Step 1: Read each of the following passages.

Passage A

     ¹A legend found in Mexico as well as Central and South America is that of La Llorona (the Weeping Woman). So fascinating did she become in the oral tradition of passing stories from one generation to the next that numerous versions of her persist. In one she is a phantom woman, never seen, but heard weeping in the night. She is supposedly mourning her children, for whose deaths she is responsible. In another tale she is a spirit doomed to wander forever in search of the children she neglected during her lifetime. Still another story shows her to be blatantly evil, someone who lures men into following her only to meet up with violent death at her hands. This character is similar to the Sirens in Greek mythology, the sea maidens whose singing is so seductive that ships sail toward them, but are dashed to pieces on the rocks. It also forms the basis for the enduring German folk song "Die Lorelei," about a beautiful maiden who sits on a rock, combing her hair and singing so beautifully that, again, ships are wrecked and many lives are lost.
     ²The tales of La Llorona are often told as a warning to young unmarried pregnant women who find themselves abandoned and have no recourse but to give up their babies. Presumably, repeating the story of a mother mourning her lost children reminds young women of what can happen when they indulge in practices forbidden by religion and family.

— Janaro and Altshuler, The Art of Being Human, 7th ed., pp. 84–85

Passage B

     ¹Just about everything is arguable, but much of the time certain types of argument are not advanced. Statements of fact are usually not considered arguable. Jeff's claim that students at universities in the United Kingdom do not pay tuition is a statement of fact that turned out not to be true. Most facts can be verified by doing research. But even simple facts can sometimes be argued. For example, Mount Everest is usually acknowledged to be the highest mountain in the world at 29,028 feet above sea level. But if the total height of a mountain from base to summit is the measure, then the volcano Mauna Loa in Hawaii is the highest mountain in the world. Although the top of Mauna Loa is 13,667 feet above sea level, the summit is 31,784 feet above the ocean floor. Thus the "fact" that Mount Everest is the highest mountain on the earth depends on a definition of highest being the point farthest above sea level. You could argue for this definition.
     ²Another category of claims that are not arguable are those of personal taste. Your favorite food and your favorite color are examples of personal taste. If you hate fresh tomatoes, no one can convince you that you actually like them. But many claims of personal taste turn out to be value judgments using arguable criteria. For example, if you think that Alien is the best science fiction movie ever made, you can argue that claim using evaluative criteria that other people can consider as good reasons. Indeed, you might not even like science fiction and still argue that Alien is the best science fiction movie ever.
     ³Finally, many claims rest on beliefs or faith. If someone accepts a claim as a matter of religious belief, then for that person, the claim is true and cannot be refuted. Of course, people still make arguments about the existence of God and which religion reflects the will of God. Any time an audience will not consider an idea, it's possible but very difficult to construct an argument. May people claim that UFOs exist, but most people refuse to acknowledge that evidence as even being possibly factual.

— Faigley and Selzer, Good Reasons, 2nd ed., 32–33

Step 2: Complete the outline of Passage A and Passage B in your Lab Manual.

Copyright © 1995-2008 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Longman. Legal Disclaimer