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Strong/Weak Arguments - Intermediate-Advanced Level: persuasive arguments INTERMEDIATE-ADVANCED

Intensive strategic solving 🎯 drill: 20 intermediate-advanced-level strong/weak arguments questions. Worksheet 20 of 30 hones your persuasive arguments abilities. Practice reasoning strength, argument quality, logical assessment under timed conditions. Best for advanced developing students seeking advanced concepts with increasing complexity.

📝 Worksheet 20 of 30 • 20 questions • ⏱️ Estimated time: 20 minutes • 🎯 Intermediate-advanced level

What you'll learn in this worksheet:
Your progress through Strong/Weak Arguments
Worksheet 20 of 30 (66% complete)

Question 1

Context: Debate in City Council about building a new stadium Argument: The stadium will create 500 permanent jobs and attract tourism revenue Which unstated assumption does this argument rely on?
Hidden assumption: The city can afford the upfront investment. Without this assumption, the argument's conclusion may not follow from its premises.
arguments, context, relevance

Question 2

Context: Debate in City Council about building a new stadium Argument: The stadium will create 500 permanent jobs and attract tourism revenue Which unstated assumption does this argument rely on?
Hidden assumption: The city can afford the upfront investment. Without this assumption, the argument's conclusion may not follow from its premises.
arguments, context, relevance

Question 3

Question: Should the government increase funding for public schools? Argument: No, because my taxes are already too high Is this a strong or weak argument?
Weak argument: Personal opinion without considering broader policy implications
arguments, strength, basic

Question 4

Question: Should the government increase funding for public schools? Argument: Yes, because better-funded schools have consistently shown improved student outcomes in standardized assessments Is this a strong or weak argument?
Strong argument: Provides specific, measurable evidence linking funding to outcomes
arguments, strength, basic

Question 5

Issue: Should the minimum wage be increased to $15/hour? Argument A: Yes, because it's been too long since the last minimum wage increase Argument B: Yes, because workers earning minimum wage cannot afford basic living costs in most cities, and consumer spending will increase when workers have more money Which argument is stronger?
Argument A: Time passage alone doesn't justify policy change without addressing underlying conditions. Argument B: Addresses both social justice and economic stimulation with clear causal reasoning
arguments, comparative, analysis

Question 6

Is this argument deductive or inductive?
Deductive arguments aim for logical necessity. If premises are true, conclusion must be true. This is a classic syllogism.
induction, deduction, reasoning type

Question 7

Is this argument deductive or inductive? What makes it strong or weak?
Inductive arguments generalize from specific cases. They cannot be 'valid' like deduction; instead, they are stronger with larger, more representative samples.
induction, deduction, reasoning type

Question 8

Topic: Should standardized testing be eliminated from schools? Argument: Yes, because everyone learns differently Which new piece of evidence would most weakens this argument?
This weakenss the argument because: Contradictory evidence undermines the claim
arguments, evidence, evaluation

Question 9

In this argument: 'All humans are mortal. Socrates is human. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.' Which statement is the CONCLUSION?
The conclusion is what the argument tries to prove. The premises ('All humans are mortal' and 'Socrates is human') support the conclusion 'Socrates is mortal.'
structure, premises, conclusion, logic

Question 10

Argument: Studies show that countries with higher education spending have stronger economies. Therefore, increasing education spending will strengthen our economy. Evaluate the logical validity:
Based on empirical evidence with reasonable causal connection
arguments, validity, logic

Question 11

Proposal: Implementing a four-day work week nationwide Argument: Shorter work weeks sound nice and would make everyone happier What is the MOST significant weakness or missing element in this argument?
Key weakness: No evidence, purely emotional. This limits the argument's strength despite other merits.
arguments, multi-criteria, comprehensive

Question 12

In this argument: 'All humans are mortal. Socrates is human. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.' Which statement is the CONCLUSION?
The conclusion is what the argument tries to prove. The premises ('All humans are mortal' and 'Socrates is human') support the conclusion 'Socrates is mortal.'
structure, premises, conclusion, logic

Question 13

Proposal: Universal basic income of $1000/month for all citizens Argument: We cannot afford UBI without massive tax increases What is the MOST significant weakness or missing element in this argument?
Key weakness: Doesn't account for economic stimulus effects. This limits the argument's strength despite other merits.
arguments, multi-criteria, comprehensive

Question 14

Is this argument deductive or inductive?
Deductive arguments aim for logical necessity. If premises are true, conclusion must be true. This is a classic syllogism.
induction, deduction, reasoning type

Question 15

Argument: 'After we started the job training program, unemployment went down. So the program caused the decrease.' What important alternative explanation is ignored?
This commits the 'post hoc' fallacy (after this, therefore because of this). Without a control group or considering national trends, we can't establish causation.
causation, fallacy, correlation

Question 16

Issue: Should the minimum wage be increased to $15/hour? Argument A: No, because minimum wage jobs are meant for teenagers, not adults Argument B: Yes, because workers earning minimum wage cannot afford basic living costs in most cities, and consumer spending will increase when workers have more money Which argument is stronger?
Argument A: Based on outdated assumption; data shows many adults work minimum wage jobs. Argument B: Addresses both social justice and economic stimulation with clear causal reasoning
arguments, comparative, analysis

Question 17

Is this argument deductive or inductive?
Deductive arguments aim for logical necessity. If premises are true, conclusion must be true. This is a classic syllogism.
induction, deduction, reasoning type

Question 18

You test positive for a rare disease (1 in 10,000 prevalence). The test is 99% accurate (1% false positive rate). What is the approximate probability you actually have the disease?
With 10,000 people: 1 true case, but 100 false positives (1% of 9,999). So probability = 1/(1+100) ≈ 1%. This tests base rate neglect.
statistics, probability, base rates

Question 19

You test positive for a rare disease (1 in 10,000 prevalence). The test is 99% accurate (1% false positive rate). What is the approximate probability you actually have the disease?
With 10,000 people: 1 true case, but 100 false positives (1% of 9,999). So probability = 1/(1+100) ≈ 1%. This tests base rate neglect.
statistics, probability, base rates

Question 20

Issue: Should the minimum wage be increased to $15/hour? Argument A: No, because minimum wage jobs are meant for teenagers, not adults Argument B: Yes, because it's been too long since the last minimum wage increase Argument C: Yes, because workers earning minimum wage cannot afford basic living costs in most cities, and consumer spending will increase when workers have more money Rank these arguments from strongest to weakest. Which is the STRONGEST?
Ranking analysis:
A: Based on outdated assumption; data shows many adults work minimum wage jobs
B: Time passage alone doesn't justify policy change without addressing underlying conditions
C: Addresses both social justice and economic stimulation with clear causal reasoning
arguments, comparative, analysis
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