CATA 335 - McGaan

Practice Exercises 3

Label or create the grounds, claim and warrant for each of the following arguments. You may have to infer some parts of the argument. (Make your choice of warrant as general as you can for the example given.) Identify the claim as fact, value, or policy.

1. [w.] Students need to develop "survival strategies" in an ever more competitive college and post-graduation world.

[gr.]  You are a student

[cl.]  You need to develop "survival strategies."  POLICY

2. [cl.] Students ought to choose strategies involving improved study skills and better time management. POLICY    [gr.]  Strong study skills and good time management lead to success in life.

[w.] Students should do those things that lead to success in later life.

3. [cl.] Too often, students select strategies involving academic dishonesty as a way to "compete." FACT

[gr.] Students DO sometimes cheat.  [w.] Any cheating is too much.

4. [w.] Cheating is the choice of students with relatively low self-esteem who wish to avoid the risk of failure.

[gr.]  Mary Jane cheated.   [cl.]   Mary Jane has low self-esteem.  FACT

5. [cl.] Colleges need to develop comprehensive programs aimed at reducing the problem of cheating. POLICY    [gr.]  Cheating undermines the educational quality of the institutions where it occurs.

[w.]  Colleges should do all they can to maintain and improve the educational quality of their programs.

6. [w.] One of the consequences of repeated cheating is that the cheater becomes less capable of competing in the world of work after graduation.

[gr.]  Alice has been repeatedly cheating in most of her classes.

[cl.]  Alice is likely to do poorly when she graduates and gets a job.  FACT.

Last updated 9/7/20005