题目
In surveys Mason City residents rank water sports (swimming, boating, and
fishing) among their favorite recreational activities. The Mason River flowing
through the city is rarely used for these pursuits, however, and the city park
department devotes little of its budget to maintaining riverside recreational
facilities. For years there have been complaints from residents about the
quality of the river's water and the river's smell. In response, the state has
recently announced plans to clean up Mason River. Use of the river for water
sports is, therefore, sure to increase. The city government should for that
reason devote more money in this year's budget to riverside recreational
facilities.
Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated
assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on
these assumptions and what the implications are for the argument if the
assumptions prove unwarranted.
题目
The following memorandum is from the business manager of Happy Pancake
House restaurants.
"Recently, butter has been replaced by margarine in Happy Pancake House
restaurants throughout the southwestern United States. This change, however, has
had little impact on our customers. In fact, only about 2 percent of customers
have complained, indicating that an average of 98 people out of 100 are happy
with the change. Furthermore, many servers have reported that a number of
customers who ask for butter do not complain when they are given margarine
instead. Clearly, either these customers do not distinguish butter from
margarine or they use the term 'butter' to refer to either butter or
margarine."
Write a response in which you discuss one or more alternative explanations
that could rival the proposed explanation and explain how your explanation(s)
can plausibly account for the facts presented in the argument.
题目
The council of Maple County, concerned about the county's becoming
overdeveloped, is debating a proposed measure that would prevent the development
of existing farmland in the county. But the council is also concerned that such
a restriction, by limiting the supply of new housing, could lead to significant
increases in the price of housing in the county. Proponents of the measure note
that Chestnut County established a similar measure ten years ago, and its
housing prices have increased only modestly since. However, opponents of the
measure note that Pine County adopted restrictions on the development of new
residential housing fifteen years ago, and its housing prices have since more
than doubled. The council currently predicts that the proposed measure, if
passed, will result in a significant increase in housing prices in Maple
County.
Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be
answered in order to decide whether the prediction and the argument on which it
is based are reasonable. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions
would help to evaluate the prediction.
题目
According to a recent report, cheating among college and university
students is on the rise. However, Groveton College has successfully reduced
student cheating by adopting an honor code, which calls for students to agree
not to cheat in their academic endeavors and to notify a faculty member if they
suspect that others have cheated. Groveton's honor code replaced a system in
which teachers closely monitored students; under that system, teachers reported
an average of thirty cases of cheating per year. In the first year the honor
code was in place, students reported twenty-one cases of cheating; five years
later, this figure had dropped to fourteen. Moreover, in a recent survey, a
majority of Groveton students said that they would be less likely to cheat with
an honor code in place than without. Thus, all colleges and universities should
adopt honor codes similar to Groveton's in order to decrease cheating among
students.
Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be
answered in order to decide whether the recommendation and the argument on which
it is based are reasonable. Be sure to explain how the answers to these
questions would help to evaluate the recommendation.
题目
The following appeared as part of a letter to the editor of a scientific
journal.
"A recent study of eighteen rhesus monkeys provides clues as to the effects
of birth order on an individual's levels of stimulation. The study showed that
in stimulating situations (such as an encounter with an unfamiliar monkey),
firstborn infant monkeys produce up to twice as much of the hormone cortisol,
which primes the body for increased activity levels, as do their younger
siblings. Firstborn humans also produce relatively high levels of cortisol in
stimulating situations (such as the return of a parent after an absence). The
study also found that during pregnancy, first-time mother monkeys had higher
levels of cortisol than did those who had had several offspring."
Write a response in which you discuss one or more alternative explanations
that could rival the proposed explanation and explain how your explanation(s)
can plausibly account for the facts presented in the argument.
题目
The following appeared as a recommendation by a committee planning a
ten-year budget for the city of Calatrava.
"The birthrate in our city is declining: in fact, last year's birthrate was
only one-half that of five years ago. Thus the number of students enrolled in
our public schools will soon decrease dramatically, and we can safely reduce the
funds budgeted for education during the next decade. At the same time, we can
reduce funding for athletic playing fields and other recreational facilities. As
a result, we will have sufficient money to fund city facilities and programs
used primarily by adults, since we can expect the adult population of the city
to increase."
Write a response in which you discuss what specific evidence is needed to
evaluate the argument and explain how the evidence would weaken or strengthen
the argument.
题目
The following appeared in a letter to the editor of a journal on
environmental issues.
"Over the past year, the Crust Copper Company (CCC) has purchased over
10,000 square miles of land in the tropical nation of West Fredonia. Mining
copper on this land will inevitably result in pollution and, since West Fredonia
is the home of several endangered animal species, in environmental disaster. But
such disasters can be prevented if consumers simply refuse to purchase products
that are made with CCC's copper unless the company abandons its mining
plans."
Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated
assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on
these assumptions and what the implications are for the argument if the
assumptions prove unwarranted.
题目
The following appeared in an editorial in a local newspaper.
"Commuters complain that increased rush-hour traffic on Blue Highway
between the suburbs and the city center has doubled their commuting time. The
favored proposal of the motorists' lobby is to widen the highway, adding an
additional lane of traffic. Opponents note that last year's addition of a lane
to the nearby Green Highway was followed by a worsening of traffic jams on it.
Their suggested alternative proposal is adding a bicycle lane to Blue Highway.
Many area residents are keen bicyclists. A bicycle lane would encourage them to
use bicycles to commute, it is argued, thereby reducing rush-hour traffic."
Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be
answered in order to decide whether the recommendation and the argument on which
it is based are reasonable. Be sure to explain how the answers to these
questions would help to evaluate the recommendation.
题目
The following appeared in the summary of a study on headaches suffered by
the residents of Mentia.
"Salicylates are members of the same chemical family as aspirin, a medicine
used to treat headaches. Although many foods are naturally rich in salicylates,
for the past several decades, food-processing companies have also been adding
salicylates to foods as preservatives. This rise in the commercial use of
salicylates has been found to correlate with a steady decline in the average
number of headaches reported by participants in our twenty-year study. Recently,
food-processing companies have found that salicylates can also be used as flavor
additives for foods. With this new use for salicylates, we can expect a
continued steady decline in the number of headaches suffered by the average
citizen of Mentia."
Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated
assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on
these assumptions and what the implications are for the argument if the
assumptions prove unwarranted.
题目
The following appeared as a letter to the editor from a Central Plaza store
owner.
"Over the past two years, the number of shoppers in Central Plaza has been
steadily decreasing while the popularity of skateboarding has increased
dramatically. Many Central Plaza store owners believe that the decrease in their
business is due to the number of skateboard users in the plaza. There has also
been a dramatic increase in the amount of litter and vandalism throughout the
plaza. Thus, we recommend that the city prohibit skateboarding in Central Plaza.
If skateboarding is prohibited here, we predict that business in Central Plaza
will return to its previously high levels."
Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be
answered in order to decide whether the recommendation is likely to have the
predicted result. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would
help to evaluate the recommendation.
