PART 1: Short Answer

From the terms listed below, select 4 and provide a concise definition for each. In addition, explain the significance of each as related to argumentation and provide an illustrative or demonstrative example from within the provided article.

Perception                Rhetoric            Discourse                     Analysis

Observer bias           Evidence           Noise                           Diction

Coding system          Inference          Confirmation bias         Fallacy

PART 2: Essay

Read the article provided and write an analysis of it. Your analysis should be in essay form: two or three paragraphs long, consisting of five to seven sentences per paragraph. Choose ONE of the following tasks to write about.

1. Identify the central claim of this article. Explain how its author employs rhetorical and/or argumentative techniques (such as those described during lecture or in course readings) in order make a claim.

2. Evaluate the effectiveness of the argument. Provide the reader with evidence and/or reasons to support your analytical stance. This support should be derived from the text of the article as well as the application of core concepts presented in lectures, readings and tutorials.

3. Using Toulmin analysis, explain the structure of the argument of the article. Has the author created a balanced discussion of the topic? Demonstrate how you can employ Toulmin's approach in order to reveal a deficit in the argument? Justify your answer by creating a counter-argument.