Causal Argument Essay
ASSIGNMENT FOR CHAPTER 12: A CAUSAL ARGUMENT INVOLVING "SURPRISING" OR
"DISPUTED" CAUSES (Using MLA Documentation, 3 Sources, Visual/Non-Text
Source, 500-700 Words)
I. Choose an issue question about the causes (or consequences) of a trend, event, or
other phenomenon.
 Write a 500-700 word argument that persuades an audience to accept your
explanation of the causes (or consequences) of your chosen phenomenon.
 Within your essay you should
o examine alternative hypotheses or opposing views and
o explain your reasons for rejecting them.
 You can imagine your issue either as a puzzle or as a disagreement.
o If a puzzle, your task will be informational as well as argumentative because
your role will be that of an analyst explaining causes or consequences of an
event to an audience that doesn't have an answer already in mind.
o If you see your issue as a disagreement, your task will be more directly
argumentative as your goal will be to change an opposing audience's views
so that they adhere to your position more than their original one.
II. Cite a minimum of three sources in the paper, using the MLA documentation style.
As a general rule, avoid too much quotation, especially long quotations. Remember that an
essay which incorporates source materials, like any other essay, should present your
argument in your voice. As a writer, you need to be able to move back and forth gracefully
between conducting your own argument and using material from your research in the form
of a) summary, b) paraphrase, c) quotation, or--better yet--d) a blend of all three methods.
When using Block Quotation or Inserted Quotation, be sure to follow the correct format.
III. Include a visual/non-text resource: chart, graph, photo, picture, etc.
 For In-text Parenthetical Citations, use Clear Attributions to signal to readers
which ideas are the yours and which ideas are being taken from another source and
Parenthetical Citations (in MLA format) only to give readers follow-up information
on where the source can be found; when a parenthesis is inappropriate or
unneeded, use a source-reflective statement to signal the end of source material.
 AVOID PLAGIARISM: Cite everything you borrow. Always indicate when you have
borrowed another person's ideas with attributive tags/parenthetical references;
also, when borrowing another person's language, be certain to use quotation marks
or block indentations.
 Place a list of Works Cited at the end of the paper--This is a list of all the sources
you have cited and you should place that title at the top of the page (see the student
example in WA 338 or 284).
IV. This is a Level-4 assignment from the “Written Expression” section of OCTC’s
“Expression of Ideas Framework.” Please remember that assignments at this level
are “tailored to the needs of the audience/customer/class/instructor,” which, in this
case, means complying with all the requirements listed on the instruction sheet.
Also note at this level, the expectation is that “[w]hen including outside research,
MLA/APA format will be followed. Complete sentences are required, and grammar,
mechanics, and spelling are evaluated.” And don’t overlook the cautionary note:
“Students writing at Levels 2, 3, and 4 would not use . . . you. . . .”
V. Organize your paper by following one of the outlines discussed in WA 12 (269-70).
ORGANIZING A CAUSAL ARGUMENT (252-253)
PLAN 1: ARGUMENT EXPLAINING LINKS IN A CAUSAL CHAIN
I. Introduce the issue and state your claim.
A. Engage reader's interest in your causal issue and show why it is controversial or
problematic.
B. Show what's at stake.
C. State your claim.
II. Explain the links in the chain going from cause to effect.
A. Explain the links and their connections in order.
B. Anticipate and respond to possible objections if needed.
III. Conclude.
A. Perhaps sum up your argument.
B. Return to the "big picture" of what's at stake.
C. End with something memorable.
ORGANIZATION PLAN 2: ARGUMENT PROPOSING MULTIPLE
CAUSES OR CONSEQUENCES OF A PHENOMENON
I. Introduce the issue and state your claim.
A. Engage reader's interest in your causal issue and show why it is problematic or
controversial.
B. Show what's at stake.
C. State your claim.
II. Propose relative contributions of different causes of a phenomenon or relative
importance of different consequences.
A. Describe the first possible cause or consequence and explain your reasoning.
B. Continue with the rest of your causes or consequences.
C. Arrange causes or consequences in increasing order of importance, significance, or
surprise.
III. Respond to possible objections to your argument (if needed).
A. Anticipate and summarize possible objections.
B. Respond through rebuttal or concession.
IV. Conclude.
A. Perhaps sum up your argument.
B. Return to the "big picture" of what's at stake.
C. End with something memorable.
ORGANIZATION PLAN 3: ARGUMENT PROPOSING
A SURPRISING CAUSES OR CONSEQUENCE
I. Introduce the issue and state your claim.
A. Engage reader's interest in your causal issue and show why it is problematic or
controversial.
B. Show what's at stake.
C. State your claim.
II. Reject commonly assumed causes or consequences.
A. Describe the first commonly assumed cause or consequence and show why you don't
think the explanation is adequate.
B. Continue with the rest of your commonly assumed causes or consequences.
III. Argue for your surprising cause or consequence.
A. Describe your surprising cause or consequence.
B. Explain your causal reasoning.
C. Anticipate and respond to possible objections if needed.
IV. Conclude.
A. Perhaps sum up your argument.
B. Return to the "big picture" of what's at stake.
C. End with something memorable.
Examples of Causal Argument Topics
What caused the sudden decline in the U.S. crime rate beginning in the 1990s?
What are the causes of climate change?
Climate change will have what results?
Why did rap music become popular?
Why are white teenage girls seven times as likely to smoke as African American teenage
girls?
What causes couples who live together before marriage to have a higher divorce rate than
those who don't?
What caused the Columbine High School massacre?
What caused young women in Fiji to start feeling fat?
What might be the results of legalizing heroin and other hard drugs?
What might be the consequences of overturning Roe v. Wade?
What have been the consequences-expected or unexpected-of the invasion of Iraq?
What have been the consequences-expected or unexpected-of the emerging popularity of
YouTube?
What might be the consequences-expected or unexpected-of aggressively combating global
warming as opposed to adapting to it?
What is the cause of Facebook’s success?
What will be the result of acid rain?
What will be the result of the lack of reading in younger generations?
What is the cause of college tuition rising at a rate greater than inflation?
What explains the decrease in number of abortions in the past several years?
What accounts for the increase in peanut allergies in the past decade?
Why has sushi become so popular in the past several years?
What is the cause of teens continuing to smoke (given what we now know about the
dangers)?
What causes criminal behavior?
What causes people to rebel against authority?
What are the main causes for failed marriages?
What has led to the epidemic of credit card debt among young adults?