Half-hour Draft: Evaluation
of a Short Argument for Paper #1
For the short argument (letter to the
editor
or opinion piece) that you will analyze and evaluate for Paper #1, look
at your
analysis. Evaluate your syllogism.
Ask yourself the following questions,
and answer
them in full-sentence writing, without stopping to worry about
spelling,
grammar, or punctuation:
- Is
each of the premises reliable or true? Why or why not? (Take each
premise
separately, one at a time.)
- Is
each of the premises relevant to the conclusion? Why or why not? (Take
each
premise separately, one at at time.)
- Are
the premises adequate to support the conclusion? Why or why not? (Ask
yourself
if there are any considerations not covered by the premises that a
critical
reader should consider before coming to that conclusion.)
- Is
the argument valid? Why or why not? (Put the syllogism into standard
form
categorical claims and apply the tests for validity.)