Using Questions to Understand and Evaluate Arguments

1
Using Questions to Understand and Evaluate
Arguments

• Hint These will be on your final exam

2
To locate the major claim

• What is it that the writer wants his/her readers
  to understand, believe, or do after they read the
  essay that they might not understand, believe, or
  do without reading the essay?
• The answer to this question should be worded as a
  complete sentence.
• The answer should finish the sentence Author X
  argues that

3
To locate the support.

• What reasons does the writer offer to readers to
  make them believe that the claim represents a
  logical, reasonable way of thinking?
• Or
• The writer says his claim in true because..

4
To locate the evidence.

• What specific facts, data, examples, information,
  and sources does the writer offer to substantiate
  and support the reasons given?
• Or.
• What specific facts, data, examples, information,
  and sources does the writer offer to make readers
  see clearly that his/her claim and support are
  grounded in reality?

5
To evaluate the arguments persuasive power

• Is it likely that an intelligent, reasonable
  reader will find the argument
• Worth further consideration and contemplation?
• Worth embracing and believing or acting on?
• Suspicious?
• Off putting?
• Baseless?
• Etc.

6
To evaluate the arguments effectiveness.

• What aspects of the essay are likely to compel
  readers to read the essay with an open mind and
  thoughtfully consider the legitimacy of the
  claim? (think of things like tone, diction,
  logic, evidence, examples, detail, etc.)
• What aspects of the essay are its greatest
  strengths? In other words, what will likely help
  persuade readers to believe the thesis is true?
• What aspects of the essay re its greatest
  weaknesses? In other words, what will likely
  help dissuade readers from accepting the thesis?