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WorksheetsClaims, Counterclaims, & Fallacies
Total questions: 13
Worksheet time: 12mins
A claim is a(n)...
opinion or belief
fact or truth
interpretation of fact
A counterclaim is a(n)...
reasonable challenge to a claim
contradiction to a claim
flaw in reasoning
The strongest evidence for a fact-based claim is...
Click all that apply.
directly supports the claim
comes from a credible source
based on personal experience only
is an opinion
Credible evidence in argumentative writing includes...
Check all that apply.
facts
personal experiences
statistics
scientific studies
dreams
A fallacy is a...
biased reasoning
logical argument
mistake or flaw in logic
Consider this claim:
Learning to play an instrument can help you succeed academically.
Which piece of evidence better supports this claim?
A long-term study at a top research university showed that children who had learned to play an instrument in the past year had greater self-confidence than those who had not.
Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital scanned the brains of musicians and non-musicians while they completed various tasks. Musicians showed increased brain activity in areas that could strengthen school performance.
Consider the claim:
It is possible for a person to have more than one best friend.
Now consider how someone might argue against this.
Which sentence presents the stronger and more reasonable counterclaim to the above claim?
The word best means "above all others," so by definition, it's only possible to have one best friend.
The perfect number of friends is three because that way you never have to be alone, but you're never in a crowd.
Which logical fallacy is used in the text?
My opponent argues that we should abolish the soda tax. It's a shame that he wants to encourage people to eat and drink unhealthily. I say we keep it.
guilt by association
an unfair negative association with another person or group that is intended to discredit someone or something
straw man
a misrepresentation of an opponent's position that makes it easier to argue against
ad hominem
an attack against the person making the argument, rather than the argument itself
Which logical fallacy is used in the text?
The number of pirates in existence decreased as the global average temperature rose. Therefore, we can conclude that hotter weather reduces piracy.
slippery slope fallacy
the false assumption that a small first step will necessarily lead to extreme consequences
false dichotomy
an argument that presents only two choices when more options exist
circular reasoning
an argument that supports a claim with the claim itself
Read the claim and the supporting evidence.
Claim: Eve should not be elected class president.
Evidence: The other candidate, Seth, is much more collaborative.
Why does the evidence support the claim? Choose the analysis that better explains the connection.
Seth also has more leadership experience.
Good leaders must be collaborative.
Consider this claim:
Online colleges prepare students for careers just as well as traditional brick-and-mortar schools do.
Which is the strongest evidence to support the claim?
Many students choose to gain some credits through an online college program and then successfully transfer to a brick-and-mortar institution to complete a degree.
"I've hired two people recently who received their college degrees through online programs, and the quality of their performance is as good as, if not better than, that of their peers," reported business owner Ryan McCarthy.
Online college programs often provide career preparation services that are equivalent to those provided by traditional college programs, including interview preparation, job fairs, and even internship placement.
Admittedly
Likewise
For example
That begin said
More importantly
In summary
