Thinking Skills: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

312 Answers to assignments

c    There are four reasons, all closely

interdependent:

R1 No sport should be allowed in which

the prime object is to injure an

opponent.

R2 No sport should be allowed in which

the spectators enjoy seeing

competitors inflict physical harm on

each other.

R3 What boxers have to do, in order to

win matches, is to batter their

opponents.

R4 Boxers do this in front of large,

bloodthirsty crowds.

C Boxing should be one of the first

sports to be outlawed.

C

R1 & R3 R2 & R4

Alternatively R3 and R4 could be

reduced to one premise; but then it is

quite hard to show the structure. The

deeper analysis is more precise. (Note

that there is some room for variation in

the details of analysis.)

2.6 Complex arguments

1    E.g.

R1 R2

IC

C

R3

2    The map and accompanying images add

weight to the argument by emphasising

and/or specifying/quantifying the claim

made by R3. It could alternatively be

understood as evidence for R3, showing

what a small proportion of countries

there a point at which inserting such a

connective would make sense.

2    The second sentence is the best

expression of the conclusion: ‘The

machines are to blame.’ (It would not be

altogether wrong, however, to select the

first sentence.)

3    Variable responses

2.5 Analysing arguments

a    R1 Bottled water is meant to be safe

but there have been several health

alerts.

R2 Bottled water costs a lot.

R3 Tap water is just as good; and tap

water is free. (This could be two

separate reasons.)

C People shouldn’t be fooled into

buying bottled mineral water.

R1 R2 R3 & R4

C

b    R1 Drugs can make the difference

between winning gold and winning

nothing.

R2 The rewards are so huge... that

the risk will seem worth taking.

C There will always be some athletes

who will give way to the temptation.

R1 & R2

C

It is because R1 and R2 are both true

that the conclusion follows. If drugs

did not make a difference, or if the

rewards did not make the risk worth

taking, there would not be the same

temptation. So R1 and R2 are

interdependent.