Deck 12: Arguing

Question 1

Read the following paragraphs and answer the questions after each paragraph.
The United States has not made a mistake by admitting millions of immigrants since the law was changed in 1965. Indeed, America's liberal immigration policy is one of our proudest public accomplishments. But America's liberal immigration policy is more likely to find continued acceptance among most Americans and keep the nativists at bay if the immigration preference system is changed to assure a fairer and more nationally diverse pool of immigrants. So let's not turn our backs on one of the most successful American ideas. Let's get it right.
-Peter Salins

-What is the paragraph's topic sentence? Does Salins state his opinion about a certain issue? Is this opinion debatable?

Answer 1

"The United States has not made a mistake by admitting millions of immigrants since the law was changed in 1965." Salins' position is stated, and it is debatable.

Question 2

Read the following paragraphs and answer the questions after each paragraph.
The United States has not made a mistake by admitting millions of immigrants since the law was changed in 1965. Indeed, America's liberal immigration policy is one of our proudest public accomplishments. But America's liberal immigration policy is more likely to find continued acceptance among most Americans and keep the nativists at bay if the immigration preference system is changed to assure a fairer and more nationally diverse pool of immigrants. So let's not turn our backs on one of the most successful American ideas. Let's get it right.
-Peter Salins

-Whom do you think the author is addressing in this paragraph? How did you come to this conclusion?

Answer 2

The author is probably addressing people who oppose immigration.

Question 3

Read the following paragraphs and answer the questions after each paragraph.
The United States has not made a mistake by admitting millions of immigrants since the law was changed in 1965. Indeed, America's liberal immigration policy is one of our proudest public accomplishments. But America's liberal immigration policy is more likely to find continued acceptance among most Americans and keep the nativists at bay if the immigration preference system is changed to assure a fairer and more nationally diverse pool of immigrants. So let's not turn our backs on one of the most successful American ideas. Let's get it right.
-Peter Salins

-What evidence does the paragraph provide to support the topic sentence? How would you classify it?

Answer 3

Question 4

Read the following paragraphs and answer the questions after each paragraph.
The United States has not made a mistake by admitting millions of immigrants since the law was changed in 1965. Indeed, America's liberal immigration policy is one of our proudest public accomplishments. But America's liberal immigration policy is more likely to find continued acceptance among most Americans and keep the nativists at bay if the immigration preference system is changed to assure a fairer and more nationally diverse pool of immigrants. So let's not turn our backs on one of the most successful American ideas. Let's get it right.
-Peter Salins
-How is the evidence in this paragraph organized: general to particular, particular to general, from one extreme to another? ______________________________________

Question 5

Television does not satisfy, or else why would the viewer continue to watch hour after hour, day after day? "The measure of health," writes Lawrence Kubie, "is flexibility… and especially the freedom to cease when sated." But the television viewer can never be sated with his television experiences-they do not provide the true nourishment that satiation requires-and thus he finds that he cannot stop watching.
-Marie Winn

-What is the paragraph's topic sentence? Does Winn state her opinion about a certain issue? Is this opinion debatable?

Question 6

Television does not satisfy, or else why would the viewer continue to watch hour after hour, day after day? "The measure of health," writes Lawrence Kubie, "is flexibility… and especially the freedom to cease when sated." But the television viewer can never be sated with his television experiences-they do not provide the true nourishment that satiation requires-and thus he finds that he cannot stop watching.
-Marie Winn

-Whom do you think the author is addressing in this paragraph? How did you come to this conclusion?

Question 7

Television does not satisfy, or else why would the viewer continue to watch hour after hour, day after day? "The measure of health," writes Lawrence Kubie, "is flexibility… and especially the freedom to cease when sated." But the television viewer can never be sated with his television experiences-they do not provide the true nourishment that satiation requires-and thus he finds that he cannot stop watching.
-Marie Winn

-What evidence does the paragraph provide to support the topic sentence? How would you classify it?

Question 8

Television does not satisfy, or else why would the viewer continue to watch hour after hour, day after day? "The measure of health," writes Lawrence Kubie, "is flexibility… and especially the freedom to cease when sated." But the television viewer can never be sated with his television experiences-they do not provide the true nourishment that satiation requires-and thus he finds that he cannot stop watching.
-Marie Winn
-How is the evidence in this paragraph organized: general to particular, particular to general, from one extreme to another?

Question 9

The tragic plight of our children clearly reveals our deep disregard for public well-being. About one out of every five children in this country lives in poverty, including one out of every two black children and two out of every five Hispanic children. Most of our children-neglected by overburdened parents and bombarded by the market values of profit-hungry corporations-are ill-equipped to live lives of spiritual and cultural quality. Faced with these facts, how do we expect ever to constitute a vibrant society?
One essential step is some form of large-scale public intervention to ensure access to basic social goods-housing, food, health care, education, child care, and jobs. We must invigorate the common good with a mixture of government, business, and labor that does not follow any existing blueprint. After a period in which the private sphere has been sacralized and the public square gutted, the temptation is to make a fetish of the public square. We need to resist such dogmatic swings.
-Cornell West

-What is each paragraph's topic sentence? Does West state his opinion about a certain issue? Is this opinion debatable?

Question 10

The tragic plight of our children clearly reveals our deep disregard for public well-being. About one out of every five children in this country lives in poverty, including one out of every two black children and two out of every five Hispanic children. Most of our children-neglected by overburdened parents and bombarded by the market values of profit-hungry corporations-are ill-equipped to live lives of spiritual and cultural quality. Faced with these facts, how do we expect ever to constitute a vibrant society?
One essential step is some form of large-scale public intervention to ensure access to basic social goods-housing, food, health care, education, child care, and jobs. We must invigorate the common good with a mixture of government, business, and labor that does not follow any existing blueprint. After a period in which the private sphere has been sacralized and the public square gutted, the temptation is to make a fetish of the public square. We need to resist such dogmatic swings.
-Cornell West

-Whom do you think the author is addressing in this paragraph? How did you come to this conclusion?

Question 11

The tragic plight of our children clearly reveals our deep disregard for public well-being. About one out of every five children in this country lives in poverty, including one out of every two black children and two out of every five Hispanic children. Most of our children-neglected by overburdened parents and bombarded by the market values of profit-hungry corporations-are ill-equipped to live lives of spiritual and cultural quality. Faced with these facts, how do we expect ever to constitute a vibrant society?
One essential step is some form of large-scale public intervention to ensure access to basic social goods-housing, food, health care, education, child care, and jobs. We must invigorate the common good with a mixture of government, business, and labor that does not follow any existing blueprint. After a period in which the private sphere has been sacralized and the public square gutted, the temptation is to make a fetish of the public square. We need to resist such dogmatic swings.
-Cornell West

-What evidence do the paragraphs provide to support their topic sentences? How would you classify it?

Question 12

The tragic plight of our children clearly reveals our deep disregard for public well-being. About one out of every five children in this country lives in poverty, including one out of every two black children and two out of every five Hispanic children. Most of our children-neglected by overburdened parents and bombarded by the market values of profit-hungry corporations-are ill-equipped to live lives of spiritual and cultural quality. Faced with these facts, how do we expect ever to constitute a vibrant society?
One essential step is some form of large-scale public intervention to ensure access to basic social goods-housing, food, health care, education, child care, and jobs. We must invigorate the common good with a mixture of government, business, and labor that does not follow any existing blueprint. After a period in which the private sphere has been sacralized and the public square gutted, the temptation is to make a fetish of the public square. We need to resist such dogmatic swings.
-Cornell West
-How is the evidence in this paragraph organized: general to particular, particular to general, from one extreme to another?

Question 13

What is the purpose of arguing?

A) to start a fight
B) to emphatically make a point or express an opinion
C) to persuade your reader of your point or opinion
D) to make sure you get to state your opinion

Question 14

Why are arguing and persuading so closely related?

A) A good argument is persuasive.
B) Arguing is the same thing as persuading.
C) The act of persuading leads to good arguing.
D) You have to persuade in order to argue.

Question 15

What does the topic sentence of an argument paragraph do?

A) It introduces the topic and persuades your reader of your opinion.
B) It persuades your reader of your opinion.
C) It states your opinion on your topic or issue.
D) It states the opinion of others on your topic or issue.

Question 16

Why should you find out as much as you can about your audience before you write?

A) Knowing your audience will determine what support you will choose to use.
B) Knowing your audience's tastes will help you write a more convincing paper.
C) Knowing your audience will determine which side of your issue or topic you will take.
D) Knowing your audience will determine what types of topics you can discuss and what types you cannot discuss.

Question 17

What is the most important ingredient for an effective argument paragraph?

A) evidence
B) honesty
C) a good vocabulary
D) harsh judgments

Question 18

The following statement is what type of evidence?
"I have been looking for a job as a pharmacist for three years, but due to the lack of opportunities in this city, I have found work only in fast food restaurants and grocery stores."

A) fact
B) statement from an authority
C) illogical
D) personal story

Question 19

What will determine how you organize your evidence so that it supports your argument as effectively as possible?

A) the number of your examples
B) the strength of your evidence
C) the number of statistics you use
D) the opinions of your audience

Question 20

To persuade readers who probably do not agree with you, you should organize your paper

A) spatially.
B) from most to least important.
C) chronologically.
D) from least to most important.

Question 21

How does organizing from general to particular affect Marie Winn's argument in her paragraph about addiction of TV watching?

A) By establishing general claims for general terms, Winn is able to apply those general claims to particular terms. Like other addictions, TV watching induces a passive mental state. People overestimate the control they have over TV watching. People remain unable to resume other activities. So, TV watching is an addiction.
B) Winn's argument is difficult to follow because it is organized from general to particular.
C) The discussion in general terms is an effective introduction to the important particular topic.
D) It makes her argument less persuasive.

Question 22

What is the purpose of Winn's paragraph about TV watching?

A) to show how TV watching could be a positive experience
B) to argue that people have control over television watching
C) to convince the general public TV watching is an addiction
D) to criticize people for ignoring their responsibilities

Question 23

The purpose of arguing is to ______________ your readers to take some action or to think or feel a certain way.

Question 24

_______________ is the most important ingredient in an argument.

Question 25

You want to find out as much as you can about your _______________ before you write.

Question 26

You can use one or more types of ______________ in any argument paragraph.

Question 27

Your ____________ depends a great deal upon the opinions of your ________________.

Question 28

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-Solitary confinement can be psychologically damaging for any inmate, but it is especially perverse when it is used to discipline children and teenagers.

A) corrupt
B) inappropriate
C) necessary
D) harmful

Question 29

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-Solitary confinement is used to punish misbehavior, to protect vulnerable detainees or to isolate someone who may be violent or suicidal.

A) clients
B) troublemakers
C) inmates
D) children

Question 30

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-One girl who spent four months in solitary confinement in a county jail at 16, ostensibly to be protected from adults there, told me that solitary was "a dark place."

A) obviously
B) unfortunately
C) unknowingly
D) apparently

Question 31

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-A vast majority of children subjected to solitary confinement are in state facilities (where tens of thousands of children are held) and it will be up to each state to initiate reform.

A) protect
B) begin
C) decide
D) write

Question 32

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-New York has led the way on the latter by pledging to end solitary for 16- and 17-year-olds held as adults in its prisons and in jail at Rikers Island.

A) promising
B) supporting
C) competing
D) cooperating with

Question 33

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-The federal government already prohibits the detention of juveniles with adults in federal prisons (a rule that states should emulate ).

A) weaken
B) develop
C) praise
D) copy

Question 34

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-The Annie E. Casey Foundation recently revised its inspection standards, calling for isolation to be used only for children who posed an immediate risk to themselves or others.

A) protected
B) organized
C) updated
D) regulated

Question 35

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-These standards echo statements by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

A) oppose
B) appear to be
C) support
D) reflect

Question 36

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-That the practice is widespread remains a disturbing indicator of how poorly we treat the hundreds of thousands of minors arrested each year in the United States.

A) rule
B) measurement
C) idea
D) statement

Question 37

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-Solitary confinement can sabotage both their rehabilitation and their growth.

A) undermine
B) avoid
C) earn
D) imagine

Question 38

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-What percentage of young people had been put in solitary in 2003?

A) 25%
B) 15%
C) 5%
D) 2%

Question 39

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-At New York City's Rikers Island, what had this number risen to in 2013?

A) 25%
B) 15%
C) 5%
D) 2%

Question 40

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-How many states have outlawed solitary confinement for juvenile facilities?

A) 50
B) 20
C) 12
D) 6

Question 41

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-What was the effect of being in solitary confinement for the teenagers that Kysel interviewed?

A) post-traumatic stress
B) self-harm
C) suicidal thoughts
D) all of the above

Question 42

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-How many of the suicides that occurred in juvenile facilities happened while the detainee was being held in solitary?

A) all of them
B) 10%
C) 50%
D) none of them

Question 43

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-What is Kysel's proposed solution?

A) states should limit the amount of time minors are held in solitary confinement
B) psychological examinations should be done before a minor is put in solitary
C) states should remove all minors from adult jails and ban solitary confinement
D) minors should be monitored when they are held in adult jails

Question 44

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-What is the position of Eric H. Holder, who should be able to outlaw the solitary confinement of juveniles?

A) Head of the Bureau of Prisons
B) Supreme Court Judge
C) Director of Juvenile Affairs
D) Attorney General

Question 45

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-The author outlines the exact process that could be followed to change the juvenile solitary confinement guidelines.

Question 46

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-Teenagers no longer need their rights protected if they have been incarcerated.

Question 47

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-Which of the following is a new standard for circumstances under which solitary confinement is justified in juvenile facilities?

A) Only if children pose an immediate threat to themselves or others
B) Only after other techniques had failed
C) Only for as long as it takes for a child to regain control of himself or herself
D) All of the above

Question 48

Answer the following questions about the essay.
-Putting teenagers in solitary was more common in adult ____________ and ____________.

Question 49

Answer the following questions about the essay.
-No state-nor the federal government-has banned ____________ of teens in adult jails and prisons.

Question 50

Answer the following questions about the essay.
-The suicide rate for minors in adult prisons was ____________ as high as that of older inmates.

Question 51

Answer the following questions about the essay.
-Young inmates should be managed in a way that promotes their healthy __________ and __________.

Question 52

Answer the following questions about the essay.
-The ____________ recently revised its inspection standards.

Question 53

Answer the following questions about the essay.

-Ian Kysel states his position that solitary confinement for minors is wrong and needs to be banned, but he never addresses any potential counter-arguments. How does this affect your reading of his argument? Does it make the argument stronger or weaker?

Question 54

Answer the following questions about the essay.

-Kysel discusses studies that he had personally conducted and teenagers that he had interviewed. Does the fact that the author is an expert on the subject affect the strength of his argument? Why or why not?

Question 55

Answer the following questions about the essay.
-Find an appeal to logic and to emotion in the essay. How do they both work for this particular topic and argument? Is one more effective than the other in this essay?

Question 56

Answer the following questions about the essay.
-An important part of the authors' argument is making the reader feel compassion toward minors in prison, despite the fact that they must have committed some kind of crime. How effective do you think the author is in eliciting this compassion? Explain.

Question 57

Answer the following questions about the essay.
-After reading the essay, have you been convinced that solitary confinement should be banned for minors? If yes, explain the specific points that have convinced you. If not, explain specifically what the essay needed to convince you.
More Ideas for Writing

Question 58

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-We've become accustomed to a new way of being "alone together."

A) changed
B) tolerant
C) resistant
D) familiar

Question 59

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-We want to customize our lives.

A) improve
B) maintain
C) modify
D) worsen

Question 60

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-A businessman laments that he no longer has colleagues at work.

A) rejoices
B) regrets
C) realizes
D) appreciates

Question 61

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-A sixteen-year-old boy who relies on texting for almost everything says almost wistfully , "Someday, someday, but certainly not now, I'd like to learn how to have a conversation."

A) happily
B) carelessly
C) sadly
D) quietly

Question 62

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-But it's a process in which we shortchange ourselves.

A) treat unfairly
B) wreck
C) preserve
D) recreate

Question 63

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-Connecting in sips may work for gathering discrete bits of information or for saying, "I am thinking about you."

A) unnamed
B) secretive
C) useful
D) separated

Question 64

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-In conversation we tend to one another.

A) talk
B) listen
C) ignore
D) look after

Question 65

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-As we get used to being shortchanged on conversation and to getting by with less, we seem almost willing to dispense with with people altogether.

A) reunite with
B) distribute
C) give up
D) forget

Question 66

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-Now our impulse is, "I want to have a feeling; I need to send a text."

A) feeling
B) discussion
C) urge
D) thought

Question 67

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-I am a partisan for conversation.

A) guardian
B) supporter
C) believer
D) skeptic

Question 68

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-What does the author say people have sacrificed for "mere connection"?

A) social lives
B) conversation
C) morals
D) romance

Question 69

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-How long has the author studied the ways people connect through technology?

A) 1 year
B) 5 years
C) 15 years
D) 20 years

Question 70

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-What does the author say people value the most?

A) friendship
B) family
C) solitude
D) control of self-interests

Question 71

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-Which of the following does the author not mention as an important part of conversation?

A) Revealing information about oneself and one's interests.
B) Seeing things from another person's point of view.
C) Learning how to become patient.
D) Learning how to self-reflect.

Question 72

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-What effect does the author believe communicating frequently with digital devices has on the way people communicate?

A) We become more confident speakers.
B) We become better thinkers.
C) Our communications become simplified.
D) Ours conversations become more interesting.

Question 73

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-The author believes that a growing interest in artificial intelligence and social robots points to our general willingness to do what?

A) improve the lives of others
B) push the limits of technology
C) develop new forms of entertainment
D) dispense with people

Question 74

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-Which of the following is not one of the "fantasies" that the author believes digital devices provide?

A) That we can always find comfort in solitude.
B) That we can always be listened to.
C) That we can always focus our attention on what interests us.
D) That we can always feel attached to others.

Question 75

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-According to the author, how does constant connection make us feel?

A) happy
B) lonely
C) confused
D) confident

Question 76

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-What does the author ask readers to do in order to make room for conversation?

A) Create "sacred spaces" and "device-free zones."
B) Begin "conversational Thursdays" at work.
C) Listen to one another.
D) All of the above

Question 77

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-The final emotional appeal that the author makes describes her experience __________.

A) using social networking sites
B) teaching at MIT
C) talking to friends and family
D) spending summers on Cape Cod

Question 78

Answer the following questions about the essay.
-The author argues that people are accustomed to being __________ because of how frequently people use technology to connect with others.

Question 79

Answer the following questions about the essay.
-The author refers to the act of using technology to control how close we are to others as the ________________.

Question 80

Answer the following questions about the essay.
-According to the author, social networking sites may appeal to users because they provide users with many ________________ when they feel that no one is listening to them.