Write argument one side of your page and under that heading
Instructions: There are twenty passages on this homework assignment. Ten of them contain arguments and ten do not. Determine which are which. Just write “Argument” on one side of your page and under that heading, list by number the passages that have arguments, then on the other side of the page write “No Argument” and under that heading, list by number the passages that don’t have arguments. This assignment is modeled after Practice Problems Sets 1-7, 1-8, 1-9, and 1-10, so it would be a good idea to look back at your answers to them. You may work in groups on this assignment, and you may turn in group work.
Passages:
1. More than 250 CSUN clubs and organizations set up booths on the Oviatt Lawn for the first day of the Meet the Clubs event. [Alejandro Zizumbo, “Students Gather for Meet the Clubs,” Daily Sundial, February 3, 2016, p. 11.]
2. Earth has just experienced the hottest year since records began, according to a report by the United Nations. [“Climate Change: UN Report Confirms 2015 Hottest Year Since Records Began,” Indian Express, February 7, 2016.]
3. We all know that staying hydrated is important for your health, but it’s equally vital for your mood. [Kamal Patel, “Frequently Asked Food Questions” (Muscle and Performance, January 2016), p. 14.]
4. Relaxed lending standards have increased the number of homeowners dramatically. Consequently, higher levels of foreclosures are to be expected. [Mark Dotzour, chief economist at the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University, quoted in “Economist: National Real Estate Attention Focused on Texas,” Austin Business Journal (Texas), April 12, 2007.]
5. The Lord must have loved the common people he made so many of them. [Abraham Lincoln, quoted by Harry S. Truman, quoted in Merle Miller, Plain Speaking: An Oral Biography of Harry S. Truman. (New York: Penguin, 1974; reprinted: New York: Tess Press, 2004), p. 251.]
6. Yoga is a traditional and powerful way to open up the body’s energy as well as develop flexibility. [Sakyong Mipham, Turning the Mind into an Ally. (New York: Riverhead Books, 2003), p. 220.]
7. In today’s interconnected world, it’s difficult to penetrate the consciousness of a busy and distracted electorate. As a result, winning in politics mainly comes down to a simple matter of name recognition…. [Barack Obama, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream. (New York: Vintage Books, 2006), p. 123.]
8. If you’re watching your cholesterol level or weight, keep in mind that chicken skin contains at least half of the total saturated fats. [James McNair, Chicken. (San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1987), p. 6.]
9. …[A] disbelief in the reality of death is common to youth – that’s why they make the best soldiers. [Charles Isherwood, Wonder Bread and Ecstasy: The Life and Death of Joey Stefano. (Los Angeles: Alyson, 1996], p. 129.]
10. Since 1850, the greater use of fossil fuels such as coal has helped to reduce the timber rush, hence, to regain the 10 percent of forest land. [Dennis Graham, “Last Two Centuries of ‘Wrong Tree’ Planting in Europe Worsened Climate Change,” Tampa Bay Review, February 7, 2016.]
11. Ontario’s insurance regulator has approved coverage for drivers using ride-hailing services such as Uber, even as the province’s legislature has yet to decide if such services are legal. [Allison Jones, “Ontario Approves Coverage for Drivers of Ride-Hailing Services Such as Uber,” Globe and Mail (Toronto), February 2, 2016.]
12. Wal-Mart is the world’s largest retailer and as such, now dictates policy to their suppliers. [Dave Gibson, “It Should Now Be Called Cheap, Slave Labor Day,” Virginia Beach Conservative Examiner, September 7, 2009.]
13. Heredity versus environment, nature versus nurture: the argument over what best explains intelligence has been going strong for more than a century. [David L. Kirp, “All in the Genes?,” San Francisco Chronicle, September 17, 2007.]
14. In his recent support of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, President Bush stated that the reason we need to preserve marriage as a bond between a man and a woman is that it is the “most fundamental institution of civilization.” While I appreciate a good political discussion, I expected the president of the United States and his speech writers to come up with a better argument than that. Aside from discussing what characteristics are used to define “civilization,” and which institution might be the most important to it, cross-cultural evidence shows that marriage between one man and one woman is not universal – nor fundamental – to society. [Megan McCullen, “Bush Uses Inappropriate Argument to Back Up Marriage Amendment,” The State News (Michigan State University, June 12, 2006.]
15. The 9th Circuit [Court of Appeals] ruled in 2002 that the words, “One nation, under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance is an endorsement by the federal government of religion and so violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution, which prevents our government from establishing or endorsing a religion. [Daniel Wurangian, “Are We Really Pledging Allegiance to the Flag?,” Daily Sundial (California State University, Northridge), September 27, 2005.]
16. If you find your leather item is too large, you may be able to shrink it by the following method. First, be sure to clean and condition the leather as outlined in the previous chapter. Allow the garment to set for a day or so…. Throw the item into your clothes dryer, set on medium heat, and dry it for about 10 minutes. Take it out and test the level of shrinkage. Repeat this process until the leather fits better. Remember, this will NOT cause a size 44 jacket to turn into a size 38. This will only help with small adjustments. [Kelly J. Thibault, Leather and Latex Care: How to Keep Your Leather and Latex Looking Great. (San Francisco: Daedalus, 1996), p. 32.]
17. Basic Body-Weight Exercises
Before you blow these off, realize that they can come in awfully handy in a crowded gym. Think about it. Would you rather wait several minutes for a bench or chest machine to free up, or keep the flow of your workout by dropping down for a quick set of pushups? There’s more to body-weight exercises than mere convenience, however. As we’re sure you’ll find from trying some of these drills, they’re not all as easy as they look. In fact, a few of them, like the Unilateral Deadlift and Russian Twist, can be downright difficult-reason enough why they merit some consideration in your overall plan. [Michael Mejia and Myatt Murphy, The Men’s Health Gym Bible. (New York: Rodale, 2006), p. 44.]
18. Some [people] are taller or shorter, lighter or darker, wider or narrower in the shoulders, longer and shorter in the leg; they have higher or lower natural levels of endurance, differing types of muscle cells, more or fewer muscle cells and fat cells. One popular method of categorizing all these various body types recognizes three fundamentally different physical types, called somatypes:
The ectomorph: characterized by a short upper body, long arms and legs, long and narrow feet and hands, and very little fat storage; narrowness in the chest and shoulders, with generally long, thin muscles.
The mesomorph: large chest, long torso, solid muscle structure, and great strength.
The endomorph: soft musculature, round found, short neck, wide hips, and heavy fat storage.
Of course, no one is entirely one type but rather a combination of all three types. [Arnold Schwarzenegger with Bill Dobbins, The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding. (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1998), p. 162.]
19. Note: The author is a young Vietnamese American man, who is visiting Vietnam for the first time. He has just arrived in Saigon.
The wide boulevard paralleling the [train] tracks is full of Vietnamese men in army fatigues. Most are obviously no longer in the armed forces despite the fact that they are still in uniform. There are soldiers astride motorbike taxis. Soldiers pedaling cyclos. Soldiers sitting and drinking in cafés. Suddenly very nervous, I go directly to the first inn I see and take a room. I ask the owner about the soldiers in the street. She chuckles and says almost every male over sixteen has served in the army. Many wear their uniforms as a sign of patriotism, but mostly because the uniforms, often sold as army surplus, double well as durable work clothes. [Andrew X. Pham, Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage Through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam. (New York: Picador, 1999), p. 219.]
20. Many of my earliest memories of the 1930s involve the virulent anti-Semitism in the world at that time. I am not just speaking of what was happening in Hitler’s Germany. I am speaking of what was very much happening here in America as well. I am Jewish, and my public schooling in Scranton, Pennsylvania, was filled with anti-Semitic events. For example, in fourth grade there was a kid who almost every day during recess would come up to me and call me “kike,” “moneylender,” “Christ killer,” and other prejudicial slurs. I would go over to him and call him Hitler, and we would start fighting with each other. The teachers always just told us to stop fighting. They did nothing about the anti-Semitism that they surely heard. I learned that I had to defend myself – not many others were stepping forward to offer help. [Ira L. Reiss, An Insider’s View of Sexual Science Since Kinsey. (Lanham, Massachusetts: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2006), p. 2.]
