AWA Argument Deconstruction 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An argument warns: 'If we allow students to use calculators on this test, next they'll want to use computers, and eventually no one will know basic math.' This is an example of:
- Hasty generalization
- Slippery slope (Correct answer)
- Equivocation
- Begging the question
Correct answer: Slippery slope
A slippery slope assumes a chain of increasingly extreme consequences without justification.
Question 2: Which of the following, if true, most weakens: 'Our new training program reduced workplace accidents at Plant X, so it will reduce accidents at all our plants'?
- Plant X had the fewest accidents before the program began (Correct answer)
- The training program was expensive to implement
- Accidents at Plant X rose slightly after the first month
- Plant managers praised the program
Correct answer: Plant X had the fewest accidents before the program began
If Plant X already had fewer accidents, its improvement may not transfer to plants with higher baseline risks.
Question 3: An argument states: 'No studies have proven that this chemical is harmful, therefore it is safe.' The flaw is:
- Ad hominem
- Appeal to ignorance (Correct answer)
- Circular reasoning
- False analogy
Correct answer: Appeal to ignorance
Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence; this is an appeal to ignorance.
Question 4: To properly evaluate whether a statistical trend cited in an AWA argument is meaningful, a reader should first ask:
- Who funded the study?
- Whether the sample size and methodology are adequate (Correct answer)
- Whether the author has a PhD
- How long ago the data was collected
Correct answer: Whether the sample size and methodology are adequate
Statistical claims require scrutiny of sample size and methodology before accepting the trend as reliable.
Question 5: An argument claims that because crime fell after a new police chief was hired, the chief deserves credit. Which additional information would most support this conclusion?
- Crime also fell in neighboring cities without new police chiefs
- The chief had previously worked in a different state
- No other significant changes occurred in the city during that period (Correct answer)
- The city's budget increased that year
Correct answer: No other significant changes occurred in the city during that period
Ruling out confounding changes strengthens the case that the chief's appointment caused the decline.
Question 6: When an AWA argument uses the term 'success' without defining it, the best critique is that:
- The argument is too short
- The argument relies on an ambiguous term that could mean different things (Correct answer)
- Success is impossible to measure
- The argument should use a different word
Correct answer: The argument relies on an ambiguous term that could mean different things
Undefined key terms allow the argument to shift meaning, a form of equivocation.
Question 7: Which structural element is most important to identify first when deconstructing an AWA argument?
- The author's tone
- The conclusion and the evidence offered to support it (Correct answer)
- The length of the argument
- The vocabulary level used
Correct answer: The conclusion and the evidence offered to support it
Identifying the conclusion and its supporting evidence is the foundation of evaluating any argument.
AWA Argument Deconstruction 3
An argument warns: 'If we allow students to use calculators on this test, next they'll want to use computers, and eventually no one will know basic math.' This is an example of: