Method of Reasoning Drill Pack

Question 1

You argue that homework should be banned because students are stressed. But students were stressed before homework existed in its current form, and countries with heavy homework loads report less student stress than we do. Stress must come from elsewhere.

The argument proceeds by

1. A. citing statistics about homework loads
2. B. undermining the claimed cause by pointing to cases where it is absent or reversed
3. C. appealing to the authority of teachers
4. D. proposing a new homework policy
5. E. attacking the character of homework critics

Answer: ______

Question 2

The proposal cannot work. It requires unanimous approval, and two members have already said they will vote no. No unanimous vote is possible.

The reasoning method used is

1. A. arguing from analogy
2. B. showing that a necessary condition for success is unmet
3. C. appealing to popular opinion
4. D. predicting future events from past trends
5. E. attacking the proposal's supporters

Answer: ______

Question 3

Consider two towns: one fluoridated its water in 2010, one did not. Ten years later, the fluoridated town had 30 percent fewer cavities. The difference must be the fluoride.

The argument uses which method?

1. A. An appeal to expert consensus.
2. B. A controlled comparison between two cases differing in one key factor.
3. C. A survey of dentists.
4. D. A historical narrative.
5. E. A moral argument.

Answer: ______

Question 4

Critics say the new voting machines are unreliable because several counties reported errors. But the reported "errors" were all cases of voters touching the wrong part of the screen, which is a training issue, not a machine issue. So the critics' evidence does not show what they claim.

The argument proceeds by

1. A. showing that the critics' conclusion follows from their premises
2. B. reinterpreting the evidence cited by the critics to undermine their conclusion
3. C. presenting survey data that contradicts the critics' claims
4. D. appealing to the authority of election officials
5. E. arguing that the machines are perfect

Answer: ______

Question 5

You claim raising the minimum wage always kills jobs. But the city of Lakeview raised its minimum wage twice in the last decade, and employment grew both times. Your general claim is false.

The argument uses which method?

1. A. It appeals to expert authority.
2. B. It offers a counterexample to refute a general claim.
3. C. It shows the opponent's motives are corrupt.
4. D. It redefines the key terms.
5. E. It argues from analogy.

Answer: ______

Question 6

The committee rejected the proposal because it was too expensive. But expense alone cannot decide the matter: the committee approved a costlier proposal last year. If cost were the real standard, that one would have failed too.

The argument proceeds by

1. A. citing the committee's own past decision to show its stated reason is inconsistent
2. B. proving the proposal was actually cheap
3. C. attacking the committee members personally
4. D. appealing to public opinion
5. E. predicting the proposal's future success

Answer: ______

Question 7

You say the policy is unfair to small businesses. Let us look at what it actually does: it taxes revenue above $10 million. Small businesses, by definition, have revenue far below that. So the policy cannot be unfair to them in the way you claim.

The argument proceeds by

1. A. appealing to the speaker's personal experience
2. B. examining the actual content of the policy to show the objection misfires
3. C. citing polling data about small businesses
4. D. arguing that all taxes are fair
5. E. changing the subject to large businesses

Answer: ______

Question 8

You say organic food is healthier, but you eat fast food every day. Your habits contradict your claim.

The argument proceeds by

1. A. proving organic food is unhealthy
2. B. pointing to the opponent's inconsistent behavior to discredit the claim
3. C. citing nutrition studies
4. D. defining "healthy" precisely
5. E. surveying fast-food customers

Answer: ______

Question 9

The economist argued that rent control reduces housing supply, citing three cities where supply fell after controls took effect. But in each city, supply was already falling before the controls. The trend predates the policy.

The argument proceeds by

1. A. denying that supply fell
2. B. showing the cited evidence is consistent with a pre-existing trend, not the policy
3. C. appealing to the authority of economists
4. D. proposing an alternative housing policy
5. E. attacking the economist's motives

Answer: ______

Question 10

The critic says the novel is unrealistic because the hero survives impossible odds. But the novel is a satire, and satire exaggerates by design. Judging it by realism's standards is a category error.

The argument proceeds by

1. A. denying that the hero survives
2. B. arguing the criticism applies the wrong standard to the work's genre
3. C. praising the novel's realism
4. D. attacking the critic's taste
5. E. comparing the novel to other satires

Answer: ______