Argument

What are the purposes of an argument?

• to convince someone to buy something

• to change someone's opinion or convince them to take a course of action

• to entertain and change the minds of others

• to inform and change someone's ideas

The part of an argument that state's the author's point of view is called the

• claim

• counterclaim

• opinion

• objective viewpoint

Your claim must be "debatable."

• True

• False

The part of the argument that supports the claim with facts, statistics, expert opinions, and logical reasons is called what?

• support

• evidence

• data

• logos

The part of the argument that explains the evidence and connects it to the claim.

• counterclaim

• reasons

• warrant

• rebuttal

The proper term for the part of the argument that opposes the claim is called

• opposing argument

• rebuttal

• warrant

• counterclaim

This part of the argument explains why the counterclaim is incorrect.

• claim

• rebuttal

• evidence

• warrant

What is the author missing that could make the following argument stronger?

I have heard it argued that children "rot" their brains with video game systems. However, this may not be the case: instead, it is the exact opposite. In the previously mentioned article by Matt Ritchtel, he says, "At the University of Rochester, researchers found that players of some fast-paced video games can track the movement of a third more objects on a screen than nonplayers...games can improve reaction time and the ability to pick out details amid clutter" (Ritchtel 1). It seems that the more people play fast-paced video games, the more efficient they become at finding important details. These games may not be so "brain rotting" after all. They are actually beneficial.

• The author is missing ethos, so he or she should include a credible source.

• The author is missing a warrant, so he or she should explain the evidence further and how it supports the claim.

• The author is missing evidence to support the counterclaim, so he or she should include this to demonstrate that they are credible and have done research on both sides.

• The author includes all of the components of the argumentative approach, and he or she does not have to make any changes.

Read the following passage and determine the which sentence serves as the counterclaim.

I have heard it argued that children "rot" their brains with video game systems. However, this may not be the case: instead, it is the exact opposite. In the previously mentioned article by Matt Ritchtel, he says, "At the University of Rochester, researchers found that players of some fast-paced video games can track the movement of a third more objects on a screen than nonplayers...games can improve reaction time and the ability to pick out details amid clutter" (Ritchtel 1). It seems that the more people play fast-paced video games, the more efficient they become at finding important details. These games may not be so "brain rotting" after all. They are actually beneficial.

• I have heard it argued that children "rot" their brains with video game systems.

• However, this may not be the case: instead, it is the exact opposite.

• It seems that the more people play fast-paced video games, the more efficient they become at finding important details.

• These games may not be so "brain rotting" after all. They are actually beneficial.

Read the paragraph and answer the question this question: How would you correctly identify the underlined sentence?

Many people argue that animal testing is cruel. In some cases, this is true. However, it would be much more cruel to test new drugs on people or children, or to let people die because there was not enough information about a drug. Furthermore, legislation in most countries sets standards for animal treatment, and laboratories have guidelines to prevent cruelty.

• claim

• counterclaim

• rebuttal

• evidence