Evaluating an Argument

Evaluating an Argument

Key Terms

• argument-- an author gives a point of view on a subject/topic and explains why the audience should have the same viewpoint

• claims-- statements made about a subject/topic by an author that he hopes will be accepted as fact by his audience so they will accept his point of view

Key Terms

• Evidence is a form of proof used to support claims in argument. Some examples are: statistics, expert opinions, documents and studies, witness accounts. It should be:

• 1. valid--- based on justifiable reason and truth

• 2. relevant--- connected directly to the claim

• 3. sufficient--- adequately supports its purpose in the argument

Key Terms

• delineate-- a reader/listener has to determine an argument's claims and evidence (whether or not the evidence is valid, relevant, & sufficient) in order to be able to describe it in detail

• evaluates-- a reader/listener determines whether or not the argument is strong enough to be convincing

Strong vs Weak Arguments

When presenting an argument, an author supports his positions on a topic by making claims. The claims have to be supported with evidence from valid, credible sources. An argument should only include evidence relevant to the claims the author is making.

Weak arguments tend to include evidence that insufficiently supports claims or does not support them at all.

The audience (reader/listener) has to delineate and evaluate an argument to determine its validity.

Tips to Recognizing a Good Argument

• Try to determine the author's position after the first reading.

• Do a closer reading to find the author's claims and how they support his position.

  
  

• Ask yourself these questions: Does the argument include insufficient or irrelevant claims or evidence that does not support the position? Is there enough evidence to convince me that the author's claims are valid and factual, or do I need more proof? Is the author's evidence believable in the first place? Can the author cite sources? Are the sources credible?

Comparing Arguments

Read the argument that follows and try to delineate the position and how the author supports it.

Example Argument #1

(1) Do you grow a vegetable garden? If you don't, then you definitely should. Even if you live in an apartment, you can grow a garden on your balcony or even on a windowsill. But if you do have one, then you know how good vegetables are that are grown without pesticides or genetic modification. There is a great difference between vegetables you grow yourself and those that you find in grocery stores. Homegrown vegetables taste better because they do not contain GMOs.

(2) Genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, do not just taste bad. They are dangerous for people to eat, especially small children. They are made in laboratories using scientific techniques that do not happen in nature. Some people like to defend GMOs by comparing them to the plants that ancient people developed through selective breeding over the course of many centuries, like corn, carrots, and watermelon. But the work that is being done today by scientists is completely different.

(3) The most frightening thing about GMOs is that most people do not know that they are eating them. They are found in many everyday foods that we all find on the grocery store shelves. Even though GMOs are very dangerous, there are no laws requiring that they be labeled. This is very wrong; people should know what goes into their food. If food companies have to use GMOs in their foods, there should be laws requiring them to label these foods. This way, consumers know what they are getting and whether or not their food is dangerous and bad for them.

Multiple Choice

Example #1 demonstrates an ineffective argument. Which paragraph in Example #1 is irrelevant and should not be included in the argument?

• Paragraph 1

• Paragraph 2

• Paragraph 3

Multiple Choice

This is an ineffective argument because it is difficult to determine what position the author is taking. Initially, it appears the author's wants to convince us to ____.

• grow a vegetable garden.

• pay closer attention to our vegetables.

• improve our health by eating more vegetables.

Multiple Choice

By the end of the argument, we realize the author's position is to convince us that ___.

• homegrown vegetables taste better than vegetables from a grocery store.

• reading food labels carefully will protect us from dangerous GMOs.

• laws should require foods containing GMOs to be labeled.

Multiple Choice

Decide if the author's claim is objective/fact or subjective/opinion:

"The most frightening thing about GMOs is that most people do not know that they are eating them."

• objective/fact

• subjective/opinion

Now read Example Argument 2

Try to delineate the author's claims and evidence. Determine what makes it a better argument than Example 1?

Example 2

(1) GMOs are being hailed as a solution to all of the world's problems with hunger, malnutrition, and food supply. But evidence will show that they are not as great as people may think--instead, they are a potential danger to us all, and one that should be avoided. Unfortunately, the lack of labeling laws makes it nearly impossible for the average consumer to avoid theses genetically modified foods.

(2) People who support GMOs are very quick to point out that foods can be genetically modified to boost their nutritional value. However, doctors in the United States are quick to advise pregnant women and the very ill to avoid them! The reason is that not enough is known about their long term health effects. More research is needed before we can assume them to be safe.

(3) Would you be willing to drink a bottle of insect repellant? When you eat some GMO crops, you are doing just that! Plants are often genetically modified to resist insects, so that fewer pesticides are needed. How do these plants repel insects? By creating their own substances that do the job. If a plant is poisonous to insects, what effect would it have on humans?

(4) GMOs first became widely grown in the United States in 1996. Since then, the percentage of chronically ill Americans has jumped to 13 percent. Is this a result of GMO consumption? It is not known for certain since research is still needed to show the long-term effects of these organisms in humans. Isn't the coincidence too blatant to ignore?

(5) In the United States, 94 percent of soybeans and 88 percent of corn is genetically modified. If people want to avoid GMOs in their diet, how do they make sure that the soy and corn they eat is not genetically modified? There is only one way--by requiring all food companies to label all foods that contain GMOs. Once labeling is in force, the consumers will decide.

Multiple Choice

Example 2 is a stronger argument than Example 1 even though both take the same position on the same subject.

Which ONE of the following choices did NOT provide sufficient support for claims in Example 2?

• It uses exclamation marks to emphasize important points.

• It uses expert opinion.

• It uses objective evidence such as statistics, dates, and data.

Multiple Choice

Determine if the following statement is objective/fact or subjective/opinion:

"In the United States, 94 percent of soybeans and 88 percent of corn is genetically modified."

• objective/fact

• subject/opinion

Multiple Choice

The statement "In the United States, 94 percent of soybeans and 88 percent of corn is genetically modified," requires source citation to be considered valid, relevant, and sufficient evidence.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Which of the following support claims BEST demonstrates the author's acknowledgement that a direct link between GMOs and illness have not been discovered, but may be found in the future.

• "The reason is that not enough is know about their long-term health effects. More research is needed before we can assume them to be safe."

• "Is this a result of GMO consumption? It is not known for certain since research is still needed to show the long-term effects of these organisms in humans."

• "But evidence will show that they are not as great as people may think--instead, they are a danger to us all, and one that should be avoided."