Analyzing Passages Flashcards
Argument
Gives one or more ideas as reasons to accept one or more other ideas. These ideas are implied but not stated.
Premise
An idea that an argument gives as a reason to accept another idea. An argument can have any number of premises.
Words or phrases that often mark premises
after all
for one thing
moreover
because
furthermore
seeing that
for
given that
since
for the reason that
in light of the fact that
whereas
Conclusion
An idea that an argument supports with one or more premises
Intermediate conclusion
A conclusion the argument uses to support another conclusion
Main conclusion
A conclusion the argument doesn’t use to support any other concludion.
Words or phrases that often mark conclusions
clearly
it follows that
suggests that
entails that
proves
surely
hence
shows that
therefore
implies that
so
thus
valid argument
An argument whose conclusions follow from its premises. In a valid argument with false premises, the conclusion would follow if the premises were true.
sound argument
A valid argument with true premises.
assumption
an idea taken for granted.
implicit assumptions
assumptions the author considers too obvious to state.
necessary assumption
an idea that must be true for the argument’s stated premises to be good enough reasons to accept its conclusions.
sufficient assumption
an argument is an idea whose truth would make the argument’s main conclusion follow from the stated premises.
prescriptive argument
supports a conclusion about what should or shouldn’t be done.
evaluative argument
supports a conclusion that something is good or bad, desirable or undesirable, without advocating any particular policy or actions.
interpretive argument
supports a conclusion about something’s underlying significance.
causal argument
supports a conclusion that one or more factors did or did not contribute to one or more effects.
factual argument
supports a factual conclusion that doesn’t fit in any other category explained above.
causal explanation
claims that one or more factors contribute to one or more effects. A causal explanation might not be an argument. It might have no premises or conclusions. But a causal explanation can be a premise or conclusion in an argument.
observation
a claim that something was observed or is otherwise directly known.
hypothesis
a tentative idea neither known nor assumed to be true.
alternative hypotheses
competing explanations for the same observation
plan
an imagined set of actions meant to work together to achieve one or more goals.
narrative
describes a sequence of related events.
