Chapter 12: Mastery Test 7

A. Read the following groups of ideas. Each group contains the author's claim and supports for that claim. Identify the author's claim in each group.

1. Group 1

a. A recent study by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America showed that 45 percent of youths aged 12 to 18 saw a great risk in using the drug Ecstasy.

b. In 2001, over 5,000 emergency room visits were related to Ecstasy use.

c. In 2002, 253 emergency room visits were related to Ecstasy use.

d. The number of youths using this drug has remained the same.

e. Although many teenagers see the risk of using Ecstasy, the dangers the drug poses to youth should not be ignored.
McShane, "Study: Teens See Little Risk in Trying Ecstasy," p. 5A.

2. Group 2

a. Never rely solely on eyewitness accounts, which can be biased or faulty.

b. You should use four guidelines to help you decide when an employee should be fired for theft.

c. Meet with the accused to get all the facts; there may be a reasonable explanation.

d. Weigh the employee's offense against other disciplinary problems to avoid a harsh overreaction.

e. Provide local law enforcement with the facts when there is a major theft, and let the police form their own conclusions.
—"Action Tips," p. 4.

3. Group 3

a. Cloning is an imperfect scientific process that can result in problems in the cloned animals.

b. Most attempts at cloning end in failure because the fetuses have oversized organs in the womb or are born stillborn.

c. Other cloned animals have been born twice as large as normal.

d. A veterinary exam confirmed that Dolly, a 6-year-old cloned sheep, had a progressive lung disease.

e. Dolly's cells had started to show signs of aging faster than those of a typical animal.
—"Dolly the Cloned Sheep Dies," CBS News Online, Feb. 14, 2003.

B. Read the following claim and its supports. Mark each support R if it is relevant to the claim or N if it is not relevant to the claim.

Claim: Education is critical in the early prevention and treatment of diabetes.

Supports

___ 4. To live with diabetes, a person must learn a large amount of information about the body, the disease, and its treatments.

R

N

___ 5. Decisions must be made every day about meal planning, exercise, and drugs.

R

N

___ 6. Funding is needed to find a cure for diabetes.

R

N

___ 7. Lifestyle changes can delay the onset of diabetes.

R

N

___ 8. Weight loss, a healthy diet, and regular exercise reduce the chance of developing diabetes by half.

R

N

___ 9. Many famous people suffer with diabetes.

R

N

C. Read the following paragraph, which consists of supports. Risky Thrills

^nbsp;Injury is not only possible but probable. In the face of this risk, the athlete's heart pounds with excitement, and the thought of turning back is overcome by the anticipation of the thrill ahead. The skateboarder runs his skateboard up the ramp, somersaults in the air, and slams back down at incredible speeds. A young woman stands on the span of a bridge that looms hundreds of feet high. When she jumps, she is counting on her parachute to carry her away from the bridge instead of slamming her into its concrete foundation. She hopes to race toward the ground at speeds over 60 miles an hour, and she plans to pull the cord in just enough time to swoop gently to the ground. She is BASE jumping. Participation in extreme sports like snowboarding, sky diving, ice climbing, skateboarding, and BASE jumping is on the rise.

10. Which of the following claims is adequately supported by the evidence?

a. Extreme sports appeal only to crazy people.

b. Extreme sports should not be covered by insurance.

c. Extreme sports attract athletes who want to experience danger and excitement.

d. Extreme sports should be banned.