WorksheetsLowering the Voting Age arguments
Total questions: 14
Worksheet time: 18mins
What is the difference between evidence and reasoning?
Evidence is based on common sense, while reasoning is based on an author's emotions.
Evidence is fact based, while reasoning is logic (common sense) based.
Evidence is based on other's opinions, and reasoning is based on facts.
Evidence is what the author believes at the time, and reasoning is what the author believes deep down.
What are two (or more) central ideas of the text one (Irresponsible Sixteen Year Olds)?
Lowering the voting age to 16 is a poor idea.
If 16-year-olds are able to drive, they should be able to vote.
If you cannot pass a basic civics test, you should not be allowed to vote.
Sixteen-year-olds are not well enough informed to vote.
Sixteen-year-olds are not are mature as older people that can vote.
What is the author's argument in text one (Irresponsible Sixteen Year Olds)?
The voting age should only be lowered for students that have passed civics.
Lowering the voting age is a terrible idea.
Votes cast by anyone under the age of 18 should only count for half a vote.
The voting age should be raised so only highly intelligent people can vote.
Which of the following is not a claim the author makes to support his argument in text one (Irresponsible Sixteen Year Olds?)
Sixteen-year-olds are not as mature as 18-year-olds.
Sixteen-year-olds are not well enough informed on politics.
While some 16-year-olds do things 18-year-olds do, that is not a reason to also give them the right to vote.
Lowering the voting will not actually increase voting participation.
Sixteen-year-olds do not have enough life experience to vote.
In text one (Irresponsible Sixteen Year Olds), what is the claim of paragraph six?
Sixteen-year-olds are more mature than 18-year-olds because they have something to prove.
Sixteen-year-olds are not as mature as 18-year-olds so they should not get the right to vote.
Sixteen-year-olds know more about politics than most adults.
Sixteen-year-olds experience a lot of challenges that eighteen-year-olds might not face.
In text one (Irresponsible Sixteen Year Olds), how does the author develop the claim of paragraph six?
By providing a study that proves sixteen-year-olds face more challenges than eighteen-year-olds.
By including a quote from a child development expert.
By comparing the education level of an eighteen-year-old to a sixteen-year-old.
By providing a counterclaim and a rebuttal.
In text one (Irresponsible Sixteen Year Olds), select the sentence that provides logical reasoning to support the claim that sixteen-year-olds should not have all of the same privileges as eighteen-year-olds.
"...a lot of people contend that lowering the voting age would increase voter participation."
"Just because 16-year-olds do other tasks that 18-year-olds do doesn't mean we should let them do even more."
"No serious person will contend the average 16-year-old is at an equal maturity level as an 18-year-old."
"A sixteen-year-old in 2019 possesses a wisdom and a maturiry that comes from 2019 challenges."
Select all types of evidence the author uses to support his claims.
quotes from experts
graphs and charts
studies and statistics
personal stories
Trace the author’s argument in text two (This is Why) by selecting two sentences that express two different central ideas of the text.
The lower we make the voting age, the more liberal the government will become.
If a young person does not have a job and does not pay taxes, then they should not have the right to vote.
By lowering the voting age, young people would be able to see what they learn in the classroom come to life.
Younger people should be allowed to vote about the decisions that affect them.
When the voting age is lowered, the age to do other things is also going to be lowered, and that is dangerous.
In text two (This is Why), what is the central claim of paragraph five?
Young people should be able to vote in place of their parents.
Young people are too distracted by all of their problems to vote.
Young people should be able to vote on the issues that affect them.
Young people think of voting as a problem and do not want to participate.
In text two (This is Why), how does the author develop this claim in chunk three that lowering the voting age would allow young people to see their school work in the real world?
By providing an alarming statistic that proves how little adults know about civics.
By providing a personal story about how a field trip changed their life.
By providing an education expert's opinion on how important real life application is to young people.
By providing a statistic that shows how many young people wish they could participate in elections.
What evidence do both authors include in their arguments to support their claims?
Both authors provide quotes from politicians about how important it is to vote, despite your age.
Both authors provide statistics about how many young people would prefer to vote at 16 rather than drive.
Both authors provide a graph to show how the voting age has changed over the years.
Both authors provide a study that shows how few adults can name the three branches of government.
Select the two ways (one form each text) the authors differ in how they interpret that evidence to support their claims?
The author of text one uses that evidence to prove that people that don't even have a high school education probably know even less about civics.
The author of text two uses the evidence to prove that adults received an excellent high school education and deserve to vote.
The author of text two uses the evidence to show how high school education in our country is lacking some aspects.
The author of text one uses the evidence to show that young people would not even show up to vote if they were allowed.
The author of text two uses that evidence to show how young people probably know more about civics than older people.
Which author makes the stronger argument and why? Not necessarily which argument do you agree with, but which one is STRONGER?
-PRO TIP-
The author of source (1 or 2) made a stronger argument because...
