CRCB Chapter 11

Summary

The old saying “A picture is worth a thousand words” is true. Visual aids are helpful because most people learn visually. They are learning aids, used to support the main idea by enhancing and clarifying the text. There are many different types of visual aids, including charts and tables, diagrams, illustrations, graphs and photographs. Charts and tables present a large amount of data in an easy to read format. Diagrams show connections between ideas. Illustrations show parts and sections of anatomy and objects. Graphs make large amounts of information easily accessible. Mind maps are a recent innovation, which are created in a free-form style. I use mind maps to connect ideas and organize thoughts for school compositions.

Exercises

1. According to the excerpt, drug therapy is defined as

The control of psychological disorders through drugs.

2. Which of the following best describes synapses?

Sites where nerve impulses travel from one neuron to another.

3. Antipsychotic drugs are

Used to reduce sever symptoms of mental disturbance.

4. Which of the following types of drugs are most frequently prescribed by physicians?

Antidepressant drugs

5. _______ is a drug use to treat bipolar disorder.

Lithium

6. One of the biggest changes to occur in mental hospitals was due to the introduction of ______.

Antipsychotic drugs

7. Antianxiety drugs eliminate the anxiety a person experiences. True or false?

False

8. St. John’s Wort is a drug that has proved effective in treating depression. True or false?

False

9. Antidepressant drugs were discovered by accident. True or false?

True

10. Drug therapy works by altering the operation of neurotransmittors and neurons in the brain. True or false?

True

TFY Chapter 12

Summary

Deductive reasoning is the process of drawing conclusions from a set of facts. We learn deductive reasoning by studying formal logic. Deductive reasoning differs from inductive reasoning in that inductive reasoning draws an inference from a set of facts, while deductive reasoning evaluates the relationship of facts, called premises. An example of deductive reasoning goes as follows:

All dogs bark. – This is a description of a class, which is dog.
Lassie is a dog. – Lassie is a member of the class.
Lassie barks. – This is the inference made from the premises.

The first two sentences are premises. The third sentence is reasoning of the premises, called a conclusion. The form of the arguments and reasoning is called a syllogism. The first premise is the major premise, and the second is the minor premise. There must be rules for deductive reasoning to determine validity and soundness. The conclusion above is valid because Lassie is a member of a class that barks. However, in invalid conclusion can be reached if the following premises are followed:

All dogs bark.
Lassie barks.
Lassie is a dog.

It is not valid to conclude that Lassie is a dog. Lassie may be another animal that barks. Soundness is the result of premises being true and the conclusion being correct. The second syllogism is unsound because, while the facts are true, the conclusion is faulty. But, premises and conclusions are not always explicitly syllogisms. I bought a Toyota because I think Toyotas are good cars, so when I was shopping for a car, a syllogism went as follows:

All Hondas are good cars.
This car is a Honda.
This is a good car.

This deductive reasoning may be unconscious, but it may be the reason you buy the car. Many decisions are made this way.

Exercises

1. A premise is a reason given to support a conclusion.

True

2. Syllogisms are used in logic because logicians like to make their knowledge arcane, or hidden and secret.

Syllogisms are used in logic because logicians like to make their arguments clearly visible for study and review.

3. Logic is less concerned with truth than with whether one statement follows reasonably from another.

True

4. Reasoning only occurs in deduction – not in induction.

Reasoning occurs in deduction as well as in induction

5. A generalization reached through induction can be a premise used in a deductive syllogism.

True

6. “All homeowners are taxpayers. He is a property owner. Therefore, he is a taxpayer.” This is a valid argument.

True

7. “Bloodletting reduces fever. This patient has a fever. This patient needs bloodletting.” This syllogism shows valid reasoning although both premises may not be true.

True

8. “White-skinned people are superior to dark-skinned people. Therefore, it is manifest destiny of white-skinned people to rule dark-skinned people.” No country could ever accept such fallacious reasoning as this.

This fallacious reasoning, accepted in the past, has been rejected in the vast majority of nations, but may still exist.

CRCB Chapter 1

Summary

Reading is a form of communication using written language, meant to induce thought Concentration is required to get the most out of reading. This is a discipline of “making the mind behave” that gives reading and learning with a purpose. This makes reading an active process. Active reading involves making use of prior knowledge. Reading journals and other books helps expand this knowledge. A reading journal is an active learning task, helping you to understand how you learn by showing where the difficulties are. Concentration is purposeful focus and blocking out of distractions. Learn what your internal and external distractions are.

Exercises

1. Copying down everything the professor says.

P – Most professors don’t expect you to write down everything they say. Active listeners listen intently and choose carefully what to take notes on.

2. Revising lecture notes.

A - Revising notes makes them easier to understand and formats them in a more efficient way.

3. Reviewing sections of your textbook and reciting information.

A – This helps you to reinforce what you have learned.

4. Reading each chapter straight through.

P – Reading straight through will cause loss of concentration and you may not ask important questions.

5. Always begin by previewing each chapter and developing questions to help you focus.

A – Previewing will help you be more involved and prepared to connect ideas.

6. Testing yourself on the information in your notes.

A – This is an excellent way to reinforce you knowledge.

TFY Chapter 11

Summary

Inductive reasoning is a method to uncover new information of supply missing information. Induction applies logic from facts about members of a class and draws conclusions. Inductive fallacies include hasty generalizations or jumping to a conclusion, and either-or logic, which oversimplifies. Questionable statistics cannot be verified or are false. Evidence must be consistent with the reasoning or is fallacious. Loaded questions are biased and unfair, seeking a predetermined answer. False analogies are another fallacy that ignores significant differences. False cause presents connections between occurrences without supporting evidence. The slippery slope argument makes a claim that a single event will set off an inevitable chain of events.

Exercises

1. All riders in a Boston suburb pay for their rides with special credit cards. All busses are equipped with electronic scanners that record account number, route, time and date. The American public is being conditioned to complete Big Brother surveillance of the future.

Slippery slope

2. The French and the German objections to importing British beef are purely a matter of their stubborn national pride. There is no reason to believe that this beef would infect any of their citizens with mad cow disease.

False cause

3. Any regulations that dampen corporate profits in the oil and coal industries will backfire because environmental preservation depends heavily on the health of the American economy. The richer the United States is, the more it can help poorer countries with their pollution problems.

False cause

4. Some people hesitate to have children because the expense and trouble. The trouble of having children is entirely secondary to the blessing.

NF

5. Legalizing marijuana would reduce the price by 50 percent.

Questionable statistic

6. The reason that I did not stop at that light was because it was two o’clock in the morning.

False cause

7. If the baseball players start using drugs, then so will the managers, and the next thing you know is that all the games will be fixed and baseball will no longer be a real American sport.

Slippery slope

8. You should never lie to your partner, although a little white lie never hurts.

Contradiction

9. A CA investigation found no evidence linking its employee, agents, or operatives with the crack cocaine epidemic in the U.S. and no connection between the agency and three men at the center of that drug trade .The findings…dispute allegations made by the San Jose Mercury News in 1996 of a CIA link to cocaine trafficking in California. The CIA released the first of two volumes of conclusions reached by agency Inspector General Frederick Hitz, who led a 17-member team that reviewed 250,000 pages of documents and conducted 365 interviews.

NF

10. All people are equal but some deserve more privilege.

Inconsistency

CRCB Chapter 8

Summary

An author chooses a method of organization according his purposes. Organizational patterns include listing, comparison and contrast, analysis, definition and example, cause and effect, and sequence. These patterns each have their own organizational word clues. For listings some examples are first…second, first of all…second, the four levels of…, and one way…another way. Analysis would use features, properties, characteristics, and aspects. For cause and effect, since, because, consequently and affect may be used. Comparison and contrast use however, although and like. Definition and example use is, decipher and translated as. Sequence uses word like first, then and next. Using such words fits different logical patterns in writing. Awareness of these methods can help a reader better understand the material.

Exercises

1. What was the author’s grandmother’s greatest asset?

Her bound feet

2. Why did the sight of bound feet have an erotic effect on men?

Because a woman’s vulnerability brought out a feeling of protectiveness in others who looked at her

3. Why did the grandmother’s mother stick a cloth in the grandmother’s mouth?

To make her stop screaming

4. Based on the reading, the author seems:

Regretful that she could not protect her grandmother

5. According to the author, how long did the process of foot binding last?

Several years

6. According to the author, what would happen when the mother took pity on her daughter and removed the binding cloth?

The daughter would consider her mother weak after enduring scorn

7. How did the practice of foot binding come about?

A concubine of the emperor probably suggested it

8. How would describe the author’s feelings about the practice of foot binding in her family?

The author felt that this practice was cruel

9. What can you infer about the relationship between a husband and his wife in Chine during her grandmother’s youth?

The mother-in-law would be a figure that could interfere with the husband and wife

10. What was the main idea of the reading section?

To show the cruelty of foot binding

TFY Chapter 10

Summary

Fallacies are used to confuse, deceive and manipulate an argument instead of using fair, sound logic. Recognizing fallacies will keep you on the alert for dishonest arguments. There are many different fallacies, which use language, emotion and distractions. Word ambiguity leads people to agree with positions they don’t understand. Prejudicial language slants an argument. Appeals may be made to emotions or to false authorities. Sometimes, personal attacks are made, known as ad hominem attacks. A variation on the ad hominem attack is poisoning the well, the use of negative words to describe the opponent’s position. The red herring is a classic distraction, the use of irrelevant arguments in order to cloud an issue. Pointing out other wrongs also may be used to evade the issue. The straw man argument is a caricaturization of an opponent with a refutation of that caricature. We need to recognize these fallacies in order to get to the truth. Fallacies are an attempt to dodge the truth.

Exercises

1. It was announced today that our troops, who have been shelled for some weeks in Lebanon, have made a strategic transfer to their ships offshore of that country.

Misapplied euphemism

2. In China, Europe and Brazil, efforts are being made to control the population growth that adds 1 billion people to the planet every decade.

NF

3. Africa, the birthplace of humankind, provides a disturbing clue to our future. As I fly across areas that were forests just years ago and see them becoming desert, I worry. Too many people crowd this continent; so poor they strip the land for food and wood for fuel. The subject of my life’s work and our closest living relatives, the chimpanzees, are slaughtered for food or captured for the live-animal trade. Pollution of air, land water abounds.

NF

4. Five million people have already seen this move. Shouldn’t you?
Bandwagon

5. Why do I think the president’s program is sound? It is sound because the polls show that the vast majority supports it.

Bandwagon

6. By a margin of two to one, shoppers prefer Brand X to any of the leading competitors. Reason enough to buy Brand X.
Bandwagon

7. What if your bank fails and takes your savings? Buy diamonds – the safe investment.

Appeal to fear

8. There is virtually no tar in these cigarettes.

Misapplied euphemism

9. It has been estimated that illegal aliens are costing taxpayers in excess of $5 billion a year. Should our senior citizens be denied full healthcare benefits, Should our children suffer overcrowded classrooms in order to subsidize the costs of illegal aliens?

Appeal to fear

10. There are plenty of people out on the streets waiting to get your job. If you go out on strike, you may find yourself out there with them.

Appeal to fear

11. The natural ay to relieve pain is through our vitamin ointment. It relieves pain from burns, stiff neck, backache, swelling and so forth.

Misapplied euphemism

CRCB Chapter 12

Summary

An argument has two parts, a reason and a conclusion. A reason is what supports the conclusion and a conclusion is a judgment, decision or opinion. Some word clues for reasons are in view of the facts, because, as indicated by and finally. Some word clues for conclusions are hence, as a result, shows that, then, and so. Arguments can be identified by these words. There ate two basic kinds of arguments, inductive and deductive. Deductive reasoning involves an instance of a general principal and applies a conclusion. Inductive reasoning involves drawing a general conclusion from several facts. Arguments must be evaluated dependability by verifying the source. Facts must be distinguished from opinion. Fallacious arguments need to be detected. Types of logical fallacies include either/or thinking, hasty generalizations, red herrings, false cause, slippery slope, ad hominem and circular reasoning.

Exercises

1. a. I need to study more effectively. – Conclusion
b. I failed the last exam. – Reason

2. a. I feel much better today. – Reason
b. I must be eating better. – Conclusion

3. a. Therefore, the legislature needs to address the AIDS issue. – Conclusion
b. It is estimated that 1 to 2 million Americans are infected with the virus that causes AIDS. – Reason
c. In 1996 more children and women continued to get AIDS. – Reason

4. a. Jason is guilty. – Conclusion
b. Two eyewitnesses saw Jason commit the crime. – Reason
c. Jason had three pieces of the stolen jewelry in his pocket. – Reason
d. Jason’s fingerprints matched those of the crime scene. – Reason

5. a. The results of exercise include better, more restful sleep. – Reason
b. Exercise lowers the risk of heart attack. – Reason
c. There are several benefits of exercising. – Conclusion

TFY Chapter 9

Summary

An argument presents a side to an issue of controversy. Questions must be asked regarding what is the viewpoint, what is the issue, whether it is an argument or a report, what is the structure of the argument and what are the strengths and weaknesses. Arguments have either inductive or deductive reasoning. Inductive reasoning draws a conclusion from smaller elements, while deductive reasoning draws conclusions from examples of a main point. Reasoning is used to support the conclusion of an argument. A conclusion is the last step in this reasoning process, but is not necessarily explicit. The reasons may lead to an inference instead. In an argument, a person is attempting to defend a claim in an attempt to persuade. They can be disguised as presentations of the facts in an attempt to slant the argument. A report only states facts, leaving the reader to draw his own conclusions. When evaluating an argument, it is necessary to consider the reasons supporting the conclusion, find hidden assumptions, detect slanted language, find logical fallacies and consider missing, false and contradictory information. I often hear poor arguments when I listen to talk radio in my car. Probably the most common one is over the issue of the “war on terror”. Supporters of former president Bush 43 will argue that because there has not been another terrorist attack on American soil since 9/11, the war is successful. This is a kind of circular reasoning that does not consider the attacks in Spain and Britain, or explain why we are safe when Osama bin Laden is still operating in an area where he is safe. Nor is growing instability in the Middle East considered. The fact that America has not been since 9/11 is a reliable predictor that there will not be another attack in the future.

Exercises

1. Frequent snacks of high-energy food are not harmful to backpackers. Indeed, hikers are found to have more energy and less weariness if they snack every hour.

2. Broadcast television is not appropriate in the courtroom. The relentless pressure of the media threatens the balance between the First Amendment’s press freedom and the Sixth amendment’s fair trial rights.

3. Whereas birth is the cause of celebration, death has become a dreaded and unspeakable issue to be avoided by every means possible in our modern society. Perhaps it is death that reminds of our human vulnerability despite all our technological advances.

4. Do not stop thinking of life as an adventure. You have no security unless you live bravely, excitingly and imaginatively; unless you choose a challenge instead of a competence.

5. There is nothing like the taste of fresh, hot brownies. Bake your with Bakelee’s Brownie Mix.

6. Not doubt you should have the right to allow a patient to die. No doctor is God.

7. Videos are a good way to entertain children. You can control what you watch, and there are many worthwhile films to choose from.

8. Since the 1920s, sperm counts have decline among American men. The underlying factors are uncertain, but the factors of stress and toxic chemicals are being considered.

9. If only one percent of car owners did not use their cars for one day a week, they would save 42 million gallons of gas a year and keep 840 tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere.

10. Because of their greater use of prescription drugs, women turn up in hospital room more frequently than men.

CRCB Chapter 4

Summary

Efficient reading is the ability to read and comprehend necessary material in an appropriate amount of time. Comprehension is the primary goal, not saving time. Studying is more efficient when you are most alert, so schedule your study time accordingly. Keep track of your reading rates, so that you can plan your study hours. The keys to efficient reading are: Reading quickly when appropriate, skimming, regressing, subvocalizing and pacing.

Exercises

1. Which of the following statements is not accurate according to the excerpt?

Previous traumatic experiences, especially sexual abuse, are associated with most prostitutes’ choice of employment.

2. Which of the following statements is true according to the excerpt?

Almost nine out of ten Ranch prostitutes had earned their general equivalency diplomas or graduated from high school.

3. According to the excerpt, what is the reason why streetwalkers rarely become regular brothel prostitutes?

Brothels have lots of rules and mandatory confinement.

4. According to the author, the prostitutes she investigated ate the Mustang Ranch were

Women very committed to their families.

5. In your opinion, the author’s attitude toward the prostitutes at Mustang Ranch is

Accepting.

The author began by questioning many assumptions about prostitutes, such as drug use and previous trauma. She saw no pattern to support these assumptions. She found that many prostitutes are religious and driven by family values.

TFY Chapter 8

Summary

A viewpoint is the perspective that one has. Viewpoints are biases based on experience, often mistaken for reality. The experience may be individual or group based. Examples of group experience are ethnicity, religion or political. Literature requires a viewpoint, whether it is first person, third person or multiple viewpoints. Our biases can unconscious as easily as our assumptions and opinions, and it is just as necessary to be aware of them. For example, take the heated issue of “driving while black”. To a police officer, profiling may be a valuable tool for catching criminals, given the over represented demographic of young black males and crime. But to a young black male driving to work at the rate of speed of the traffic flow, somewhat over the speed limit, who is picked out by a police officer will likely feel a target. I have experienced a similar kind of bias while riding a motorcycle. There is nothing like being followed by a police car four feet behind you at freeway speeds to make you feel like a target, especially when the officer pulls you over. It is a chilling experience that makes you appreciate the viewpoint of the young black male. Today, in politics, the old paradigm of left, right and center is outdated. Viewpoints have become much more nuanced. Historically the two-party system has incorporated diverse viewpoints, but currently the ideological left and right wings of our major parties dominate opinion, much to the frustration of the public, whose viewpoint is closer to a more pragmatic center. When gathering information from the various media, beware of the viewpoints of the outlets. Even the most “objective” reporters have their own viewpoints and are often under pressure to present news that is sensational rather than relevant. The death of Ana Nicole Smith is an example of sensationalism. Is that story more relevant than our wars and economy?

Exercises

True or false:

1. Viewpoints can be either conscious or unconsciously assumed.

True

2. To be exterior to one’s own viewpoint is to see it objectively as one viewpoint among many.

True

3. Egocentrism means being absorbed in one’s personal viewpoint without being able to put oneself in other people’s shoes.

True

4. Religiocentrism means believing one’s own country is morally superior to any other.

False

5. Nations tend to become more ethnocentric during wartime.

True

6. Authors only tell their stories from one viewpoint.

False

7. Conservatives are prominent in the Republican Party.

True

8. Liberals are best known for their opposition to programs such as social welfare.

False

9. A newspaper editor implies the relative importance of a new story by the framing given to the story.

True
10. We communicate best when we ignore the viewpoints of others.

False

CRCB Chapter 14

Summary

The Internet is a powerful tool, once a luxury, now a necessity. You can learn about virtually anything, but you cannot trust every internet source. It is important to question what you read. Reading critically on the Internet requires the use of 2RCA – Relevance, Reliability, Credibility and Accuracy. To find a relevant source, you must first define your topic. You must understand your purpose in order to identify key words that you will use to find the best sources. If you use too many keywords, you will get too many possible sources, so keep the keywords to the essential ones. Once you have located several relevant sources, check them for reliability, credibility and accuracy. It is best to be an “open-minded skeptic”, keeping in mind that not everything printed is true. Facts can seem weird, but be true, or seem reasonable and be false. There are several websites that vet other site for accuracy, such as clearinghouse.net. Consider the source. Check for supporting documentation. Ask yourself if the site is up to date and is the site easy to navigate. When I look for information on the Internet, I often go to well-known websites that have solid reputations. I avoid site that make fantastic or outlandish claims and crosscheck new sites against established, reliable sites.

Exercises

Evaluate the website http/www.d-b.net/dti/

1. What is its title?

Clones-R-Us

2. What is the main idea of the article?

The main idea is to sell cloning to the public.

3. What do you already know about the topic?

I know that cloning is a very difficult process. There are many failures for every successful clone in mammals, because the implanting of DNA into an egg is very difficult, the clone grows to size many times grater that normal before birth and the biological clock of DNA is not reset by cloning as occurs in normal reproduction. Cloning of humans is unlikely to have occurred.

4. Explain why it would or would not be a good site to use as a source. Provide examples to support your conclusion.

I would doubt the reliability of this site for many reasons. First, it operates in several third world countries, where regulation would be nonexistent. Showing a baby implies that humans can be cloned, for which there is no documented proof. Fantastic claims are made, including a guarantee of quality, custom or “designer” cloning, fast delivery and no paperwork. This site is obviously a scam.

TFY Chapter 7

Summary

Evaluations are value judgments, not to be confused with facts. They can be open or hidden. Evaluations are done all the time, whether we are aware or not. We evaluate what we buy, what we want to eat, what career we wish to pursue and many other things. Words that indicate an evaluation are subjective rather than objective, words such as good or bad. The words can be emotional, such as fun or painful. We must guard against premature evaluations. One glaring, historical example occurred after the attacks on 9/11. When President Bush pressed Congress to allow America to go to war against Iraq, there was little skepticism for his claims of weapons of mass destruction. Congress accepted his word and voted to allow the war. Had the Bush administration allowed the inspectors to complete their job and evaluated the situation in Iraq based on the most complete set of facts available, war would likely have been averted. Instead, America is paying a steep price in treasure and American and Iraqi lives. We need to recognize manipulative evaluations. Ann Coulter attributes the entire belief system of the left to snobbery, from promoting immoral behavior to tree hugging, dismissing any other reason for leftists’ beliefs, in an effort to advance her own agenda. The skilled evaluations of experts are valuable to us, and we pay these experts for them. We trust their expertise to help us make wise choices. Those who use propaganda spread it to manipulate our opinions. Advertisements are a common form of propaganda. Every brand is the best, but how can they all be the best? You need to recognize when you are being propagandized. You will find evaluative words instead of facts.

Exercises

1. What evaluations does the author offer in her title and subtitle?

The author makes the claim that boxing is violent and brutal.

2. How does the author open this essay by finding irony in two situations?

The author finds irony in that Million Dollar Baby did not ignite a debate on the boxing violence. She also states that boxing, in another venue, would be a violent felony.

3. What three facts does she offer to support her evaluation of boxing as a brutal and violent sport?

The author cites a notorious quote from Mike Tyson, a boxing database and the stance taken by the AMA on boxing.

4. What contradictory evaluations does she describe in the last two paragraphs of this review?

The author says some moviegoers see Million Dollar Bay as a condemnation of boxing, while others see it as glorifying boxing.

CRCB - Chapter 9

Summary

PSR stands for preview, study-read, review. In the preview stage it is helpful to question yourself before reading. Ask yourself what the author wants to convey. Skim through for headings and develop questions on who, what, where, why and how. Predict what context of the text will be based on. In the study-read stage, look for answers from the preview stage. Read one complete section at a time, and be sure to question the material as you go. Monitor your reading to be sure you understand the material and can still concentrate. Keep in mind the questions you still have. At the end of each section, determine the main idea. I the review stage summarize what you have read, what you already know and what you still don’t know. Clarify confusing facts and check your understanding.

Exercises

1. Match the vocabulary words in Column A to their definitions in Column B:

A	B
PSR	Preview, study-read, review method of reading
Summary	Restate the original meaning of someone else’s writing in fewer and different words
Paraphrase	Explain the meaning of someone else’s words, phrases, or sentences in your own words

2. The most important time to question yourself is right before you begin to read.

False

3. Study-reading means

Asking and answering the questions you developed in the preview stage as you read.

4. If you don’t understand what you have just read, you should

Record your questions in a journal

5. An example of active reading is

Creating questions so that you are reading on purpose

6. Explain why it is a good idea to make a journal entry when you find a reading assignment confusing.

You can where you confusion started and develop questions.

7. What are the benefits of summarizing a reading?

Capture the author’s meaning

Omit unnecessary details

Use your own words

8. List the three steps of the preview stage.

Skim

Develop questions

Predict content

TFY - Chapter 6

Summary

The word opinion has more than one meaning because there are different types of opinions. There are opinions that are judgments that state what is good or bad, what should be and what should not be. An example of a judgment is the opinion that America should leave Iraq. Advice is a type of opinion, such as telling a friend not to gamble with the rent money. Opinions can also be generalizations, such as pit bulls are dangerous. Personal preferences are opinions too and do not require any supporting facts. One may simply prefer blondes to brunettes without offering any justification. Not all opinions carry equal weight, depending on how well they are supported. To say that the United States military should pull out of Iraq requires a weighing of facts, such as the level of Iraqi forces, and opinions, such as what would the consequences be. Public opinion polls are used to determine public opinion, but can also be used to manipulate opinion. Questions may presuppose and assume certain opinions. An opinion may be a thesis for an argument, called a conclusion. Such an opinion must be supported by facts, reasoning, other claims, and evidence.

Exercises

1. Expert opinion calculates the risk involved in bridging the gap between the known and unknown for a given situation.

True

2. Giving advice is not a way of giving an opinion.

False

3. The results of public opinion polls are equivalent to votes in elections.

False

4. Opinions in the form of judgments state what is right and wrong, bad and good.

True

5. Some opinions are based on generalizations such as stereotypes, as in the statement “All Chinese look alike.”

True

6. Responsible opinions are based on careful examination of the evidence.

True

7. Opinions are the same as facts.

False

8. Gossip is opinion sharing without any requirement for substantiation.

False

9. Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion because all opinions carry equal value.

False

10. Prevailing sentiment refers to popular opinion that changes with the times.

True

CRCB - Chapter 10

Summary

Textbook marking is the process of marking and labeling that aids in understanding text. The minimum items to be highlighted are the main idea, important details and new vocabulary. I personally like to highlight words that bring me to important points, such as when a term is first used. Topics brought up in lectures and lab classes should be noted in the textbook. Question marks may be used to mark what is unclear and page numbers may be used to refer to other parts of the text. I use a color code process to link multiple terms to their respective descriptions and illustrations. For example, I use one color to highlight an artery and its branches.

Exercises

1. What was the main purpose of the article?

The main purpose was to expose the practice of sex slavery in Afghanistan.

2. What does “lifting the veil” in the title mean to you?

“Lifting the veil” means showing the world what al-Qaeda and the Taliban are doing to degrade women.

3. Who is lifting the veil?

The author is lifting the veil.

4. The author said that Afghanistan made a mockery of the claim that the brutal restrictions placed on women were actually a way of revering and protecting them. What did the author mean in this statement?

The behavior of the Taliban was brutal and degrading, certainly inconsistent with any claim of protecting women.

TFY - Chapter 5

Summary

Assumptions are what take for granted. We make more assumptions than we are aware of. I personally often make assumptions about stranger’s characters based on their appearances and demeanors. I can see how this is a survival mechanism from my earlier life in a high-crime area. This of course can be unfair. Assumptions can be either conscious and warranted or unconscious and unwarranted. A conscious (working) assumption is a major reason why I am at this university. I assume that I will be employed as an ultrasound technologist when I graduate. Hidden assumptions are unconscious such as stereotypes that we have. When we allow unconscious assumptions to rule our thinking we are not in control, being open to manipulation and faulty conclusions. Hitler exploited unconscious assumptions and stereotypes for his own purposes. If the German people did not carry assumptions such as German superiority and Jewish treachery the history of the twentieth century would likely have been very different. Value assumptions are rarely questioned according to the book, but are well worth revisiting. I personally am more attached to other people than material goods, a value I adopted over time. This insulated me from despair when my IT job was outsourced to India. By not attaching my entire worth as a person to my job and status I was able to continue with my life in a positive way. We become uncomfortable when our assumptions come into question (incongruity and disequilibrium). A good example was America was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001. Few people believed it could happen here.

Exercises

1. When we articulate hidden assumptions, we simply read what we find in print before us.

False

2. A good argument invariably contains a few hidden assumptions.

False

3. A value assumption is a belief assumed to be true and shared by everyone.

False

4. “Can you believe it? She is twenty-three years old and not even thinking about getting married.” This statement, made by a Puerto Rican mother contains no value assumption.

False

5. Assumptions are often recognized only in retrospect because of the problems they cause.

True

6. In mathematics, conscious assumptions are called axioms.

True

7. A conscious assumption can be used as a strategy to lead us to new information. If a child does not come from school at the usual time, we might decide to call the homes of the child’s friends; if that turns up no information, we might call the police.

True

8. Stereotypes contain no assumptions.

False

9. To be uncomfortable is to be in disequilibrium. Thinking through a problem restores our comfort.

True

10. Incongruities can provoke us into thinking in order to resolve their conflict with assumptions and expectations.

True

CRCB - Chapter 7

Summary

This chapter shows how inferences differ from facts. While facts are things that are known and verifiable, inferences go beyond facts by making conclusions from ideas and opinions that are not directly stated. We use inferences to understand the author’s reasons for writing, find similarities or differences in comparisons and understand the tone of a writing. Sometimes inferences are used to detect a writer’s biases by noticing emotive language that is not fact-based. Inferences are also used to fill in information gaps when the author assumes you understand motives and reasons. Implied main points require that the reader make inferences by identifying the topic asking what is the main point and combining the topic with the new information.

Exercises

1. Darden explains that when someone tells you your race, you never forget. What is he implying?

America should be colorblind.

2. What does Darden mean he says his grandfather receiving his calling from God?

The grandfather felt compelled to preach His Word more than work on the farm.

3. What effect on the family does Darden imply occurred when his grandfather became a preacher?

The family struggled financially and emotionally.

4. What does Darden imply when he says “which gives you an idea of the lack of shame with which my father will stretch a good story”?

His father was not embarrassed to embellish stories.

5. What does Darden imply when he says “He (his father) was nobody’s boy excerpt hers”?

His father always listened to Big Mama.

6. What does Darden imply when he says “It is important that we change from ‘Negroes’ to ‘blacks’ because of the deep need to find one’s self”?

Darden implies that if blacks do not define themselves, they will be defined by whites, and therefore, as slaves.

7. There is an information gap in the story about the author’s father earning his first nickel. What did the author mean when he said “When the time came”?

It was time for a bowel movement.

8. What does the author mean when says his father “can still pinch a nickel”?

Darden meant that his father is thrifty.

9. What are the author’s tone and purpose of this excerpt? Explain your answer.

Darden was explaining that people may need to look down on others in order to validate themselves, but that is not what you are.

10. Do you think that Darden’s father ever got out of poverty he associated with the South?

Regardless of how much he had, I believe he escaped poverty by moving on and attaining self-sufficiency.

11. What point is Darden making by telling you about his father’s life? What do you think he learned from his father’s experiences?

Darden wanted to show that one must control one’s own destiny regardless of circumstances. Darden learned that he must be defined on his own terms.

TFY - Chapter 4

Summary

This chapter shows how inferences differ from facts. While facts are things that are known and verifiable, inferences go beyond facts by making guesses and conclusions from facts. Inferences must be distinguished from facts through the understanding that an inference is an interpretation of facts. We use inferences to fill in for missing facts, but faulty inferences can be harmful to our reasoning. The excerpt on Sherlock Holmes uses several inferences to describe his client’s trip to see him. When done well, inferences can build upon each other and tie facts together in a chain of reasoning; when faulty inferences are used the chain of reasoning is broken. The inference of the boy who home during school hours is a case in point. The correct conclusion (ask him what is up) was based as much on what was not known as on what was known. Facts and inferences can be used in order to make generalizations, but hasty generalizations are hazardous. A topic sentence is a type of generalization that summarizes the main idea of its paragraph.

Exercises

1. What was the professor trying to teach his students?

The teacher was trying to teach his students independent thinking.

2. What inferences does he expect them to make?

He expected them to give their own views on the Bill of Rights and defend the Constitution of the United States against his extreme views.

3. What inferences do they make?

They make no inferences. They are too busy writing.

4. What clues led you to your own conclusions about this cartoon?

The students would only write his views, and at the end would not question a single word.

5. How would describe the teacher’s teaching style?

The teacher’s style was challenging, however the students followed like a herd of sheep.