SSH 105 TEST 3 | CRITICAL THINKING ARGUMENT ANALYSIS &
RECONSTRUCTION STUDY GUIDE 2026/2027
Principle of charity - ANS ✔✔2 parts:
1. Don't twist other people's words for better or worse. Be fair-minded and reasonable, and take the
argument for what it is.
2. Try to formulate a reconstruction that is well-formed, has premises that are R/J/R for the
author/speaker to believe, and for inductive arguments aren't defeated.
How to recognize arguments - ANS ✔✔
step 1 - ANS ✔✔Figure out of it is an argument or not.
How to figure out if it is an argument - ANS ✔✔1. look for a conclusion and look for premises
ask yourself: is the author trying to get me to believe something by giving me reasons
Descriptive writing - ANS ✔✔just describing things. ex. the cat is on the table
rhetorical writing - ANS ✔✔Asserts one or more conclusions without premises. in my opinion.... Ex.
joseph is not nice
Techniques for identifying conclusions - ANS ✔✔1. try to ignore everything that isn't an argument
2. remember any proposition on any topic can be a conclusion
3. ask yourself what the overall point of what the speech is
Identifying conclusions cont. - ANS ✔✔4. remember one speech can have one main argument and many
sub-arguments
5. look for conclusion indicators
6. remember that these aren't always present
7 remember that they aren't always last, sometimes they come first
8. sometimes they are implicit conclusions
9. sometimes the explicitly stated conclusion isn't what the author met
10. they can be stated in obscure ways
Conclusions indicators - ANS ✔✔thus, therefore, hence, entails, implies, it follows that, we may
conclude, this proves that, consequently, so, establishes, shows.
techniques for identifying premises - ANS ✔✔1. try to ignore non-argumentative material
2. remember any proposition on any topic, expressed by any person at a time can be premise
3. ask yourself: what are the reasons offered by the speaker
4. remember one chunk of words may include several independent arguments or sub arguments
5. look for premise indicators
6. remember that premise indicators aren't always there
7 remember they don't come in first
8 sometimes people don't explicitly say them at all
9. sometimes the explicit statements aren't what the author meant
RECONSTRUCTION STUDY GUIDE 2026/2027
Principle of charity - ANS ✔✔2 parts:
1. Don't twist other people's words for better or worse. Be fair-minded and reasonable, and take the
argument for what it is.
2. Try to formulate a reconstruction that is well-formed, has premises that are R/J/R for the
author/speaker to believe, and for inductive arguments aren't defeated.
How to recognize arguments - ANS ✔✔
step 1 - ANS ✔✔Figure out of it is an argument or not.
How to figure out if it is an argument - ANS ✔✔1. look for a conclusion and look for premises
ask yourself: is the author trying to get me to believe something by giving me reasons
Descriptive writing - ANS ✔✔just describing things. ex. the cat is on the table
rhetorical writing - ANS ✔✔Asserts one or more conclusions without premises. in my opinion.... Ex.
joseph is not nice
Techniques for identifying conclusions - ANS ✔✔1. try to ignore everything that isn't an argument
2. remember any proposition on any topic can be a conclusion
3. ask yourself what the overall point of what the speech is
Identifying conclusions cont. - ANS ✔✔4. remember one speech can have one main argument and many
sub-arguments
5. look for conclusion indicators
6. remember that these aren't always present
7 remember that they aren't always last, sometimes they come first
8. sometimes they are implicit conclusions
9. sometimes the explicitly stated conclusion isn't what the author met
10. they can be stated in obscure ways
Conclusions indicators - ANS ✔✔thus, therefore, hence, entails, implies, it follows that, we may
conclude, this proves that, consequently, so, establishes, shows.
techniques for identifying premises - ANS ✔✔1. try to ignore non-argumentative material
2. remember any proposition on any topic, expressed by any person at a time can be premise
3. ask yourself: what are the reasons offered by the speaker
4. remember one chunk of words may include several independent arguments or sub arguments
5. look for premise indicators
6. remember that premise indicators aren't always there
7 remember they don't come in first
8 sometimes people don't explicitly say them at all
9. sometimes the explicit statements aren't what the author meant
