32 SMART THINKING: SKILLS FOR CRITICAL UNDERSTANDING & WRITING
The second step is the crucial one: identify and mark the claims that are being
made. We have already looked at the properties of claims in chapter 2 and here you
see why that discussion is so important. The easiest way to mark these claims is by
putting them in parentheses. I have also numbered the claims because we need to
diagram their interrelationship later.
Let's consider the facts. (Chemical factories are very dangerous to live
nearby) 1 and (one has been built near your house) 2. (You'd be crazy to
put yourself in danger) 3, no? That's why (you should move and live some-
where else) 4.
Finally, we need to draw a diagram that shows how these claims link together.
The conclusion always comes last and the premises go above it.0
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How did I work out what the conclusion was? Look at the linking phrase
'That's why' in the last line. 'That' refers to all the things previously said and 'why'
here means 'these are the reasons that explain or justify why something else is
reasonable'. So, on that basis, I have determined that the author intended the last
claim as the conclusion, with the other claims being the premises that form one
reason why that conclusion is justified.
Also, note that I have had to deal with a contracted claim: 'one has been built
near your house'. If we were writing this claim out formally, it would be 'A chemical
factory has been built near the house where you live' but, in natural language, the
narrative flow means the author instead has written 'one', referring back to 'a
chemical factory' in the first claim and 'your house', implying a connection to 'live'
in the first claim. A key part of good casting (and indeed good reading) is to be able
to see the contractions necessary for good narrative flow and yet recognise the
substance of the analytical claims being made.Exercise 3.4
Now you practise it. Here are four short arguments or explanations, each with a
different structure, and each with a little 'trick' to watch out for. Try underlining
the signals of linking, delineating the claims, and, using a diagram, show how
they relate to one another. Check the answers carefully for more advice on casting.