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Chapter 17 introduces you to writing proposal arguments, the sorts that claim that a specified action should or ought to be taken. Proposal arguments are so common that the mere mention of the word "argument" cause some people to automatically think in terms of "should" claims, as if definitional, evaluation, and resemblance arguments didn't even exist. By the end of the chapter, you should understand the following: 1. Proposal arguments generally fall into one of three categories: practical proposals, policy proposals, and public-affairs advocacy advertisements. 2. The rhetorical contexts of proposal arguments put genre-specific demands upon the author, sometimes in the form of creating presence, other times in terms of document design. 3. All proposal arguments offer a solution to a problem, and typically they have three main parts: problem description, proposed solution, and justification. 4. Proposal arguments present special challenges, including creating presence, appealing to the values of decision makers, overcoming inherent conservatism, and predicting and evaluating consequences. 5. Advocacy advertisements present special document-design challenges because the genre demands that the ad have an immediate and powerful impact about an issue that is often too complex to present thoroughly in few words. 6. There are five stock issues that can be applied to any proposal: Is there a problem? Does the proposed solution solve the problem? Is the solution the simplest available? Is the solution practical? What are the consequences?
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