English/Language Arts Assessment
Summer 2012
Define the following terms as they relate to argument by circling the appropriate answer:
1. Claim
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
A statement you are asking the other person to accept
A statement you design to support a warrant
The link you use between the backing and the qualifiers
All of the above
None of the above
I don’t know
2. Evidence
a. Data
b. Grounds
c. The truths on which a claim is based
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
f. I don’t know
3. Warrant
a. An attempt to legitimize a claim
b. The link you use between evidence and a claim
c. A statement you design to demonstrate relevancy of the grounds
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
f. I don’t know
4. Backing
a. An attempt to pre-empt a counter-argument
b. A statement you design to hedge or put limits on your claim
c. A statement you design to support a warrant
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
f. I don’t know
5. Rebuttal
a. An attempt to pre-empt a counter-argument
b. An argument in itself
c. A statement you design to address differing claims
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
f. I don’t know
6. Qualification
a. An attempt to pre-empt a counter-argument
b. A statement you design to hedge or put limits on your claim
c. A statement you design to support a warrant
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
f. I don’t know
Identify the above terms in the following argument, and fill in the blanks with the
appropriate word. Note: Some terms may be used more than once; other terms may not be
used at all.
Congress should ban animal research (7 CLAIM) because animals are tortured in experiments
that have no necessary benefit for humans such as the testing of cosmetics
(8DATA/EVIDENCE). The well-being of animals is more important than the profits of the
cosmetics industry (9 WARRANT). Only congress has the authority to make such a law (10
WARRANT) because the corporations can simply move from state to state to avoid legal
penalties (11 BACKING). Of course, this ban should not apply to medical research
(12QUALIFIER). A law to ban all research would go too far (13 REBUTTAL).1
14. Which statement is most correct?
A. Persuasion relies on appeals to logos, while argument relies more on appeals to
pathos.
B. Neither persuasion, nor argument should use the appeal to ethos.
C. Persuasion relies on appeals to pathos, while argument relies more on appeals to
logos.
D. Neither persuasion, nor argument should use the appeal to logos.
Which of the following might negatively affect the validity of an argument? (circle all that
apply)
15.
1
A. Neglecting to present a rebuttal
B. A disconnect between the evidence and the claim
C. An extensive appeal to logos
D. The use of one or more qualifiers
E. All of the above
http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/documents/Toulmin.pdf
Select the correct statement for the following questions:
16 The Declaration of Independence claims that (select one)
A. Some men are natural-born leaders
B. All men are created equal
C. Tyranny is more important than liberty
D. All men have the right to own property
E. All of the above
F. I do not know
17 The bulk of the Declaration of Independence consists of (select one)
A. Grievances against the king of England
B. Descriptions of natural rights
C. Powers given to the new Congress
D. Self-evident truths
E. Details about how the new nation will be governed
F. I do not know
18 Do you know what Booker T. Washington suggested about bringing about social change
for African-Americans? Yes/No
If yes, which statement best summarizes the beliefs of Booker T. Washington?
A. Social equality for African Americans would be easier to achieve than legal rights
B. The way to dissolve the barriers of segregation and bring about an end to Jim Crow
laws was by active resistance
C. The most immediate means for African Americans to achieve equality was to
expand their opportunities for vocational education
D. None of the above
19 Are you familiar with the arguments put forward by W.E.B. DuBois in the Talented
Tenth? Yes/No
If yes, which of the following is correct: W. E. B. Du Bois proposed political:
A. Passivity and intellectual education
B. Passivity and vocational training
C. Activism and intellectual education
D. Activism and vocational training
E. None of the answers are correct
20. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” declared that:
A. the civil rights movement had become too violent and had to stop
B. the white moderate had to put aside his fear of disorder and commit to racial
justice
C. the federal government was solely responsible for the violence in the South
D. the white clergy in the South had done a tremendous job at fighting Jim Crow
E. he was abandoning his policy of civil disobedience and peaceful demonstration
F. I don’t know