4.7 Introducing longer arguments 171
Note that these reasons have simply been
extracted from the passage and listed. A list
like this doesn’t show how the argument is
structured, or how the reasons are grouped
together to form sub-arguments within the
whole argument.
Nor does the list show all the claims that are
made in the passage. For example, it doesn’t
include the claim that car chases can be fun
(paragraph 3). This is because it is not one of the
main reasons. Yes, it contributes to the argument
by helping to explain why police drivers may
drive too fast for safety, namely because they
enjoy it. But by itself it does not provide any
grounds for believing that car chases should be
banned. We would therefore classify the claim
about car chases being fun as an indirect reason,
leading to an intermediate conclusion, rather
than directly to the main conclusion.
Similarly, the last half-sentence, after the
dash, explains in what sense car chases are
sometimes unsuccessful. It is the claim that
they are sometimes unsuccessful (as well as
dangerous and time-wasting) which is a main
premise here and therefore makes it into the list.
Finally, of course, there are some claims
that are not reasons at all, or conclusions, but
have other functions in the passage. The first
sentence of paragraph 2 is a good example. It
offers no support at all for the conclusion,
either directly or indirectly. Its role is to set up
an objection that an opponent – in this case
the police – might wish to make. The objection
is that they, the police, have a policy of
stopping the chase if it becomes too fast for
safety, and that therefore they are not putting
the public at unnecessary risk. The author
claims that the policy is both ineffective and
stupid, and devotes the middle three
paragraphs of the passage to supporting these
claims. The next pair of questions focuses on
this section of the argument.1 What is the main conclusion of the
passage?Activity
Commentary
The conclusion is in the first paragraph, and
you should have had no problem identifying
it: ‘The police should be prohibited from
carrying out these car chases.’ The two
sentences before the conclusion are
introductory and explanatory.
2 Identify three or four of the main reasons
which the passage offers to support the
conclusion that car chases should be
banned.Activity
Commentary
You could have chosen any or all of the
following as the main reasons offered in
support of the conclusion:
• Car chases have led to the deaths of car
thieves and innocent bystanders.
• The police drivers’ judgement as to
whether their speed is safe will become
unreliable.
• By the time the police driver judges that
his speed is unsafe, he will have pushed
the pursued driver well beyond his limit
of competence.
• Saving lives is more important than
preventing thefts of cars.
• The police would be more profitably
employed trying to catch serious
criminals.
• There are other (safe) ways of stopping
stolen cars.
• Sometimes the car chases are unsuccessful.