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

Classify the following:"A derailleur is that gizmo that shifts gears on a bike."

Classify the following:"When Dr.Leakey said Lucy's walk was bipedal,he meant her walk was upright."

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. "Now if we set about to find out what...[a] statement means and to determine whether to accept or reject it,we would be engaged in thinking which,for lack of a better term,we shall call critical thinking."-B.Othanel Smith

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. When we use the word "argument" in this class,we'll mean a set of claims,one of which is supported by the others.

Criticize the following claim based on the material from Chapter 3 of the text. "To make tea,make water not too hot.Too hot water is not for best flavor." -Instructions to an imported tea

Considering the context in which it was most likely uttered,would you say the following claim is ambiguous,too vague,or neither? "In Los Angeles,a 'humor wagon' makes weekly visits to hospitals to entertain children with cancer." -UPI article

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

Determine whether the claim in the following is too vague in the context that is stated or implied:Teacher to student:"How long should your term paper be? As long as it takes to do justice to your subject."

Exercise:In a paper written for another class,find a sentence or passage that is too vague for its context.

Identify any unnecessary and potentially offensive references to gender,race,or other features in the following passage and,as necessary,rewrite the passage in neutral language. Another crime news item:"Authorities who were investigating the Eastgate Mall burglaries last night arrested Lewis Thompkins,a black man about twenty-five years old."

Arrange the lettered items below in order of increasingly favorable emotive meaning.Instructor and/or students may want to fuss about some of our rankings in these problems.We've said (a)= (b)when (a)and (b)seem equally favorable to us. a.Danielle sings beautifully. b.Danielle has an excellent ear for pitch,a wide range,perfect timbre,and fine phrasing. c.Danielle sings like an angel. d.Danielle is a competent singer

Classify the following:"When I saw my old crowd at my high school reunion,I suddenly realized what the phrase 'motley crew' really meant."

Which item in the following set of claims has the most negative emotive meaning? Shirley always had trouble finding clothes that fit because she was a.so petite. b.quite small. c.a runt. d.diminutive. e.tiny.

Arrange the lettered items below in order of increasingly favorable emotive meaning.Instructor and/or students may want to fuss about some of our rankings in these problems.We've said (a)= (b)when (a)and (b)seem equally favorable to us. Karl's diet really took the pounds off;he looks really a.slender. b.thin. c.svelte. d.trim.

Which item in the following set of claims has the most negative emotive meaning? He'll never make a good wide receiver because a.he has trouble holding onto the ball. b.he has bricks for hands. c.he can't catch. d.no self-respecting football would be seen his hands.

Classify the following:"Loquacious means talkative."

Criticize the following claim based on the material from Chapter 3 of the text. "If the lights burn dimly or not at all when you first turn them on,the battery is probably run down.Test the battery.If it is run down,you should try to find out what caused it."-Crouse and Anglin,The Auto Book

Criticize the following claim based on the material from Chapter 3 of the text. "Subdeconstructive capitalism implies that narrative is a product of the masses.In a sense,the subject is contextualised into a textual libertarianism that includes culture as a totality."

Classify the following:"A miracle:an event described by those to whom it was told by men who did not see it."-Elbert Hubbard

Criticize the following claim based on the material from Chapter 3 of the text. "A requirement for this course is a term paper on some topic."-Statement on course syllabus