Chapter 12: Review Test 6

Argument

A. Read the following groups of ideas. Mark each statement C if it is an author's claim or S if it provides support for the claim.

Group 1

___ 1. Basketball players must be able to sprint up and down the court for two and a half hours.

C

S

___ 2. Basketball has the longest playing season of all the major sports.

C

S

___ 3. Basketball players must have quick reaction times because of the fast pace of the sport.

C

S

___ 4. Basketball players are the best all-around athletes.

C

S

___ 5. Unlike any other athletes, basketball players must use speed, endurance, and accuracy skills at the same time.

C

S

Group 2

___ 6. Many video games encourage violence.

C

S

___ 7. Many violent video games put the player in the role of seeking and killing victims.

C

S

___ 8. Some experts believe that role playing is an important step in becoming violent.

C

S

___ 9. Other experts fear that the violence in the games makes players think of violence as fun.

C

S

___ 10. Critics also believe that constant exposure to violence makes players less sensitive to real violence.

C

S

___ 11. The acts of violence in video games range from running over victims in cars to shooting or dismembering the "enemy."

C

S

Group 3

___ 12. Marijuana has proven medical benefits for cancer patients.

C

S

___ 13. Marijuana stimulates the appetite and eases the discomfort of those who suffer with nausea from chemotherapy.

C

S

___ 14. Marijuana should be legalized.

C

S

___ 15. The current ban on marijuana has not stopped its sale and use.

C

S

___ 16. The United States government estimated that nearly 14 million Americans used marijuana in 2003.

C

S

___ 17. Legalized marijuana would provide an enormous source of much-needed tax dollars.

C

S

B. Read the following paragraph.

A Signal of Danger

¹The traffic signal at the junction of Main Trail and Granada Boulevard makes the intersection dangerous. ²Whoever programmed the light is stupid. ³Granada Boulevard is a heavily traveled four-lane state road. ⁴Main Trail is the entrance to a large residential neighborhood. ⁵To enter the neighborhood, traffic must turn left. ⁶The traffic signal is programmed to turn green and allow the left turn into the neighborhood. ⁷However, after only two or three cars turn, the left turn signal turns red. ⁸Cars are forced to wait at the red light long after there is no more oncoming traffic. ⁹To avoid sitting through a five-minute red light, many drivers rush through the signal as it turns yellow or run the light after it has turned red. ¹⁰The timing of the light encourages reckless driving.

18. Sentence states the author's claim.

19. Which of the following sentences is not relevant to the author's claim?

a. sentence 2

b. sentence 4

c. sentence 7

d. sentence 9

C. Read the following list of supports.

In 1979, over 25 million Americans used illegal drugs.
In 1994, the number of Americans who used illegal drugs dropped to around 13 million people.
By 1998, government records showed that the number of Americans using illegal drugs was still near 13 million.
13 million people is about 6 percent of the entire American population.

—Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, "National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, April 2000," p. 606.

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

a. Most Americans use illegal drugs.

b. The number of Americans who use illegal drugs has fallen since 1979.

c. The illegal drug preferred by Americans is marijuana.

d. America has the highest rate of illegal drug use in the world.