Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 1 Understanding Argument Structure, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.
A student council argues that it should add more recycling bins. Its report says that custodians collected 18 bags of recyclable material from classroom trash cans last week. Which part of the argument is the report about the 18 bags?
The conclusion, because it recommends an action
The evidence, because it reports recorded information
The assumption, because it connects a reason to a claim
The reason, because it explains why the action is needed
True or false: A conclusion is a claim in the role of the point an argument's reasons and evidence are meant to establish.
True
False
To find a main conclusion even when there is no indicator word, ask what the author most wants you to or do.
In the Toulmin model, what is the unstated idea that connects a reason or evidence to the claim it supports called?
Two premises only support a recommendation when considered together; neither premise is enough on its own. How should an argument map represent this relationship?
Draw each premise as independent support, even if neither helps without the other
Show the premises working together to support the point they jointly support
Remove one premise, since a map can contain only one supporting point
Point the arrows from the conclusion toward the premises
True or false: A reason may itself be a claim and may therefore need evidence.
True
False
When analyzing an argument, separate evidence that reports information from the of that information.
In a longer argument, what is an intermediate conclusion?
A statement that cannot be used to support anything else
A piece of evidence that is never a claim
A supported point that is then used to help establish a further conclusion
An unstated idea that connects evidence to a reason
When building an argument map, which practices help represent the argument's structure accurately? Select all that apply.
Show supporting points as separate branches or steps where appropriate
Use arrows to show which statement supports which other statement
Make every premise support the main conclusion independently
Use the map itself as proof that the argument is sound
Which questions can help evaluate the links in an argument? Select all that apply.
Check whether each reason is relevant to the claim it supports
Check whether the evidence is adequate for the claim
Check whether important assumptions are reasonable
Treat a clear map as proof that the argument is sound
What is the term for a smaller claim that helps establish another claim?
An argument cites a collection of observations as evidence. Which consideration is most relevant when deciding whether that evidence is convincing?
Whether the evidence uses the same vocabulary as the conclusion
Whether the evidence is relevant and reliable
Whether the evidence appears before the conclusion in the argument
Whether the evidence is a recommendation
True or false: In an argument map, arrows should point from a conclusion toward the evidence that supports it.
True
False
A school committee argues: “The school should provide a quiet study room after classes. A survey found that 46 students do not have a quiet place to work after school. These students need a suitable place to study. The school has an unused room that could be opened for this purpose.” Identify the main claim, the evidence, the reason or intermediate claim, and an important assumption connecting the reason to the recommendation. Then describe how you would map their support and name one way to check the argument's strength.
A neighborhood council argues that the community center should stay open later. It notes that residents need a place to meet in the evening and that a sign-in count recorded 38 visitors after 5 p.m. last month. Which statement is evidence?
The community center should stay open later.
A sign-in count recorded 38 visitors after 5 p.m. last month.
Residents need a place to meet in the evening.
If residents need evening meeting space, the center should remain open later.
A school argument says several classrooms are often full during lunch and students have asked for more places to work. It ends by recommending that the school open an additional study room at lunch. Which statement is the main conclusion?
Several classrooms are often full during lunch.
Students have asked for more places to work.
The school should open an additional study room at lunch.
A student survey collected responses last week.
In the library-hours argument, the statement “Students need a place to study after classes” helps support the recommendation to keep the library open later. What argument role does this statement play?
A committee argues that a proposed after-school program will be accessible to students because it is free and because it runs immediately after classes, when students are already on campus. In its argument map, how should these two reasons be represented if neither alone is enough to establish accessibility?
Draw two separate arrows from each fact to the conclusion because each is independent support.
Show the two premises working together to support the conclusion.
Treat the conclusion as evidence for both premises.
Leave out one premise because only one statement can support a conclusion.
An argument reports that many residents use a service, interprets this as evidence of demand, and then recommends expanding the service. Which map structure best represents the support?
Draw arrows from the supporting information to the intermediate claim, then from that claim to the final recommendation.
Draw an arrow from the final recommendation back to the information reported.
Connect every statement to every other statement without showing support direction.
Place the intermediate claim outside the map because only the final conclusion belongs in it.
In the Toulmin model, what is the term for the unstated idea that connects a reason or piece of evidence to the claim it is meant to support?