CHAPTER 5
HOW IS A UNIT OF ARGUMENT CREATED?
True or False
5-1 Claims begin the process of argument by identifying the stand being taken.
5-2 Claims end the process of argument by stating what the listener or reader is expected
5-3 A claim may offer a conclusion about a fact, definition, value, or policy.
5-4 “It is morally wrong to sell grain to China,” is a factual claim.
5-5 Factual claims are, in principle, directly verifiable or provable by direct recourse to
the proof which supports them.
5-6 “The United States will continue to sell grain to China,” is a factual claim.
5-7 “For the bookstore to pay students less that the wholesale value for a used textbook
is an outrage,” is an example of a factual claim.
5-8 “The bookstore typically pays students about 40% of the wholesale value of a used
textbook,” is an example of a factual claim.
5-9 “The wholesale value of a used textbook is the price per copy that the bookstore pays
the wholesale provider before adding its own amount to the retail price charged to
students,” is an example of a definitional claim.
5-10 “The bookstore should pay students the wholesale value for a used textbook,” is an
example of a factual claim.
5-11 Claims may be stated as compound sentences in order to make argumentation more
economical
5-12 “The United States should not sell grain to China,” is a factual claim.
5-13 The grounds are that portion of the argument which requires further proof before
the listener is willing to accept it as verified.
5-14 The information used to ground claims needs to be evaluated for reliability, quality,
consistency, and audience acceptability.
5-15 The warrant is the conclusion which the listener does not want to accept or assume,
but toward which we attempt to move his thoughts and beliefs through argumentation.
5-16 The reasoning process in a unit of argument is moving from grounds, through the
warrant, to proving the claim statement.
5-17 The backing provides the mental leap from grounds to claim.
5-18 The secondary triad in the Toulmin Model of argument, backing, qualifier, and
rebuttal, show an argument’s strength or force.
5-19 Rebuttal phrases show the degree of force which the arguer believes his claim
possesses.
5-20 Qualifier phrases show the degree of force which the arguer believes his claim
possesses.
Multiple Choice
5-1 “A nuclear waste dump would benefit the local economy,” is a
(a) factual claim.
(b) definitional claim.
(c) value claim.
(d) policy claim.
5-2 What can a factual claim make and assertion about?
(a) That which has existed in the past.
(b) That which exists at present.
(c) That which will exist in the future.
5-3 “Unemployment is harmful” is
(a) a factual claim.
(b) an unqualified factual claim.
(c) a value claim.
(d) an unqualified value claim.
5-4 “The lakeshore condominium project will benefit the local economy,” is
(a) a value claim.
(b) a simple claim statement.
(c) an unqualified claim.
(d) all of the above.
5-5 “Unemployment is harmful” is a
(a) simple claim.
(b) compound claim.
(c) complex claim.
(d) compound-complex claim.
5-6 In general, the evidence used to ground your arguments can be tested by determining
whether or not it
A. is of sufficient quality.
B. will be understandable to your audience.
C. is representative of the available information.
5-7 The __________ provides specific information about how the arguer reasons.
(a) claim
(b) grounds
(c) warrant
5-8 “The lakeshore condominium project will offer potential buyers a variety of options,
but it may be too expensive for most potential home buyers in the Marquette area,” is
(a) a policy claim
(b) a simple claim statement
(c) a qualified claim statement
(d) all of the above
5-9 The reliability of the warrant is established by the __________ in the argument.
(a) grounds
(b) backing
(c) claim
(d) rebuttal
5-10 “Because unemployment nationally is running at a lower level than it is here”
functions as
(a) grounds.
(b) warrant.
(c) backing.
5-11 “The State Employment Security Commission has said that the local unemployment
rate is 11.5%” functions as
(a) grounds.
(b) warrant.
(c) backing.
(d) claim.
5-12 “The U.S. Department of Labor announced an 8.5% national rate of
unemployment” functions as
(a) grounds.
(b) warrant.
(c) backing.
(d) claim.
5-13 “This is an unsatisfactory place to live” functions as
(a) grounds.
(b) warrant.
(c) backing.
(d) claim.
5-14 “The plan calls for widening Lakeshore Drive to four lanes, putting up six high-rise
buildings, and building a four-foot wall around the complex,” functions as which part of
this unit of argument?
(a) grounds
(b) backing
(c) warrant
5-15 “The lakeshore condominium project will threaten the ecology of the shoreline,”
functions as which part of this unit of argument?
(a) grounds
(b) backing
(c) warrant
(d) claim
5-16 “When there is a major construction project along a shoreline, the plant and animal
life are harmed,” functions as which part of this unit of argument?
(a) grounds
(b) backing
(c) warrant
5-17 “Look what happened when a similar project was built in Duluth—water fowl lost
their nesting places and the grasses that hold the shoreline were uprooted by construction
equipment,” functions as which part of this unit of argument?
(a) grounds
(b) backing
(c) warrant
(d) claim
Read the following argument and then answer multiple choice items 18-20.
There is every reason to believe that the concussion crisis in NFL football will get worse.
The speed and size of professional athletes have made American football more
5-18 “The speed and size of professional athletes have made American football more
dangerous. Offensive linemen now average nearly 315 pounds—65 more pounds than
they did 30 years ago. They launch that weight from a three-point stance, headfirst, at
opposing linemen of nearly the same size” functions as which part of this unit of
argument?
(a) claim
(b) warrant
(c) grounds
(d) backing
5-19 The statement by Dr. Ann McKee that concludes the argument functions as which
part of this unit of argument?
(a) claim
(b) warrant
(c) grounds
(d) backing
5-20 The opening sentence, “there is every reason to believe that the concussion crisis in
NFL football will get worse,” functions a which part of this unit of argument?
(a) claim
(b) warrant
(c) grounds
(d) backing