I. The Rational Appeal section -179

• Reasons are the key points you’ll use to defend your ideas.

• Convince the audience with evidence. Appeal to Reason.

• A. established truths—(has own paragraph in chapter)

• B. opinions of authorities —(has own paragraph in chapter)

• example: Center for Disease Control website vs. Jimshealth.com

• C. primary source information —(has own paragraph in chapter)

• D. statistics —(has own paragraph in chapter)

• E. personal experience or the experience of others—(has own paragraph in

chapter)

• F. Weigh the credibility, quantity, reliability, and applicability of evidence to decide if

you should use it, or find something else.

• G. Reasoning Strategies

• Reasoning Strategy #1: Induction—common, but basic: strategy that requires

us to check all our evidence—sometimes impossible to do

• Reasoning Strategy #2: deduction—more sophisticated: shows how the

conclusion develops logically

• reductio ad Absurdum

• syllogisms—can be used anywhere

• analogies—weakest form of argument

Sample Test Question: • Which one of the following features of argument explains that because its conclusions about one thing rest upon observations about some different thing, analogy is the weakest form of appeal to reason?

A. Rational Appeal

B. Emotional Appeal

C. Ferreting Out Fallacies

D. Ethical Appeal

Answer A. Rational appeal

II. The Emotional Appeal 179-180

• Emotional appeal can be a powerful reinforcement in your argument.

– Good examples in chapter

• takes planning

Sample Test Question:

• Which of the following features of argument is being used when the audience is shown World Trade Center footage in order to gain support for a political candidate?

A. Rational Appeal

B. Emotional Appeal

C. Ferreting out Fallacies

D. Ethical Appeal

Answer B. Emotional appeal

III. Ethical Appeal 180-181 • Audience must be willing to consider your argument

• If a writer’s tone offends, the project fails

• If you have a genuine concern for the topic, a commitment to the truth, and respect for others, you sound reasonable.

• Always check for snide remarks during the revision process.

Sample Test Question

• Which of the following features of argument points out that if a writer seems fair- minded, the audience will be more willing to consider the argument?

A. Rational Appeal

B. Emotional Appeal

C. Ferreting out Fallacies

D. Ethical Appeal

Answer D. Ethical Appeal