Chapter 12:
Reading Arguments
Active Reading Skills, 2/e
Kathleen McWhorter
Brette McWhorter Sember
PowerPoint by Gretchen Starks-Martin
What is an Argument?
An argument always presents
logical reasons and evidence
to support a viewpoint.
Parts of an Argument
The Issue – the problem or controversy
The Claim – the position on an issue
The Support – reasons and evidence
The Refutation (sometimes)
Support through Evidence
Evidence consists of
Facts
 Personal experience
 Examples
 Statistics
 Comparisons and analogies that
demonstrate why the claim is valid.

Questions for Evaluating Arguments
 Is the Evidence Relevant? Does it
apply specifically to the issue at hand?
 Is the Evidence Sufficient? Is there
enough detail?
 Does the Author Recognize and
Refute Opposing Viewpoints?
 Does the Author Use Emotional
Appeals and Are They Used Unfairly?
Emotional Appeals
1. Emotionally Charged or Biased Language.
Example: an ad for an automobile that
used phrases such as “animal sleekness.”
2. False Authority. Example: athletes
endorsing athletic shoes.
3. Association. Example: an ad for a product
with a speaker standing in front of the
American flag.
Emotional Appeals
4. Appeal to “Common Folk.” Example: You
sell a product by indicating that it is used
in the average household.
5. Ad hominem. (Attacks the holder of the
viewpoint, not the viewpoint itself.)
Example: How could someone who does
not have a college degree criticize a
judicial decision?
6. “Join the Crowd” Appeal. Example:
Everyone else is buying it; so you should
too.
Errors in Logical Reasoning
 Circular Reasoning
 Hasty Generalization
 Non Sequitur (“It Does Not Follow”)
 False Cause
 Either-Or Fallacy
Circular Reasoning
 Also known as begging the question,
this error involves using part of the
conclusion as evidence to support it.
 Example: Female police officers should not be sent
to crime scenes because apprehending criminals is
a man’s job.
Hasty Generalization
 The conclusion is derived from
insufficient evidence.
 Example: By observing one performance of a
musical group, you conclude the group is unfit to
perform.
Non Sequitur (It Does Not Follow”)
 False establishment of cause-effect.
 Example: “Because my doctor is young, I am sure
he will be a good doctor.”
False Cause
 The incorrect assumption that two
events that follow each other in time
are causally related.
 Example: You opened an umbrella and tripped on
the sidewalk. If you said you tripped because of
the umbrella, it would be false cause.
Either-Or Fallacy
 This assumes that an issue is only two
sided, or that there are only two
choices or alternatives for a particular
situation.
 Example: Violence on TV must be either allowed
or banned. (Does not recognize alternatives.)
Arguments in Academic Writing
 Textbook authors often take a position
on pertinent topics within their
discipline.
 Example: A psychology textbook author may argue
that compulsive shopping should be officially
declared a mental illness.
Evaluating Your Progress
Use the “Critical Thinking-American Southwest” module
in the Reading Skills section on the MyReadingLab Web
site at http://www.ablongman.com/myreadinglab.
For more practice visit the
Companion Web site.
http://www.ablongman.com/mcwhorter