PART 4 Answer Key
CHAPTER 8:
Elements of Critical Reading—Analyzing Arguments
Practice Exercise 1
No answers are provided for this exercise because they are open questions, intended
for discussion.
Practice Exercise 2
1.
A
2.
A
3.
N
4.
A
5.
A
6.
?
Goldthorpe is entitled to express his opinion as a concerned citizen, but he
can’t be considered an authority, according to its definition.
Lomborg is a statistician, not a climate or environmental scientist.
7. N
Cruise, as a spokesman for Scientology, has no credible standing on this
subject.
8. N
Such judgments are best left to aviation experts.
9. A
Though not an authority in the traditional sense, a 50-year resident of a city
might very well have worthwhile ideas for a revitalization project.
10. A
Have students distinguish between 11 and 12: Both men are spokesmen and both are
celebrities, but although Trump may wear expensive suits, it doesn’t make him an
expert. P. Diddy, on the other hand, not only is an entertainer and rap star who is both
intimately involved with the urban scene; he also has his own manufacturing concern.
11. N
12. A
13. A
14. N
Chopra is neither a child psychologist or psychiatrist.
15. A
All are celebrities, to be sure, but all have extensive experience in the
entertainment industry.
16. N
Favre is no different from most athletes who are paid millions to endorse
certain products. Whether he wears them as a matter of personal preference
doesn’t make him an expert on jeans.
Practice Exercise 3
1. fact
2. opinion
3. value
4. fact
5. value
6. policy
7. value, policy
8. policy
9. fact
10. value
Practice Exercise 4
A. Claim of fact
Argument: Plastic is the crucial element in our society because it can be massproduced, it is easy to dispose of, and contributes to material consumption.
Authority: Although the writer does not have a background in environmental
science, she is a working journalist who did extensive research for her article. She
is not a scientist; nevertheless, she is somewhat of an authority. Note the source of
the article—VegNews—an alternative publication devoted to the environment and
to vegetarianism.
B. Claim of fact
Argument: American corporations routinely ignore consumer complaints.
Authority: Yes, most likely, though his point of view as president of an advertising
agency is unusual. One would not expect someone in this position to be a
consumer advocate.
C.
Claim of policy
Argument: The MPAA should change its standards for movie ratings so that they
are both more realistic and less rigid.
Authority: yes, by virtue of his extensive experience as a movie critic
D. Claim of value
Argument: America’s “can-do” spirit is being threatened by excessive litigation and
regulation, resulting in a feeling of powerlessness to accomplish anything.
Authority: Yes, as a lawyer. social activist, and writer, Howard is well-equipped to
comment on the subject.
E. Claim of fact
Argument: Despite our wealth and high spending on health care, statistics show
that babies born in the U.S. are less well off than those born in countries like
Greece or Japan.
Authorities: yes
F. Claim of value
Argument: It is wrong—and smugly complacent of us—to assume that the United
States will remain economically superior.
Authority: yes
G. Claim of fact
Argument: Current economic indicators show a discouraging job market, especially
for college graduates.
Authority: Although not an authority in the traditional sense, cartoonists are keen
observers of cultural trends.
Practice Exercise 5
2.
Attending college at a younger age is desirable.
3.
Eating animal products is unhealthy.
4.
Unusual special effects make a movie good.
5.
If a book is popular (or on the New York Times bestseller list), it must be good.
6.
Students will cheat if they think they can get away with it. Students are lazy and will
look for the easy way out.
7.
Students’ test scores are an indication of their teachers’ performance. Teachers
have more influence over their students’ academic performance than their parents
do. Teacher pay should be tied to their students’ test scores.
8.
There is only a very limited pool of qualified candidates from the academic world
who are so good at what they do that they can command any salary they want. A
second assumption: A college president doesn’t have to come from the academic
world.
9.
Consumers aren’t interested in such information. If they are interested, they can do
the research themselves.
10. Cubans aspire to America’s form of democracy.
Practice Exercise 6
A. Argument:
Evidence:
B. Argument:
Evidence:
C. Argument:
Evidence:
D. Argument:
Evidence:
E. Argument:
Evidence:
America pays a high price for its obesity epidemic.
facts and statistics; illustration (personal testimony)
The government is in too dangerous a position to speed up the war
effort.
analogy
America’s use of the death penalty is generally regarded as
uncivilized, especially since the U.S. has the highest population on
death row in the world.
good reasons; examples of opinions about the death penalty from the
E.U., the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, and Amnesty
International.
Congress’s recent corporate tax bill reveals a shocking indifference
to the massive national debt.
analogy
According to one expert, Robert Pape, the only solution to the
ongoing threat of terrorist attacks is to withdraw all American forces
from the Middle East.
definition of term (terrorism); good reasons
F. Argument:
Because of Moammar Gaddafi’s tyrannical rule and his attacks on his
own people as well as because of Libya’s strategic importance,
Obama ordered American warships into the area to help NATO
forces.
Evidence: good reasons
Interpreting Graphs
Pie Chart
1.
This saying most likely comes from horse trainers. You can get more out of a horse
by giving him (or her) a carrot than you can by beating it with a stick.
2.
“What Americans Eat”
3.
The charts compare food consumption in 1978 and 2006, showing that today
Americans eat out more and that they consume more carbohydrates and fats.
4.
The two pie charts depict the percentage of food eaten away from home. To me,
it’s not clear what “not eaten at home” means. The phrase obviously refers to
meals eaten in restaurants, but could it also refer to a sack lunch brought from
home and eaten during a work or class break?
5.
179 more calories per day
6.
The lower part of the chart depicts the percentage increase in consumption of
carbs, fat, and protein. Specifically, Americans eat more carbs, but less fat and
protein, with a greater decrease in fat than in protein.
7.
The charts lead to two inferences: eating out and eating more carbs partially
account for the obesity epidemic.
8.
No, the source is not provided (nor is it provided in the accompanying article).
Bar Graph
1.
The purpose of the two studies was to determine the typical amount of weight the
average student gains during the first year of college and to see if the common
term “Freshman 15” is accurate.
2.
“Freshman 15” refers to the number of pounds the average freshman supposedly
gains during the first year of college.
3.
Students gradually gain weight in both the first two years of college, though they
don’t gain as much weight in their freshman year as previously thought. The
second study overturns the myth of the Freshman 15.
4.
Each block represents one pound of weight gained (light blue for males; dark blue
for females).
5.
Men gained 5.6 pounds, and women gained 3.6; therefore, men gained on average
2 pounds more.
6.
The second graph shows the total amount of weight sophomore students gained.
7.
Men gained 3.9 pounds on average; women, 5.6 pounds.
Students need to pay attention to the information in parentheses—“includes
freshman weight.” Therefore, the second set of figures includes weight gained in
both years, not in the sophomore year alone. It would be easy to misinterpret the
figures and conclude that during the sophomore year students gained more than 9
pounds.
8.
The two sources are included; the dates are not.
9.
Yes, but see below.
10. Both universities are in cold winter climates. If students from colleges in warmer
climates (the South, the West, the Southwest) had been included, the results might
have been different. Students in the Midwest and Northeast are not able to get
outdoors and to exercise as much as students in more temperate climates. It might
make a difference or it might not, but it would be interesting to investigate the
possibility. And don’t most people eat more in the winter, when they’re depressed
by the cold weather?
Practice Exercise 7
1.
The two subjects: (1) Statistics on the likelihood that students at Ohio State use
Facebook and (2) a comparison of GPAs and number of hours students spend
studying per week. The term “likelihood” refers to the percentage of students likely
to use Facebook. The chart does not mean, for example, that 85 percent of
students 18-22 actually use it. Students may need to have this pointed out to them.
2.
Women use Facebook more, but not by a very large margin.
3.
Students between the ages of 18 and 22 are the heaviest users; students over 28
use it less.
4.
Part-time students probably work either part-time or full-time and therefore don’t
have a lot of time to indulge in Facebook.
5.
Students who work less than 15 hours a week are 85 percent more likely to use
Facebook; students who work more than 15 hours a week are only 52 percent
more likely to use the social media website.
6.
The likelihood that students use Facebook increases according to the number of
hours they spend on extracurricular activities per week. For example, students who
spend more than 5 hours a week on such activities are 91 percent likely to use
Facebook, whereas students who spend less than 1 hour a week are only 63
percent likely to use the site. It would be interesting to have students speculate
about why this is so.
7.
The conclusions about GPA are interesting: The difference in GPAs between
Facebook users and non-users is only .5 (3.0-3.5 for users and 3.5-4.0 for nonusers). But see below.
8.
This is the puzzling part: How can Facebook users spend only 1-5 hours studying
a week and still receive grades of 3.0-3.5, whereas students who study 11-15
hours a week do only marginally better? One obvious question is the degree to
which grade inflation is a factor in these statistics. Another is the matter of college
major. Clearly, a student majoring in education doesn’t need to put in as many
hours of study per week as, say, a student majoring in chemistry or engineering
does.
9.
Under “Information,” the names of the researchers, the numbers of students
surveyed and the date the survey was administered are provided.
10. This information calls into question the validity of the study and the need for further
research, as the article title suggests. The data raises more questions than
answers. The Critical Thinking Exercise following this exercise asks students to
come up with better ways to study the relationship between Facebook use and
GPA.
Practice Exercise 8
Questions on the Graphs
A.
Current Marital Status, 1960-2010
1.
The vertical numbers on the right and left sides of the chart are the numbers of
people who fit into each of the four categories. Those figures on the left represent
data from 1960, while those on the right represent data from 2010.
2.
50 years
3.
The graph shows that the number of adults who have never married has increased
from 15 percent in 1960 to 28 percent in 2010. In addition, people are marrying
later in life. In 1960, 72 percent of the population was married, while in 2010, the
percentage has dropped to just over half, 51 percent.
B.
Median Age at First Marriage, 1960-2011
1.
“Median age” does not mean average. Rather, it is determined by taking a large
number, in this case, a large number of people, and finding the number that
represents the mid-point.
2.
The median age when men and women married in 1960 were 22.8 and 20.3,
respectively. The median ages in 2011 were 28.7 and 26.5, respectively.
3.
The data show that the median age of adults’ marrying has gradually increased
over the past fifty years.
C.
Share Currently Married by Age, 1960 and 2010
1.
The dark blue bar represents 1960, and the light blue bar represents 2010.
2.
In 1960, 45 percent of men and women ages 18-24 were married, but in 2010, only
9 percent were married.
3.
Again, the graph shows that men and women are delaying marriage, often into
their thirties, as exhibited in the third set of bars representing ages 35-44.
D.
Do You Want to Get Married?
1.
At the bottom of the pie chart, n = 759 people.
2.
Sixty-one percent said that they want to marry.
Discussion Questions
Answers will vary.
Practice Exercise 9
A.
Answers will vary, but it is clear that the white student yelling at the young black
student symbolizes pure racial hatred. The photograph is meant to arouse
sympathy in us and to represent the injustices of racial segregation.
B.
Answers will vary, but this photograph suggests the power one lone citizen can
exercise even in the face of overwhelming military power and government
repression.
C.
Which photograph better captures the spirit of rebellion is a matter of personal
preference, but there is no denying the evident feeling of national pride that the
young protester embodies. The flags are a symbol of nationhood, and the
protester’s brandishing of them reveals that. Also both photographs show young
people confronting change—and in both Beijing and Cairo, young people were at
the forefront of both pro-democracy protests.
CHAPTER EXERCISES
Selection 1
•
Levine’s background and academic qualifications make him a credible authority to
write on the subject.
•
A three-year degree program would not be successful.
•
a claim of value
•
Reducing the number of years required to get an undergraduate degree appeals to
those who want to reduce college costs. Some academics think it’s desirable to
push students faster through the educational system.
•
•
The evidence is relevant and sufficient. All the reasons pertain to the claim.
historical precedent (paragraph 3); good reasons (paragraphs 5-9, 12); analogy
(paragraphs 10-11)
•
Open question, but to me, Levine does a good job of refuting the proposal by citing
several reasons.
•
Open question
Answers are not provided for the remaining opinion pieces, as these are meant for
discussion. Answers will therefore vary quite a bit.