WorksheetsClaims and Arguments
Total questions: 9
Worksheet time: 16mins
Which of the following elements can weaken a writer's argument?
Quotes that come from experts or others who are knowledgeable about the subject
Expert opinions that can be trusted
Facts that come from credible magazines, newspapers, texts, and online publications
Personal opinions that are not supported by evidence or based on emotion
Which of the following elements strengthens a writer's argument?
Irrelevant examples or details not related directly to the subject
Personal opinions that are not supported by evidence or based on emotion
Quotes that come from experts or others who are knowledgeable about the subject
What claim does the Point author make?
The point author claims that The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a popular book that has sold many copies.
The Point author claims that teaching history through the use of fiction is often misleading and can be dangerous, and John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pajamas shows why.
The Point author claims that fiction, including stories, novels, and films, is a great way to teach history, and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a good example.
The Point author claims that Bruno's innocence is unrealistic.
Read this section from “The Dangers of Fictionalizing History” (Counterpoint) and answer the follow-up question.
Personally, I don’t like fables. But that aside, the problem with Boyne’s premise is that writing a fable does not release him from an author’s obligation not to distort history. This is particularly true in an event as serious as the Holocaust. The danger of “serving the story” over serving the facts is that young readers will not know enough Holocaust history to understand what has been changed. As critic David Cesarani notes, “except for a few peculiar cases there were no Jewish children in the extermination camps: they were gassed on arrival.” (Cesarani, 2012) Thus the very premise of the story is, in Cesarani’s words, “utterly implausible.” In his scathing review of the book, Cesarani explains why the implausibility matters: “Should this matter if the book is a ‘fable’ which is presumably intended by its author to warn against the evils of prejudice? Yes. Because there are people at large who contest whether the systematic mass murder of the Jews occurred.” (Cesarani, 2012) This is a serious charge, considering the book has sold more than 6 million copies worldwide and has been made into a movie. (Boyne website, Biography)
Which sentence from the paragraph contains the writer’s claim?
“Personally, I don’t like fables.”
“But that aside, the problem with Boyne’s premise is that writing a fable does not release him from an author’s obligation not to distort history.”
“Thus the very premise of the story is, in Cesarani’s words, ‘utterly implausible.’”
“This is a serious charge, considering the book has sold more than 6 million copies worldwide and has been made into a movie.”
Which sentence from the passage provides relevant evidence to support the main claim in the article "The Dangers of Fictionalizing History"?
“Personally, I don’t like fables.”
“This is particularly true in an event as serious as the Holocaust.”
“As critic David Cesarani notes, ‘except for a few peculiar cases there were no Jewish children in the extermination camps: they were gassed on arrival.’”
“This is a serious charge, considering the book has sold more than 6 million copies worldwide and has been made into a movie.”
What is a central idea from the section Counterpoint in the excerpt?
Teaching history through fiction can misguide the learner into believing inaccuracies about important events.
Historical fiction causes people to care about the past in a way that factual articles rarely achieve.
Fables are a form of literature that presents moral lessons for readers through fantasy and exaggeration.
Critics of John Boyne’s novel believe he uses language incorrectly within the framework of his story.
Which sentence from the section Counterpoint most closely supports the answer to the previous question?
“My understanding of the term ‘fable’ is a piece of fiction that contains a moral.”
“By manipulating the historical realities of the Holocaust for the sake of a good story, Boyne runs the risk of giving readers a distorted view of the Holocaust.”
“The critics of the book and the 2008 movie are many.”
“As reviewer A.O. Scott notes, ‘there is something illogical about them, since Bruno’s native language is presumably German in which the portentous puns would make no sense, not English, in which they do’ (Scott).”
What do readers need to do to assess an argument?
Choose one example in either essay of weak, incomplete, or irrelevant evidence, and analyze what makes this evidence ineffective. How does the writer's choice to include this evidence affect your overall impression of the essay, and why? Use specific details and relevant textual evidence from the passage to support your answer.
