Recognizing A Good Argument Practice

Review the lesson for Recognizing A Good Argumen Help.

Recognizing A Good Argument Practice

Practice Exercise: Major and Minor Supporting Premises

1. Take the following argument and make it substantial. Provide more evidence by adding major and minor supporting premises:

Vending machines stocked with soda or candy should be removed from all public schools. They should be replaced with foods that are healthier choices.

Stronger argument:

Practice Exercise: Counterarguments

The vending machine argument is reprinted below. Play devil's advocate and make a list of counterarguments. Then rewrite the argument to make it stronger.

Vending machines stocked with soda or candy should be removed from all public schools. The majority of these foods contribute nothing to a child's daily nutrition and often only provide empty calories and high amounts of sugar and sodium. According to numerous health sources, obesity rates in children have doubled in the last 20 years. Vending machines contribute to this problem. They should be replaced with foods that are healthier choices. Replacing juices and soda with water and candy and pastries with fruits and vegetables is an excellent way to encourage students to choose better snacks. Currently, there is legislation being presented to Congress that may give the USDA more authority to set standards for any food or beverage sold on school property.

2. Counterarguments:
3. Revised argument:

Answers

Answers: Major and Minor Supporting Premises

1. Your answer will vary depending upon what premises you chose to support this argument. At any rate, your argument should be significantly longer than the first version. Here's one revision that provides several major and minor premises to support the conclusion. The major premises are in bold.

Vending machines stocked with soda or candy should be removed from all public schools. The majority of these foods contribute nothing to a child's daily nutrition and often only provide empty calories and high amounts of sugar and sodium. According to numerous health sources, obesity rates in children have doubled in the last 20 years. Vending machines contribute to this problem. They should be replaced with foods that are healthier choices. Replacing juices and soda with water and candy and pastries with fruits and vegetables is an excellent way to encourage students to choose better snacks. Currently, there is legislation being presented to Congress that may give the USDA more authority to set standards for any food or beverage sold on school property.

Answers: Counterarguments

Your counterarguments might look something like the following:

1. Sometimes the choices in the vending machines are healthy choices such as granola, yogurt or sugar-free juice.
2. Obesity rates have gone up but there are many other reasons than the occasional vending machine snack.
3. Replacing the snacks just means that some kids are going to buy their soda and candy from other sources.

Your revised argument depends upon your counterarguments. Here's how the counter arguments might be incorporated. The sentences that address counterarguments are in bold.

Vending machines stocked with soda or candy should be removed from all public schools. While some of the choices in the machines are healthy, such as granola, yogurt or sugar-free juice, the majority of them contribute nothing to a child's daily nutrition and often only provide empty calories and high amounts of sugar and sodium. According to numerous health sources, obesity rates in children have doubled in the last 20 years. Even though vending machines are not the only source of this problem, they should be replaced with foods that are healthier choices. Although some students will buy their soda and candy from other sources, replacing these items with fruits and vegetables is still an excellent way to encourage students to choose better snacks. Currently, there is legislation being presented to Congress that may give the USDA more authority to set standards for any food or beverage sold on school property.