
c) Some of the evidence is given first, followed by the conclusion, followed by further evidence.
d) The premises and conclusion are interspersed with opinions, questions, and judgements that are background or comment on the argument itself.
e) all of the above

9. Which of the following is a premise indicator?
a) Since
b) Thus
c) Hence
d) Consequently
e) All of the above

10. Which of the following is a conclusion indicator?
a) Since
b) Because
c) For
d) Consequently
e) All of the above

11. Which of the following is an inference indicator?
a) Since
b) Thus
c) For
d) Consequently
e) All of the above

12. Choose the best description for the bolded word in the following passage.

Your professors will expect you to learn all of the materials taught in class, so it is useless to ask if you should study certain things for the exam.

a) It is a premise indicator.
b) It is a conclusion indicator.
c) It is not an inference indicator.
d) It is an inference indicator, but the passage is not an argument.
e) The passage is an explanation.

13. Choose the best description for the bolded word in the following passage.

Since our team won the quarter-finals, we will proceed to the semi-finals.

a) It is a premise indicator.
b) It is a conclusion indicator.
c) It is not an inference indicator.
d) It is an inference indicator, but the passage is not an argument.
e) The passage is an explanation.

14. Choose the best description for the bolded word in the following passage.

Robert has not been the same since his last trip to Europe.

a) It is a premise indicator.
b) It is a conclusion indicator.
c) It is not an inference indicator.
d) It is an inference indicator, but the passage is not an argument.
e) The passage is an explanation.

15. Choose the best description for the bolded word in the following passage.

You should come with us to the concert because you love that band and we always have fun when we go to concerts together.

a) It is a premise indicator.
b) It is a conclusion indicator.
c) It is not an inference indicator.
d) It is an inference indicator, but the passage is not an argument.
e) The passage is an explanation.

16. Choose the best description for the bolded word in the following passage.

I was late for class because the blizzard delayed my bus by more than 20 minutes.

a) It is a premise indicator.
b) It is a conclusion indicator.
c) It is not an inference indicator.
d) It is an inference indicator, but the passage is not an argument.
e) The passage is an explanation.

True or False Questions

1. If something is an argument, then it is a good argument.

2. If something is a bad argument, then it isn’t an argument at all.

3. A simple argument is an argument that has one conclusion supported by one or more premises.

4. A complicated argument is an argument that has a main conclusion supported by premises, some of which are conclusions of subsidiary arguments.

5. Some people are poor reasoners because they fail to recognize arguments and their components.

6. It is a mistake to interpret almost anything as an argument.

7. Generally, people are good at understanding when claims or remarks are attempts to provide evidence for some conclusion.

8. Arguments never contain both premise and conclusion indicators.

9. Any passage of text containing an indicator word should be interpreted as an argument.

10. Genuine questions cannot function as a premise or conclu¬sion in an argument.

11. Rhetorical questions cannot function as a premise or conclu¬sion in an argument.

12. Explanations are not arguments, but sometimes use indicator words that are also used in arguments.

13. The indicator word because is only used in explanations.

14. Sometimes explanations contain arguments.

15. Sometimes arguments contain explanations.

16. There are cases in which arguments are conveyed in a way that does not use the words and expressions of the actual arguer.
Short Answer Questions

1. How can you determine whether something is an argument in situations where no indicator words are used?

2. Why is it important to recognize argumentative contexts?

3. What should we do in cases where we wish to analyze a possible argument but are unsure of our inter¬pretation?

4. When attempting to identify and assess arguments, why it is important to be con¬scious of misinterpreting someone’s claims?

5. Explain the difference between an argument and an explanation.

6. Why do the arguments implicit in argument narratives have to be treated with care?

Short Answer Questions

1. In dealing with cases such as these, we need to be able to determine when argu¬ments occur without premise or conclusion indicators. When you come across a group of sentences without an indicator, you can start by considering whether it appears in a context in which something is in dispute or controversial. Ask yourself whether this is a circumstance in which we would expect someone to justify their claim(s) by offering reasons in support of it. (p. 87)

2. It is important to recognize argumentative contexts, for we should approach them with a critical attitude to the arguments they present. It is especially important to be critical when the arguments are not explicit, for this might easily lull us into an uncriti¬cal acceptance of the reasons and conclusions they suggest. (p. 88)

3. We can note the uncertainty of the arguer’s intention by introducing our discussion with a statement like the following:

It is not clear whether the author intends to argue for the claim that . . . He appears to think that this claim can be justified on the grounds that. . . If this is what he intends, then it must be said that. . . (p. 91)

4. When you construct your own arguments, aim to construct them in a way that prevents misinterpretation. In dealing with other people’s claims, avoid interpretations that turn their claims into bad argu¬ments they may not have intended to make. In the midst of controversy and debate, remember that the attempt to avoid misinterpretation is no reason to avoid issues raised by some¬one’s remarks. If it is unclear what some potential arguer intends, say so, but go on and discuss whatever issues are raised by their remarks. (p. 91)

5. In deciding whether indicator words are being used to indicate an explanation rather than an argument, you must consider the status of the claim that is backed by the “reasons” given. If “X, therefore Y” is an argument, then it is Y (the conclusion) that is in dispute. If it is an explanation, then the issue in dispute is whether X caused Y. In an explanation, we know what happened. What we are trying to establish is the reasons (causes) for it. In an argument, we know the reasons (premises). What we are trying to establish is a conclusion that is in doubt. In most cases, you can distinguish arguments and explanations by putting them into the general scheme “X, therefore Y” (or “Y because X”) and asking whether they are an attempt to explain the cause of Y or an attempt to argue for Y. If Y (the conclu¬sion) is in dispute, the sentences are an argument. If the question whether X (the set of reasons) caused Y is in dispute, they form an explanation. In the case of an expla¬nation, Y must be a present or past fact or event. If it is a prediction, an evaluation, a recommendation or a classification, then the passage is an argument. (pp. 93–94)

6. The arguments implicit in argument narratives have to be treated with care, for they represent cases in which we do not have the original arguer’s actual words, and it is always possible that the person who narrates the argument may not present it accurately. This is a significant disadvantage when one wants to capture the details of an argument accurately, but it is still useful to consider the arguments con¬veyed in narratives for they may be important topics to discuss. (p. 97)