CHAPTER 7: SUPPORT: EVIDENCE
The next three chapters deal with the three kinds of support provided for most arguments: evidence,
values, and credibility. Evidence requires the most attention. It is not more important than values or
credibility in securing adherence, but values and credibility are usually easier for students to understand.
Evidence also is the form of support that requires the most work on the part of the student.
1. Make a specific appointment and let the person know in advance what you are after.
2. Prepare specific questions in advance.
3. Try to be as specific as you can in your questions.
These guidelines will usually be all the instruction you need to give.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. Support derived from experience or outside authority such as specific instances, statistics, and
testimony
is called
2. Giving examples and illustrations to support an argument is part of this kind of support:
3. One of the most compelling and common forms of specific instances is
4. A kind of specific instance which is used where real examples are not available is called
5. Support derived through the numerical compacting of specific instances is called
6. The two types of testimony, when used as support, are
7. In judging whether specific instances are representative, you should consider the extent to which
8. In citing specific instances as support for an argument
9. The use of evidence in supporting arguments
10. Hearsay evidence
ESSAY QUESTIONS
1. Define support and give its role in argumentation.
2. Define evidence.
EXERCISES/PROJECTS
1. Participate in a campaign for a local initiative. Prepare a set of short argumentative speeches for the
campaign. In each speech, state a single claim and support it with specific instances, statistics, and
2. Carefully observe about ten television or web commercials. To what extent do they use support as we
have discussed in this chapter? Are there differences among commercials? Which are more convincing to