Justin's Practice (Evaluating Arguments)

Choose two that best support Ani's evaluation of DeLuca's argument?

"DeLuca offers a haphazard patchwork of reasoning and evidence that leaves the reader wondering whether he believes his own claim. He remains focused on Dylan's body of work, quoting not only supporters of the Nobel committee's choice, but also detractors. DeLuca also includes a liberal sampling of Dylan's song lyrics, but he largely leaves them to speak for themselves."

• "The Swedish Academy's decision to honor Dylan set off an online debate, with Scottish Trainspotting novelist Irvine Welsh calling it 'an ill conceived nostalgia award wrenched from the rancid prostates of senile, gibbering hippies.'"

• "On one end of Dylan's songwriting spectrum is the vengeful, resolute, and timeless 'Masters Of War' . . . . It’s high dudgeon at its finest: ‘Let me ask you one question: Is your money that good? / Will it buy you forgiveness? Do you think that it could?'"

• "Many of Dylan’s most fervently loved songs—some of which actually are love songs—date from the 1960s, and his being honored at age 75 can be seen as an ultimate affirmation for the baby boomer generation."

• "'Dylan has the status of an icon. His influence on contemporary music is profound, and he is the object of a steady stream of secondary literature,' the Nobel committee wrote."

• "And it’s a good thing [his lyrics] have been published, because if you’ve gone to see the famously sneering and syllable-garbling Dylan play live in recent years, you probably couldn’t understand a word he was singing."

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What is the best evaluation of this argument?

Today's cell phones are not just phones; they are little computers. That means they are effective research tools. Students can use them to access dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other reference materials. They can search for articles, videos, and images. In my civics class, our teacher even held mock elections, and we voted using our cell phones.

• It is irrelevant and insufficient, because she discusses using computers rather than phones.

• It is irrelevant and insufficient, because her evidence relies solely on her own experience.

• It is relevant and sufficient, because she gives convincing examples of how phones support classwork.

• It is relevant and insufficient, because she provides general reasons without specific examples.

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What evidence best supports this claim? Select two.

It seems like every high school student is expected to go to college. Some teenagers resent the pressure this expectation puts on them. But we teens have to be realistic. A college degree is necessary in today's world.

Most employers today require job applicants to have a college degree. Many jobs require specific skills acquired through college courses geared to that profession. Of course, not every job requires the exact subject matter you learned at college. But employers are looking for people with perseverance, analytical skills, and the ability to communicate. Those are the things you will learn during your years at college.

• A college degree is necessary in today's world.

• Employers require a college degree for most jobs.

• Every high school student is expected to go to college.

• Teenagers resent the pressure placed on them to go to college.

• Employers want new hires to have skills and traits acquired in college.

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What best supports this argument?

Dylan clearly won the Nobel for his songs, but he has published non-musical writing, including a book of poetry, Tarantula, in 1971, and Chronicles: Volume One, a memoir that came out in 2004. “Dylan has the status of an icon. His influence on contemporary music is profound, and he is the object of a steady stream of secondary literature,” the Nobel committee wrote.

• DeLuca shows an impressive knowledge of the entire range of Dylan's creative output.

• Overall, DeLuca's wide-ranging evidence will prove that rock lyrics are indeed poetry.

• I find the examples of internal rhyme to be the most convincing evidence DeLuca offers.

• DeLuca calls on novelists and a US president for their opinions of the Nobel committee's decision.

What is the function of a claim in your argument?

• to introduce the topic

• to state the writer's opinion

• to state a reason for the writer's belief

• to give evidence supporting the writer's belief

How effective is Lola's evidence in the following?

It seems like every high school student is expected to go to college. Some teenagers resent the pressure this expectation puts on them. But we teens have to be realistic. A college degree is necessary in today's world.

Most employers today require job applicants to have a college degree. Many jobs require specific skills acquired through college courses geared to that profession. Of course, not every job requires the exact subject matter you learned at college. But employers are looking for people with perseverance, analytical skills, and the ability to communicate. Those are things you will learn during your years at college.

• The evidence is relevant but insufficient because it only discusses things one learns in college.

• The evidence sufficiently supports the reason about getting a job but does not relate to the claim.

• The evidence relates to the claim but does not sufficiently address teenagers' resentment of the pressure to go to college

• The evidence is relevant and sufficient because the main reason people go to college is to get jobs and support themselves.

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Which best summarizes this argument?

My friends like going to fast food restaurants. It's not that I mind, but I'm a vegan, and these restaurants offer very little I can eat. Even salads contain ingredients like cheese, eggs, and ham. What's more, there may be cream, eggs, or gelatin in the dressing. Sometimes, all I can do is order is something to drink, while my friends enjoy their meals. However, by not offering vegan meals, fast food restaurants are missing out on additional sales.

• Fast food restaurants attract a lot of customers.

• Fast food restaurants need to create more varied menus.

• Fast food restaurants would profit from offering vegan meals.

• Fast food restaurants would lose money by catering to vegans.

Which of these is a claim/argument? (The author's opinion that he's supporting with evidence.)

(1) Bob Dylan is the songwriter who opened up the doors of possibility to all who followed. (2) He was the mysterious bard with a guitar who sent out a clarion call—first as the acoustic Voice of His Generation, then as the plugged-in rocker who remained a master of the unexpected for five decades—that the words pop singers sang were worthy of being taken seriously.

(3) "Dylan was a revolutionary,” Bruce Springsteen said in his 1988 speech inducting Dylan into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (4) "The way that Elvis freed your body, Bob freed your mind.” (5) Early masterpieces such as "A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” and "Visions Of Johanna” and "Like A Rolling Stone” fueled a debate: Are rock lyrics poetry?

(6) The answer must be yes, because on Thursday, Dylan was awarded the highest honor for a writer: the Nobel Prize in literature. (7) The Swedish Academy, in making him the first American winner since novelist Toni Morrison in 1993, cited him for "having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.”

• sentence 1

• sentence 2

• sentence 6

• sentence 7

What elements should be included in a paragraph that evaluates a writer’s argument? Select three options.

• a brief biography of the writer

• a summary of the writer's claim

• an analysis of the writer's concluding statements

• an analysis of the writer's reasons and evidence

• a response to the writer's position saying if it is right or wrong

In "Water Flowing from Toilet to Tap May Be Hard to Swallow,” what reasons does Schwartz give to support his claim?

Select two options.

(Article: https://media.edgenuity.com/contentengine/common//passages/8703/8703-04/8703-04-02/8703-04-02-toilettotap.html)

• "Water recycling is common for uses like irrigation; purple pipes in many California towns deliver water to golf courses, zoos and farms."

• "Enticing people to drink recycled water, however, requires getting past what experts call the 'yuck' factor."

• "In November, the San Diego City Council voted for a $2.9 billion Pure Water program to provide a third of the city’s daily needs by 2035."

• "The processes . . . that clean the water include microfiltration that strains out anything larger than 0.2 microns, removing almost all suspended solids, bacteria and protozoa."

• "People tend to judge risk emotionally, he said, and a phrase like 'toilet to tap' can undercut earnest explanations."

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