Recommended Practice - Recognizing Arguments Handout - Week #02
Looking for some extra practice examples? Try this challenge.
When doing Handout examples, I recommend you type the answer on a separate page. When you are done with five or ten of them, review your answers (i.e., The Answer Key is the next item on this week's module) and then return to this handout and continue. If you're feeling confident, type the answers to all of the following examples and then review the Answer Key.
Indicate each of the following italicized and red argument's conclusion and premise(s).
- Dogs make better pets than cats. For dogs are friendlier.
- Dogs are friendlier than cats. So, they make better pets than cats.
- I think it’s better to have a pet that isn’t needy. Hence, it’s better to have a cat than a dog, since dogs are needy.
- Cats are less needy than dogs. They’re cleaner. So long as one interacts with them daily, they’re just as friendly as dogs. They are more predictable around children and strangers. It follows that cats just are better pets than dogs.
- You should get an African Grey parrot, because they talk a lot.
- African Grey parrots talk a lot. Therefore you should get one.
- Mindy:You should get an African Grey parrot. They talk a lot.
Maggie: That seems like a good reason not to get one. - Mindy:You should just get fish. It’s easy to take care of them.
Maggie: Well, nothing is easy for me, so maybe I shouldn’t. - Maggie:I’m sure they got a possum.
Mindy: How do you know?
Maggie:They said Harriet picked their pet. - If they’re planning to get a cat, they won’t be planning to get a dog. But they are planning to get a dog. Therefore, they’re not planning to get a cat. Don’t you agree?
- We should get some mango ice cream, 'cause it's a family tradition.
- You should get mango ice cream, since you've never tried it.
- No one thinks you should combine mint ice cream and mango ice cream. So, you shouldn't do it.
- I don't think there's anything wrong with combiningstrawberry ice cream and vanilla ice cream; for it's not as bad as combiningcinnamon ice cream and peanut butter ice cream.
- I don't think there's anything wrong with combining cinnamon ice cream and peanut butter ice cream; for it's not as bad as combining strawberry ice cream and vanilla ice cream.
- We should go to Screamin' Mimi's Ice Cream. After all, it's closer than Mitchell's Ice Cream.
- We should go to Screamin' Mimi's Ice Cream, because we haven't been there in a year.
- We've never gone to Mitchell's Ice Cream. Therefore, we should go.
- We should go to Mitchell's Ice Cream. First, we've never gone there. Second, it has the best ice cream in the state.
- Safeway has a sale. So we should just get ice cream there.
- You should rent the newestSpiderman movie. Think about it. Everyone likes Spiderman.
- You should rent A Christmas Story; for it’s a great movie.
- I’m telling you, the extended version of Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring is a lot better than the original version. So you should rent it rather than the original version.
- If Sean Penn was in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, then he was a great actor; and he was in Fast Times. So he was a great actor.
- The opening scene in Saving Private Ryan is so realistic that a lot of World War II veterans cried when they saw it. This can mean only that it’s a great battle scene; for the key to a great battle scene is portraying it in a way that’s realistic.
- El Crimen del Padre Amaroshould have got an Oscar. It portrays very complex social issues in a way that helps us recognize the human dramas behind them.
- I'm telling you, the only reason Juan goes to a movie is to see an action movie. The last movie he saw was Ironman 3.
- I'm telling you, the only reason Juan goes to a movie is to see action. Think about it. He's never seen a drama or comedy and he says he never will.
- We haven't seen Silence of the Lambs in a few years. Therefore, we should watch it tonight.
- Let’s watch Silence of the Lambs tonight. Since it’s the only movie both of us like.
- Homer:Alan Shepard was the first American in space.
Hector: No he wasn’t; for it was John Glenn. - Homer:Who do you think was the first American in space?
Hector: Ham the Chimp, 'cause he was before Alan Shepard. - John Glenn must have been the first astronaut to orbit the earth, since neither Alan Shepard nor Ham orbited the earth.
- John Glenn’s flight was on February 20, 1962; so he couldn’t have been the first person to orbit the earth, because the Soviet cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin did it on April 12, 1961.
- Homer:In 1963 cosmonaut Valery Bykovsky prematurely re-entered the earth’s atmosphere because of solar flares. Think about it. He returned only after the solar flares.
Hector: I heard there was a problem with his waste collection system.
Homer: There was, but that’s not why he returned to earth early. - Hector:I think N.A.S.A. was smart when they selected Neil Armstrong to be the first astronaut to walk on the moon.
Homer: Why is that?
Hector:During his 1966 Gemini 8 spaceflight he demonstrated he could calmly handle a life-threatening emergency. - Homer:In my mind, Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders were the first astronauts to go to the moon. Their Apollo 8 flight was the first to reach and orbit the moon.
Homer: I still think that title should go to Neil Armstrong. - Todd:Do you know why the USA won't send an astronaut to Mars for at least 50 years?
Dilbert: Why?
Todd:Because no other country is trying to do it. After all, it is expensive. - Todd:The USA should send an astronaut to Mars.
Dilbert: Why?
Todd:Because space exploration forces us to rethink our place in the universe. - Todd:Space exploration also forces us to recognize the fragility of life.
Dilbert: I agree. But what does that tell you?
Todd:So humans should continue space exploration. - Cathy:If the Neolithic Revolution was 12,000 years ago, that definitely predates the Bronze Age; for the Bronze Age was about six thousand years ago.
Narmeen: Well, the Bronze Age started at different times at different places around the world.
Cathy: True, but the first one was in the Near East, and that was 5300 years ago; so the Neolithic Revolution came first.
Narmeen: Was that the birth of agriculture?
Cathy: Yep. - Cathy:If the Neolithic Revolution was 12,000 years ago, that definitely predates the Bronze Age.
Narmeen: Well, the Bronze Age started at different times at different places around the world.
Cathy: True, butthe first one was in the Near East, and that was 5300 years ago; so the Neolithic Revolution came first, since it was 12,000 years ago.
Narmeen: Was that the birth of agriculture?
Cathy: Yep. - Debbie:Qin Shi Huang was able to unify China and become its first of many emperors because he promoted militarism and legalism.
Jim: What do you mean by "legalism"?
Debbie: Well, for example, if two people had a land dispute, they were expected to resolve it by going to court and abiding by the ruling of a state official.
Jim: Was he the first leader to promote legalism?
Cathy: No. But he was the first to use it to govern a large territory.
Jim: Wow! You know what, I should learn more about ancient history; for it's fascinating to realize how own cultural practices came to be.
Cathy: Yep. - Michael: The next time I teach Ancient Philosophy I should create an online activity for students to learn about Heron of Alexandria.
Ted: Why? He wasn't known as a philosopher.
Michael:He became a highly regarded engineer and inventor who was influenced by the Greek Atomists; and he attempted to demonstrate that matter was enough to explain self-movement, what they called automation.
Ted: But he didn't prove that.
Michael: So? I think it'd be good to discuss him; for I think folks still are attempting Heron's project; and it gives our contemporary efforts historical context.
Ted:Good point. - Michael: The next time I teach Ancient Philosophy I should create an online activity for students to learn about Heron of Alexandria.
Ted: Why? He wasn't known as a philosopher.
Michael: He became a highly regarded engineer and inventor who was influenced by the Greek Atomists; and he attempted to demonstrate that matter was enough to explain self-movement, what they called automation.
Ted:But he didn't prove that.
Michael: So? I think it'd be good to discuss him; for I think folks still are attempting Heron's project; and it gives our contemporary efforts historical context.
Ted: Good point. - You're ready to take the quiz; for you got only one Handout example wrong.
- You understand all of the examples you missed. So you're ready to take the quiz.
- You should wait until tomorrow to take the quiz, since you've been studying for two hours.
- You need to review this week's reading. After all, you had to guess on half of the Handout examples.
- You want to get a good grade. Therefore, you should ask the teacher some questions before you take the quiz.