Arguments and evidence
Strategy card
Evaluate arguments by their structure, evidence and hidden assumptions.
- Step 1: Identify conclusion, premises and the gap between them.
- Step 2: Name the assumption that bridges the gap.
- Step 3: Test answers: does this strengthen, weaken, or simply restate?
- Step 4: Watch for overgeneralizing, cause-vs-correlation and sampling problems.
Tip: The best answer is the one the passage supports most directly, not the most interesting one.
Worked example
Which conclusion is best supported?
Every time Ava waters the plant on Monday, it looks healthy by Friday. This week she forgot. On Friday, its leaves were drooping.
- A: The plant probably needs regular water to stay healthy. (the answer)
- B: The plant will die by next week.
- C: Ava never waters her plants.
- D: All plants need water only on Mondays.
Why: The pattern supports a careful conclusion about water. The others go too far or contradict the story.
Your turn
Your turn 1 of 3
Which best describes the flaw?
“Since our town built the new skate park, there have been fewer broken windows downtown. The skate park stopped the vandalism.”
Your turn 2 of 3
Which part is a fact you could check?
A pretend AI helper says: “The Moon is about 384,000 km from Earth. The Moon is the most beautiful thing in the sky.”
Your turn 3 of 3
Which sentence best states the main idea?
Bees carry pollen from flower to flower. Without this, many fruit plants could not make fruit. Farmers sometimes rent beehives during the blooming season for this reason.
Keep practicing
Grown-ups: Debate a topic at dinner using evidence. Parent guide
Next lesson: Checking AI answers