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Chapter 3
Clear Thinking, Critical Thinking, and Clear
Writing
The material here is important, but it’s fun too. Students seem to like working with it, and they
seem to have very little trouble understanding it. This provides a sense of accomplishment and
satisfaction that many of them need to have the confidence required to tackle more difficult
material found elsewhere in the book. Professor Donald Henderson first pointed out how
discussions of ambiguity can help students appreciate the value of critical-thinking skills before
they’ve learned more complicated techniques.
Chapter Recap
This list summarizes the topics covered in this chapter:
• Clarity of language is extremely important to the ability to think critically.
• Some “definitions” are used not to clarify meaning but to express or influence attitude.
This is known as the rhetorical use of definition.
• The rhetorical use of definitions accomplishes its ends by means of the rhetorical force
(emotive meaning) of terms.
• Critical thinking done on paper is known as an argumentative essay, a type of writing
worth mastering.
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13. This claim is ambiguous. Presumably the prostitutes issued an appeal to the mayor, but
lately there have been some male city officials who have gotten into trouble because
certain women appealed (i.e., held an attraction) to them.
Exercise 3-3
10. ▲a
11. Answer a suffers less.
Exercise 3-4
1. ▲“Piano” is defined analytically.
2. “Decaffeinated” is defined by synonym.
3. “Successful philosophy major” is defined by example.
10. “Red” is defined analytically.
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Education.
important here, and the phrase is a bit too vague, at least for inexperienced gardeners. “When the
nights begin cooling off” is too vague even if precision in timing isn’t terribly important.
Exercise 3-8
1. ▲The Raider tackle blocked the Giants linebacker.
2. Please close the door after you come in (or go out).
3. We heard that he wrote you a letter informing you of what he said.
13. ▲Second sentence: More than one disease can be carried and passed along to humans by a
23. “Two million Americans every day love to eat, etc.”
24. “New York’s first commercial human sperm-bank opened Friday with semen samples from
18 men; the samples were frozen in a stainless steel tank.”
25. ▲When she lay down to nap, she was disturbed by a noisy cow.
26. “…and don’t lie down for at least three hours after eating.”
