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

Criticize the following claim based on the material from Chapter 3 of the text. "Life its own self,as Dan Jenkins said.Life its own self.Figure that one out,Norm.But what it means is,I have a lot more to learn from President Reagan."-George Bush,when asked,upon first becoming president,whether his predecessor,Ronald Reagan,was advising him (quoted in Ross and Petras,The 776 Stupidest Things Ever Said)

Criticize the following claim based on the material from Chapter 3 of the text. "I am a fuzzy bunny lover."-From a student paper

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. "Conservatism is realism about mankind's limitations."-George Will

Invent three examples of syntactically ambiguous claims.

Determine whether the claim in the following is too vague in the context that is stated or implied:"I can't tell you how much I love you.You make me very happy."

Classify the following:"A juice harp is a harmonica."

Exercise:Are you familiar with the word,"trenchant"? 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. )

Considering the context in which it was most likely uttered,would you say the following claim is ambiguous,too vague,or neither? FROZEN EMBRYOS RULED CHILDREN -Daily News-Record (Harrisonburg,Va. )

Determine whether the claim in the following is too vague in the context that is stated or implied:During his first news conference of the year,the president said today that his administration was going to crack down even harder on international terrorism.

Classify the following:"The inscription over the door of the administration building is a sample of a gothic script called Fraktur."

Evaluate the following claim,paying particular attention to problems of clarity.Note that claims may also present problems of knowability,though we don't address knowability per se in this chapter. All of the last three years have been extremely dry.

For the following,indicate whether the definition given is by example,by synonym,or analytical:"An oxymoron? Try 'military intelligence.'"

Determine whether the following claim is best classified as semantically ambiguous (and whether this contains grouping ambiguities),syntactically ambiguous,or free from ambiguity:There is a job for everyone.

Define "proud" by synonyms,using one synonym that carries a complimentary meaning and one that carries a derogatory emotive meaning.

Determine whether the claim in the following is too vague in the context that is stated or implied:From the label of a can of spaghetti sauce:"Made with real meat."

Define "intellectual (noun)" by synonyms,using one synonym that carries a complimentary meaning and one that carries a derogatory emotive meaning.

Define "dog (noun)" by synonyms,using one synonym that carries a complimentary meaning and one that carries a derogatory emotive meaning.

For the following,indicate whether the definition given is by example,by synonym,or analytical:"Epistemologist" means a philosopher or other intellectual who studies the nature of knowledge.

For the following,indicate whether the definition given is by example,by synonym,or analytical:What I mean by setting a good example is not putting your feet on the table.

Define "drinker" by synonyms,using one synonym that carries a complimentary meaning and one that carries a derogatory emotive meaning.