Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument.　　1.The following is from an editorial in the Midvale Observer, a local newspaper. 　　"Ever since the 1950's, when television sets began to appear in theaverage home, the rate of crimes committed by teenagers in the countryof Alta has steadily increased. This increase in teenage crimeparallels the increase in violence shown on television. According toseveral national studies, even very young children who watch a greatnumber of television shows featuring violent scenes display moreviolent behavior within their home environment than do children who donot watch violent shows. Furthermore, in a survey conducted by theObserver, over 90 percent of the respondents were parents who indicatedthat prime-time television--programs that are shown between 7 p.m. and9 p.m.---should show less violence. Therefore, in order to lower therate of teenage crime in Alta, television viewers should demand thattelevision programmers reduce the amount of violence shown during primetime."  　　2.The following appeared in the editorial section of a health and fitness magazine. 　　"In a study of the effects of exercise on longevity, medicalresearchers tracked 500 middle-aged men over a 20-year period. Thesubjects represented a variety of occupations in several differentparts of the country and responded to an annual survey in which theywere asked: How often and how strenuously do you exercise? Of those whoresponded, the men who reported that they engaged in vigorous outdoorexercise nearly every day lived longer than the men who reported thatthey exercised mildly only once or twice a week. Given the clear linkthat this study establishes between longevity and exercise, doctorsshould not recommend moderate exercise to their patients but shouldinstead encourage vigorous outdoor exercise on a daily basis."  　　3.The following appeared in a letter to the editor of a local newspaper. 　　"Too much emphasis is placed on the development of reading skills inelementary school. Many students who are discouraged by the lonelyactivity of reading turn away from schoolwork merely because they arepoor readers. But books recorded on audiocassette tape provide animportant alternative for students at this crucial stage in theireducation, one the school board should not reject merely because of theexpense involved. After all, many studies attest to the value ofallowing students to hear books read aloud; there is even evidence thatstudents whose parents read to them are even more likely to become ablereaders. Thus, hearing books on tape can only make students more eagerto read and to learn. Therefore, the school board should encourageschools to buy books on tape and to use them in elementary education."  　　4.The following is taken from an advertisement placed in a weekly business magazine by the Dickens Academy. 　　"We distributed a survey to senior management at InternationalMega-Publishing, Inc. The result of the survey clearly indicates thatmany employees were well prepared in business knowledge and computerskills, but lacked interpersonal skills to interact gracefully withcustomers. International Mega-Publishing decided to improve customersatisfaction by sending their newly hired employees to our one-dayseminars. Since taking advantage of our program, InternationalMega-Publishing has seen a sharp increase in sales, an indication thatthe number of their disgruntled customers has declined significantly.Your company should hire Dickens and let us turn every employee into anambassador for your company."

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument.　　1.The following is a letter to the editor of a local newspaper.
　　"As a local merchant, I wish to support the development of a skiresort in the state park north of our township. Along with many othermerchants who favor the proposal by Ski the Slopes, Incorporated, Iwould, of course, experience a growth in my business. But I also knowhow much more prosperous, not to mention lively and interesting, ourcommunity would be if tourism increased. Since the main oppositioncomes from a few environmentalists* who do not even live in thiscommunity, I see no reason to give in to their views. The FirstNational Bank has finally researched the project and agreed to fund it.As a result, I see no reason to delay development of the resort."
　　Environmentalists are people who advocate the preservation of the natural environment.

　　2.The Trash-Site Safety Council has recently conducted a statewidestudy of possible harmful effects of garbage sites on the health ofpeople living near the sites. A total of five sites and 300 people wereexamined. The study revealed, on average, only a small statisticalcorrelation between the proximity of homes to garbage sites and theincidence of unexplained rashes among people living in these homes.Furthermore, although it is true that people living near the largesttrash sites had a slightly higher incidence of the rashes, there wasotherwise no correlation between the size of the garbage sites andpeople's health. Therefore, the council is pleased to announce that thecurrent system of garbage sites does not pose a significant healthhazard. We see no need to restrict the size of such sites in our stateor to place any restrictions on the number of homes built near thesites.

　　3.The nation of Claria covers a vast physical area.But despite wide geographic differences, many citizens are experiencingrising costs of electricity. A recent study of household electric costsin Claria found that families who cooled their houses with fans alonespent more on electricity than did families using air conditionersalone for cooling. However, those households that reported using bothfans and air conditioners spent less on electricity than thosehouseholds that used either fans or air conditioners alone. Thus, thecitizens of Claria should follow the study's recommendation and useboth air conditioners and fans in order to save money on electricity.

　　4.As people grow older, an enzyme known as PEP increasingly breaksdown the neuropeptide chemicals involved in learning and memory. Butnow, researchers have found compounds that prevent PEP from breakingneuropeptides apart. In tests, these compounds almost completelyrestored lost memory in rats. The use of these compounds should beextended to students who have poor memory and difficulty inconcentrating-and therefore serious problems in school performance.Science finally has a solution for problems neither parents norteachers could solve.

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument.
　　
　　1.In astudy of reading habits of Leeville citizens conducted by theUniversity of Leeville, most respondents said they preferred literaryclassics as reading material. However, a follow-up study conducted bythe same researchers found that the type of book most frequentlychecked out of each of the public libraries in Leeville was the mysterynovel. Therefore, it can be concluded that the respondents in the firststudy had misrepresented their reading habits.

　　2.A recentstudy shows that people living on the continent of North America suffer9 times more chronic fatigue and 31 times more chronic depression thando people living on the continent of Asia. Interestingly, Asians, onaverage, eat 20 grams of soy per day, whereas North Americans eatvirtually none. It turns out that soy contains phytochemicals calledisoflavones, which have been found to possess disease-preventingproperties. Thus, North Americans should consider eating soy on aregular basis as a way of preventing fatigue and depression.

　　3.The following is taken from the editorial section of the local newspaper in Rockingham. 　　"In order to save a considerable amount of money, Rockingham'scentury-old town hall should be torn down and replaced by the largerand more energy-efficient building that some citizens have proposed.The old town hall is too small to comfortably accommodate the number ofpeople who are employed by the town. In addition, it is very costly toheat the old hall in winter and cool it in summer. The new, largerbuilding would be more energy efficient, costing less per square footto heat and cool than the old hall. Furthermore, it would be possibleto rent out some of the space in the new building, thereby generatingincome for the town of Rockingham."

　　4.Claitown Universityneeds both affordable housing for its students and a way to fund thebuilding of such housing. The best solution to this problem is tocommission a famous architect known for experimental and futuristicbuildings. It is common knowledge that tourists are willing to paymoney to tour some of the architect's buildings, so it can be expectedthat tourists will want to visit this new building. The income from thefees charged to tourists will soon cover the building costs.Furthermore, such a building will attract new students as well asdonations from alumni. And even though such a building will be muchlarger than our current need for student housing, part of the buildingcan be used as office space.

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. 　　1.The following appeared in a business magazine.
　　"As a result of numerous consumer complaints of dizziness andnausea, Promofoods requested that eight million cans of tuna bereturned for testing last year. Promofoods concluded that the cans didnot, after all, contain chemicals that posed a health risk. Thisconclusion is based on the fact that the chemists from Promofoodstested samples of the recalled cans and found that, of the eightchemicals most commonly blamed for causing symptoms of dizziness andnausea, five were not found in any of the tested cans. The chemists didfind that the three remaining suspected chemicals are naturally foundin all other kinds of canned foods."

　　2.The following appeared in a local newspaper.
　　"People should not be misled by the advertising competitionbetween Coldex and Cold-Away, both popular over-the-counter coldmedications that anyone can purchase without a doctor's prescription.Each brand is accusing the other of causing some well-known, unwantedside effect: Coldex is known to contribute to existing high bloodpressure and Cold-Away is known to cause drowsiness. But the choiceshould be clear for most health-conscious people: Cold-Away has been onthe market for much longer and is used by more hospitals than isColdex. Clearly, Cold-Away is more effective."

　　3.A folkremedy for insomnia, the scent in lavender flowers, has now been provedeffective. In a recent study, 30 volunteers with chronic insomnia slepteach night for three weeks on lavender-scented pillows in a controlledroom where their sleep was monitored. During the first week, volunteerscontinued to take their usual sleeping medication. They slept soundlybut wakened feeling tired. During the second week, the volunteersdiscontinued their medication. As a result, they slept less soundlythan the previous week and felt even more tired. During the third week,the volunteers slept longer and more soundly than in the previous twoweeks. This shows that over a short period of time lavender curesinsomnia.
　　A folk remedy is usually a plant-based form of treatment common totraditional forms of medicine, ones that developed before the advent ofmodern medical services and technology.

　　4.Typically, aspeople age, their bone mass decreases, making them more vulnerable tobone fractures. A recent study concludes that the most effective way toreduce the risk of fractures in later life is to take twice therecommended dose of vitamin D and calcium daily. The three-year studyfollowed a group of French women in their eighties who werenursing-home residents. The women were given daily supplements of twicethe recommended dose of vitamin D and calcium. In addition, the womenparticipated in a light weightlifting program. After three years, thesewomen showed a much lower rate of hip fractures than is average fortheir age.

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument.　　1.The following appeared in a letter from a department chairperson to the president of Pierce University. 　　"Some studies conducted by Bronston College, which is also located ina small town, reveal that both male and female professors are happierliving in small towns when their spouses are also employed in the samegeographic area. Therefore, in the interest of attracting the mostgifted teachers and researchers to our faculty and improving the moraleof our entire staff, we at Pierce University should offer employment tothe spouse of each new faculty member we hire. Although we cannotexpect all offers to be accepted or to be viewed as an ideal job offer,the money invested in this effort will clearly be well spent because,if their spouses have a chance of employment, new professors will bemore likely to accept our offers."  　　2.For the past fiveyears, consumers in California have been willing to pay twice as muchfor oysters from the northeastern Atlantic Coast as for Gulf Coastoysters. This trend began shortly after harmful bacteria were found ina few raw Gulf Coast oysters. But scientists have now devised a processfor killing the bacteria. Once consumers are made aware of theincreased safety of Gulf Coast oysters, they are likely to be willingto pay as much for Gulf Coast as for northeastern Atlantic Coastoysters, and greater profits for Gulf Coast oyster producers willfollow.  　　3.The following appeared in a memo from the marketing director of "Bargain Brand" Cereals. 　　One year ago we introduced our first product, "Bargain Brand"breakfast cereal. Our very low prices quickly drew many customers awayfrom the top-selling cereal companies. Although the companies producingthe top brands have since tried to compete with us by lowering theirprices, and although several plan to introduce their own budget brands,not once have we needed to raise our prices to continue making aprofit. Given our success selling cereal, Bargain Brand should nowexpand its business and begin marketing other low-priced food productsas quickly as possible.  　　4.The Mozart School of Music shouldobviously be the first choice of any music student aware of itsreputation. First of all, the Mozart School stresses intensive practiceand training, so that students typically begin their training at a veryyoung age. Second, the school has ample facilities and up-to-dateprofessional equipment, and its faculty includes some of the mostdistinguished music teachers in the world. Finally, many Mozartgraduates have gone on to be the best known and most highly paidmusicians in the nation.

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. 　　1.The following is a memorandum issued by the publisher of a newsmagazine, Newsbeat, in the country of Dinn.
　　"Our poorest-selling magazine issues over the past three yearswere those that featured international news stories on their frontcovers. Over the same period, competing news-magazines havesignificantly decreased the number of cover stories that they devote tointernational news. Moreover, the cost of maintaining our foreignbureaus to report on international news is increasing. Therefore, weshould decrease our emphasis on international news and refrain fromdisplaying such stories on our magazine covers."

　　2.Thefollowing recommendation was made by the president and administrativestaff of Grove College, a private institution, to the college'sgoverning committee.
　　"We recommend that Grove College preserve its century-oldtradition of all-female education rather than admit men into itsprograms. It is true that a majority of faculty members voted in favorof coeducation, arguing that it would encourage more students to applyto Grove. But eighty percent of the students responding to a surveyconducted by the student government wanted the school to remain allfemale, and over half of the alumni who answered a separate survey alsoopposed coeducation. Keeping the college all-female, therefore, willimprove morale among students and convince alumni to keep supportingthe college financially."

　　3.The following appeared in a letter to the school board in the town of Centerville.
　　"All students should be required to take the driver's educationcourse at Centerville High School. In the past two years severalaccidents in and around Centerville have involved teenage drivers.Since a number of parents in Centerville have complained that they aretoo busy to teach their teenagers to drive, some other instruction isnecessary to ensure that these teenagers are safe drivers. Althoughthere are two driving schools in Centerville, parents on a tight budgetcannot afford to pay for driving instruction. Therefore an effectiveand mandatory program sponsored by the high school is the only solutionto this serious problem."

　　4.The following is a memorandum from the sales director to the president of the Healthy-and-Good food company.
　　"A recent study indicates that Venadial, a new margarine currentlyproduced only in the country of Alta, actually reduces cholesterollevels. Derived from the resin of pine trees, Venadial works byactivating a metabolic response that is not yet well understood.However, cholesterol levels fell ten to fifteen percent amongparticipants in the study who consumed Venadial daily, and the risk ofheart attack by one-third. In addition, the new margarine is so popularthat stores in Alta are unable to keep it on their shelves. Therefore,if our company obtains the exclusive right to sell Venadialinternationally, our profits are sure to increase substantially withina very short time."

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. 　　1.The following is a letter that recently appeared in the Oak City Gazette, a local newspaper.
　　"Membership in Oak City's Civic Club---a club whose primaryobjective is to discuss local issues---should continue to be restrictedto people who live in Oak City. People who work-in Oak City but wholive elsewhere cannot truly understand the business and politics of thecity. It is important to restrict membership to city residents becauseonly residents pay city taxes and therefore only residents understandhow the money could best be used to improve the city. At any rate,restricting membership in this way is unlikely to disappoint many ofthe nonresidents employed in Oak City, since neighboring Elm City'sCivic Club has always had an open membership policy, and onlytwenty-five nonresidents have joined Elm City's Club in the last tenyears."

　　2.The following appeared in the annual report from the president of the National Brush Company.
　　"In order to save money, we at the National Brush Company havedecided to pay our employees for each brush they produce instead of forthe time they spend producing brushes. We believe that this policy willlead to the production of more and better brushes, will allow us toreduce our staff size, and will enable the company factories to operatefor fewer hours---resulting in savings on electricity and securitycosts. These changes will ensure that the best workers keep their jobsand that the company will earn a profit in the coming year."

　　3.The following is a memorandum written by the director of personnel to the president of the Cedar Corporation.
　　"It would be a mistake to rehire the Good-Taste Company to supplythe food in our employee cafeteria next year. It is the second mostexpensive caterer in the city. In addition, its prices have risen ineach of the last three years, and it refuses to provide meals forpeople on special diets. Just last month three employees complained tome that they no longer eat in the cafeteria because they find theexperience 'unbearable.' Our company should instead hire DiscountFoods. Discount is a family-owned local company and it offers a variedmenu of fish and poultry. I recently tasted a sample lunch at one ofthe many companies that Discount serves and it was delicious---anindication that hiring Discount will lead to improved employeesatisfaction."

　　4.The following is a recommendation from the personnel director to the president of Acme Publishing Company.
　　"Many other companies have recently stated that having theiremployees take the Easy Read Speed-Reading Course has greatly improvedproductivity. One graduate of the course was able to read afive-hundred-page report in only two hours; another graduate rose froman assistant manager to vice president of the company in under a year.Obviously, the faster you can read, the more information you can absorbin a single workday. Moreover, Easy Read costs only $500 peremployee---a small price to pay when you consider the benefits to Acme.Included in this fee is a three-week seminar in Spruce City and alifelong subscription to the Easy Read newsletter. Clearly, Acme wouldbenefit greatly by requiring all of our employees to take the Easy Readcourse."

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. 　　1.From a letter to the editor of a city newspaper. 　　"One recent research study has indicated that many adolescentsneed more sleep than they are getting, and another study has shown thatmany high school students in our city are actually dissatisfied withtheir own academic performance. As a way of combating these problems,the high schools in our city should begin classes at 8:30 A.M. insteadof 7:30 A.M., and end the school day an hour later. This arrangementwill give students an extra hour of sleep in the morning, therebymaking them more alert and more productive. Consequently, the studentswill perform better on tests and other assignments, and their academicskills will improve significantly."  　　2.Butter has now been replaced by margarine in Happy PancakeHouse restaurants throughout the southwestern United States. Only about2 percent of customers have complained, indicating that 98 people outof 100 are happy with the change. Furthermore, many servers havereported that a number of customers who still ask for butter do notcomplain when they are given margarine instead. Clearly, either thesecustomers cannot distinguish margarine from butter, or they use theterm "butter" to refer to either butter or margarine. Thus, to avoidthe expense of purchasing butter, the Happy Pancake House should extendthis cost-saving change to its restaurants in the southeast andnortheast as well.  　　3.Many employees of major United Statescorporations are fearful that they will lose their jobs in the nearfuture, but this fear is largely unfounded. According to a recentstudy, a majority of companies expected to make new hires in the comingyear, while fewer companies expected to lay off employees. In addition,although it is very disturbing to be laid off, the proliferation ofprograms and of workshops designed to improve job-finding skills hasmade being laid off far less painful than it once was.  　　4.Inthe Bayhead Public Library, books that are rarely borrowed continue totake up shelf space year after year, while people who want to read arecent novel frequently find that the library's only copy is checkedout. Clearly, the library's plan to replace books that are borrowed nomore than once a year with sufficient copies of more recent books willsolve this problem. The protest we have heard since this plan was madepublic has come from a small, and thus unrepresentative, group of somethirty people and so should therefore be ignored.

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. 　　1.The following appeared in a letter from the owner of the Sunnyside Towers apartment building to its manager. 　　"One month ago, all the showerheads on the first five floors ofSunnyside Towers were modified to restrict the water flow toapproximately 1/3 of its original force. Although actual readings ofwater usage before and after the adjustment are not yet available, thechange will obviously result in a considerable savings for SunnysideCorporation, since the corporation must pay for water each month.Except for a few complaints about low water pressure, no problems withshowers have been reported since the adjustment. Clearly, restrictingwater flow throughout all the 20 floors of Sunnyside Towers willincrease our profits further."  　　2.The following is a recommendation from the director of personnel to the president of Professional Printing Company. 　　"In a recent telephone survey of automobile factory workers, olderemployees were less likely to report that having a supervisor presentincreases their productivity. Among workers aged 18 to 29, 27 percentsaid that they are more productive in the presence of their immediatesupervisor, compared to 12 percent for those aged 30 or over, and only8 percent for those aged 50 or over. Clearly, if our printing companyhires mainly older employees, we will increase productivity and savemoney because of the reduced need for supervisors."  　　3.The following appeared as part of an article in a health magazine. 　　"A new discovery warrants a drastic change in the diets of peopleliving in the United States. Two scientists have recently suggestedthat omega -3 fatty acids (found in some fish and fish oils) play a keyrole in mental health. Our ancestors, who ate less saturated fat andmore polyunsaturated fat, including omega -3 fatty acids, were muchless likely to suffer from depression than we are today. Moreover,modern societies---such as those in Japan and Taiwan---that consumelarge quantities of fish report depression rates lower than that in theUnited States. Given this link between omega -3 fatty acids anddepression, it is important for all people in the United States toincrease their consumption of fish in order to prevent depression."  　　4.A new report suggests that men and women experience pain verydifferently from one another, and that doctors should consider thesedifferences when prescribing pain medications. When researchersadministered the same dosage of kappa options--- a painkiller---to 28men and 20 women who were having their wisdom teeth extracted, thewomen reported feeling much less pain than the men, and the easing ofpain lasted considerably longer in women. This research suggests thatkappa opioids should be prescribed for women whenever pain medicationis required, whereas men should be given other kinds of painmedication. In addition, researchers should reevaluate the effects ofall medications on men versus women.

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. 　　1.The following is a recommendation from the dean at FoleyCollege, a small liberal arts college, to the president of the college.
　　"Since college-bound students are increasingly concerned about jobprospects after graduation, Foley College should attempt to increaseenrollment by promising to find its students jobs after they graduate.Many administrators feel that this strategy is a way for Foley tocompete against larger and more prestigious schools and to encouragestudents to begin preparing for careers as soon as they enter college.Furthermore, a student who must choose a career path within his or herfirst year of college and who is guaranteed a job after graduation ismore likely to successfully complete the coursework that will preparehim or her for the future."

　　2.The following is a letter to the editor of the Glenville Gazette, a local newspaper.
　　"Over the past few years, the number of people who have purchasedadvance tickets for the Glenville Summer Concert series has declined,indicating lack of community support. Although the weather has beenunpredictable in the past few years, this cannot be the reason for thedecline in advance ticket purchases, because many people attended theconcerts even in bad weather. Clearly, then, the reason for the declineis the choice of music, so the organizers of the concert should featuremore modern music in the future and should be sure to include musiccomposed by Richerts, whose recordings Glenville residents purchasemore often than any other contemporary recordings. This strategy willundoubtedly increase advance ticket purchases and will increaseattendance at the concerts."

　　3.The following is a letter from a professor at Xanadu College to the college's president.
　　"The development of an extensive computer-based long-distancelearning program will enhance the reputation of Xanadu College. Thisprogram would allow more students to enroll in our courses, therebyincreasing our income from student tuition. Traditional courses couldeasily be adapted for distance learners, as was shown by the adaptationof two traditional courses for our distance learning trial project lastyear. Also, by using computer programs and taped lectures, faculty willhave fewer classroom obligations and more time to engage in extensiveresearch, thereby enhancing the reputation of Xanadu."

　　4.The following is a letter to the editor of the Roseville Gazette.
　　"Despite opposition from some residents of West Roseville, thearguments in favor of merging the townships of Roseville and WestRoseville are overwhelming. First, residents in both townships areconfused about which authority to contact when they need a service; forexample, the police department in Roseville receives many calls fromresidents of West Roseville. This sort of confusion would be eliminatedwith the merger. Second, the savings in administrative costs would beenormous, since services would no longer be duplicated: we would haveonly one fire chief, one tax department, one mayor, and so on. And nojobs in city government would be lost---employees could simply bereassigned. Most importantly, the merger will undoubtedly attractbusiness investments as it did when the townships of Hamden and NorthHamden merged ten years ago."