Deck 6: How Do I Prove My Argument

Question 1

Evidence is information taken from fact or opinion material used to establish the probable truth of a claim.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The value of the five-volume set of the Library of Congress Subject Headings is that they contain the precise terms to look under when searching for books and indexes to most periodicals.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The difference between The Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature and The Applied Science and Technology Index is that the former catalogs scholarly journals and special interest publications while the latter catalogs popular periodicals.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Many newspapers make current and back issues available online that are searchable by keyword. The difference between searching by keyword and searching by subject is that the vocabulary in a keyword search is totally free. You can search for any word, not just those contained in the Library of Congress Subject Heading system.

Question 5

Examples are detailed accounts that describe or report events or phenomena.

Question 6

Examples are brief statements that describe or report an event or phenomenon.

Question 7

Factual proof is always grounded in experience, either one's own or that of someone else.

Question 8

Examples, illustrations, and statistics are forms of factual evidence.

Question 9

In evaluating examples and illustrations, we must be concerned with the recency of observation and the attitude of the observer.

Question 10

Artifacts are numerical representations of information about people, events, and phenomena.

Question 11

Statistical evidence need not meet the test of having come from a reliable source.

Question 12

Artifacts are an exhibit of objects, photographs, diagrams, or recordings.

Question 13

Premises are factual claims that are so widely accepted they have the status of "fact".

Question 14

Laboratory experiments differ from field experiments in that they afford the experimenter less control over the variables of research interest.

Question 15

The credibility of scientific evidence derives from the rigor of the scientific method rather than the prestige of those who use it.

Question 16

Statements that interpret or evaluate factual information made by an expert in a given field are evidence from opinion.

Question 17

Evidence from opinion is accepted by an audience when they believe the "expert" is qualified to offer the opinion.

Question 18

Because opinion evidence is based on the interpretation and evaluation of facts by "experts," such evidence cannot be tested for reliability.

Question 19

When you are excerpting specific facts and opinions you will use to construct your arguments, it is important to include information about the source it came from (e.g. author, author's qualifications, title, date of publication, page number).

Question 20

When you excerpt specific facts and opinions you will use to construct your arguments from cybersources, information about the source it comes from should include the URL and the date you recorded the information since Internet sites can vanish or change address.

Question 21

Why is the library potentially a better source of information than the Internet?

A)Because it is better organized.
B)Because it probably contains more accurate information.
C)Because it has historical as well as current information.
D)All of the above

Question 22

Tracings, which appear toward the bottom of a card in the library's physical card catalog or electronic record, or the Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data in a book itself are valuable to look at because they provide you with information on

A)other terms, besides the one you used, that the book could be found under.
B)who has checked this book out most recently.
C)other books by this author.
D)All of the above

Question 23

A source of information which provides a comprehensive treatment of subjects but can become quickly outdated is

A)the Library of Congress Subject Headings.
B)books.
C)periodicals.
D)newspapers.

Question 24

Which of the following indexes does NOT catalog scholarly journals and special interest publications.

A)General Science Index
B)Humanities Index
C)Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature
D)Social Science Index

Question 25

Which of the following is NOT a test to be used in assessing the reliability of examples and illustrations?

A)Data accuracy.
B)Things will continue in the future as they have in the past.
C)The attitude of the observer.
D)The originality of the observation.

Question 26

When a portion, or sample, of a population of people, events, or phenomena of a particular kind are observed, the resulting statistical data is termed

A)descriptive.
B)inferential.
C)unambiguous.
D)methodological.

Question 27

The reliability of the source of information is one test to perform when assessing the reliability of

A)artifacts.
B)examples and illustrations.
C)premises.
D)statistics.

Question 28

are tested by having the audience employ their own senses for verification.

A)Statistics
B)Premises
C)Artifacts
D)Examples

Question 29

are that form of factual evidence which is accepted on the basis of uniform patterns of experience.

A)Statistics
B)Premises
C)Artifacts
D)Examples

Question 30

In scientific evidence, the variable which is hypothesized to produce changes in another variable is the

A)dependent variable.
B)hypothesized variable.
C)independent variable.
D)nuisance variable.

Question 31

Scientific evidence must meet the test of

A)source reliability.
B)statistical accuracy in data collection.
C)comparing things that are really comparable.
D)All of the above

Question 32

What test of evidence must scientific evidence must meet?

A)The generalizability of settings.
B)The generalizability of subjects.
C)The consistency with other findings.
D)All of the above

Question 33

An audience will accept the opinion of an uncredentialed source

A)when the opinion was expressed recently.
B)when they view the opinion as expressing a premise.
C)if the opinion is internally consistent.
D)under no circumstances.

Question 34

What test of evidence must opinion evidence meet?

A)The source must be a qualified expert in the field by training or background.
B)The source must be relatively unbiased.
C)There must be a reliable factual basis for the opinion.
D)All of the above

Question 35

Experimental observations, statistics, expert opinion statements, premises, or artifacts, are common sources of

A)claims.
B)evidence.
C)warrants.
D)propositions.

Question 36

Read the following argument and use it to answer question
Claim: Athletes receive preferential treatment in some classes.
Grounds: Members of the basketball team are allowed to miss classes without incurring the penalties imposed on non-athletes who miss classes.
Warrant: These conditions suggest preferential treatment of the athlete over the nonathlete by some professors.
Backing: Preferential treatment in the classroom is commonly recognized as being allowed to miss classes without penalty and being allowed to make up exams that have been missed.
-The type of evidence used as grounds in the argument stated above is

A)an example.
B)a premise.
C)an opinion.
D)a scientific report.

Question 37

Read the following argument and use it to answer question
Claim: Athletes receive preferential treatment in some classes.
Grounds: Members of the basketball team are allowed to miss classes without incurring the penalties imposed on non-athletes who miss classes.
Warrant: These conditions suggest preferential treatment of the athlete over the nonathlete by some professors.
Backing: Preferential treatment in the classroom is commonly recognized as being allowed to miss classes without penalty and being allowed to make up exams that have been missed.
-The type of evidence used as backing in the argument stated above is

A)an example.
B)a premise.
C)an opinion.
D)a scientific report.

Question 38

Read the following argument and use it to answer question
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 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. The impact of two such massive players produces a concussion in the cranium when the brain bangs against the skull. Professor of Neurology at Boston University, Dr. Ann McKee, notes, "when helmets clash, the head decelerates instantly, yet the brain continues to lurch forward, like a driver who jams the brakes on. Even though the skull is protected by a helmet, the brain itself is still in motion and a concussion is often the result."
-"Offensive linemen now average nearly 315 pounds-65 more pounds than they did 30 years ago" is

A)an example.
B)a statistic.
C)an opinion.
D)a scientific report.

Question 39

Read the following argument and use it to answer question
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 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. The impact of two such massive players produces a concussion in the cranium when the brain bangs against the skull. Professor of Neurology at Boston University, Dr. Ann McKee, notes, "when helmets clash, the head decelerates instantly, yet the brain continues to lurch forward, like a driver who jams the brakes on. Even though the skull is protected by a helmet, the brain itself is still in motion and a concussion is often the result."
-Professor of Neurology at Boston University, Dr. Ann McKee statement, "when helmets clash, the head decelerates instantly, yet the brain continues to lurch forward, like a driver who jams the brakes on. Even though the skull is protected by a helmet, the brain itself is still in motion and a concussion is often the result" is

A)an example.
B)a statistic.
C)an opinion.
D)a scientific report.

Question 40

Read the following argument and use it to answer question
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 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. The impact of two such massive players produces a concussion in the cranium when the brain bangs against the skull. Professor of Neurology at Boston University, Dr. Ann McKee, notes, "when helmets clash, the head decelerates instantly, yet the brain continues to lurch forward, like a driver who jams the brakes on. Even though the skull is protected by a helmet, the brain itself is still in motion and a concussion is often the result."
-In assessing the reliability of Dr. McKee's statement we would be concerned about

A)the recency of the observation.
B)the comparability of units being compared.
C)the expertise of the source.
D)the generalizability of settings and subjects.