Exam 3: Clear Thinking,critical Thinking,and Clear Writing

For the term,"Marxism," invent a persuasive definition (either positive or negative).Remember,persuasive definitions can be analytical definitions,definitions by example,or definitions by synonym.

Classify the following:"'Freedom' is just another word for nothing left to lose."-Kris Kristofferson

Determine whether the following claim is best classified as semantically ambiguous (and whether this contains grouping ambiguities),syntactically ambiguous,or free from ambiguity:She watched him dance with intensity.

Classify the following:"Conservative,n.A statesman who is enamored of existing evils,as distinguished from a liberal,who wishes to replace them with others."-Ambrose Bierce

Classify the following:"Dr.Monfort thinks 'new-age' is another word for mindless."

For "liberal (noun)," provide an analytical definition that is unflattering.

A)Find an example in a newspaper or newsmagazine of a sentence or passage that is too vague for its context.B)Write another version of the sentence or passage so that it is no longer too vague.

For "physicians," provide an analytical definition that is unflattering.

Considering the context in which it was most likely uttered,would you say the following claim is ambiguous,too vague,or neither? There will be over one hundred consolation prizes worth over $10,000.

Considering the context in which it was most likely uttered,would you say the following claim is ambiguous,too vague,or neither? DEATH HAMPERS BREEDING -Enterprise Record (Chico,Calif. )

Exercise:Are you familiar with the word,"pervicacious"? Provide a definition.If the term is unfamiliar,make a guess about its meaning based on its appearance or sound,and create your own definition.Then look the word up,and find out how close you got.(We provide a thumbnail meaning as answer. )

Classify the following definition according to its use:to reduce vagueness,to introduce or explain a new or unusual word,to evoke an attitude about something,or to accomplish some other purpose. Marriage is paying an endless visit in your worst clothes.-J. B.Priestly A persuasive definition;to denigrate marriage good humouredly.

Exercise:Find an example of an ambiguous claim in a newspaper or magazine.(Hint:Headlines are sometimes great sources of such claims.Groups of them also float around on the Internet. )

Determine whether the claim in the following is too vague in the context that is stated or implied:Renaissance music simply lulls me to sleep.

Rank the claims in the following set from general to least vague. a.Dennis was a monster all evening. b.Dennis was well-behaved while the guests were here. c.Dennis was ill-mannered toward the guests. d.Dennis threw a tantrum in front of everybody.

Criticize the following claim based on the material from Chapter 3 of the text. "Who won?"-ABC poll question,after a presidential debate

For the term,"hippie," invent a persuasive definition (either positive or negative).Remember,persuasive definitions can be analytical definitions,definitions by example,or definitions by synonym.

Discuss whether the vagueness of the following passage is appropriate to the context that is stated or implied.Pay particular attention to the underlined expressions. One demographer thinks that more than 20 percent of the women born in the mid-1950s are childless,a rate that is almost triple that of the previous generation. You will hear this ascribed to a breakdown of traditional values or to rampant selfishness.But this glib explanation misses the deeper truth,which is more subtle and less personal.People haven't suddenly become more selfish.Changing economic and social realities have simply made children less economically essential and,therefore,more a matter of choice.When people urge a return to traditional values,they're talking about the impossible:reversing centuries of economic and technological change that have altered women's roles.Women's liberation is less an idea than the result of changes that,by reducing pressures for childbearing,inevitably led to more educational and job opportunities. -Adapted from a newsmagazine essay

Using what you learned in Chapter 3,write an essay explaining any difficulty in the following piece of reasoning: "Look,if one television set has one more line of resolution than another,you can't say the first is 'high-definition TV' and the second one is not.So whether a set has 900 lines or 901 can't make the difference.Neither can the difference between 1800 lines and 1801 lines.In fact,there's no place where you can identify exactly where definition becomes 'high.' So there's no point in talking about high definition,when you get down to it."

Invent three examples of claims containing grouping ambiguities.