Tag Archives: Evidence

Reading Reflection #10: Statistics and Draft Annotation

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1. Based on your reading of ARQ chapter 10, “Are Any Statistics Deceptive?”, summarize how the following types of statistics can be deceptive. What are some strategies you can use to determine how reliable each type is?

  • Unknowable and biased statistics
    • A problem with Unknowable and Biased Statistics is that we often don’t know how or where the numbers are coming from. We can determine reliability by finding more information on the statistics.
  • Confusing averages
    • averages are not always reliable as there are different methods to find averages but also that there are many events that do not follow averages.
  • Measurement errors
    • Measurements are generally subject to error. The more thorough the research the less likely for error.
  • Concluding one thing, proving another
    • Statistics may deceive us in what they actually are proving. To determine reliability we often have to question ourselves and the authors intentions.
  • Deceiving by omitting information
    • Statistics may also be deceptive in that they do not give the full results.We may need to further investigate and research where the numbers are coming from.

2. In the following paragraph, identify the inadequacies in the evidence:

Campaigns for national office are getting out of hand. Money is playing a central role in more and more elections. The average winner in a senate race now spends over $8 million on their campaign, while typical presidential candidates spend more than $300 million. It is time for some serious changes, because we cannot simply allow politicians to buy their seats through large expenditures on advertisements.

  • The inadequacies in this evidence may include confusing averages as we don’t know which presidential campaigns the numbers were taken from.

3. In the following paragraph, identify the inadequacies in the evidence:

The home is becoming a more dangerous place to spend time. The number of home-related injuries is on the rise. In 2010, approximately 2300 children aged 14 and under died from accidents in the home. Also, 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs each year. To make matters worse, even television, a relatively safe household appliance, is becoming dangerous. In fact, 42,000 people are injured by televisions and television stands each year. With so many accidents in the home, perhaps people need to start spending more time outdoors.

  • The evidence in this paragraph could be concluding one thing but proving another. We don’t know the reasoning behind the statistics. These things feel unrelated to spending time in home, rather that the examples and statistics given prove that there are outlying factors.

 

Reading Reflection #8

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  1. In class we have been working on identifying arguments in written material. You’ll remember that an argument must have both a conclusion and reasons. The next step in evaluating information critically is looking for the evidence that supports the reasons. Summarize, in your own words, the textbook’s definition of evidence (don’t forget to provide an in-text citation).
  • Evidence is the product of clear and specific gathering of facts (Browne et al., 89)
  1. Provide a brief definition of each of the four different types of evidence discussed in this chapter (personal experience, case examples, testimonials, and appeals to authority). What is a potential problem with the validity and/or reliability of each of the four types of evidence?
  • Personal Experience evidence is based on an argument that deals with ones own personal experiences. Its weakness includes drawing generalizations and false conclusions about something based on an experience.
  • Case Examples evidence includes arguments that use detailed stories or descriptions, often including one or more individuals and events, that support a conclusion. They are often based also on observations or interviews. One problem is that they often rely heavily on the response from the listener.
  • Testimonial evidence includes quoting someone who has used a product, that person often giving their personal experience about that product in an effort to persuade the listener in one or another way. We should be wary of personal testimonials as they are often biased and may be disingenuine.
  • Appeals to Authority evidence is evidence or a claim made by an authority figure, often someone who is an expert on the topic and claim they are making. One should be careful about how reliable a source is, and often question why they are making their claim.
  1. Go to www.theconversation.com, www.theatlantic.com, or quillette.com and look for an article that uses one of the four types of evidence discussed in this chapter. Briefly summarize the article and describe the evidence the author provides. How reliable do you think the evidence is, given the topic of the article, and why? Include an MLA citation for the article (hint, the publication/journal title is The Conversation, The Atlantic, or Quillette).
  • I read “‘Nobody Likes the Other Guy’: On the Road With Donald Trump’s Diehards” by Stephen Elliott. First of all, this was such a weird article. This article and the author use a lot of Personal Experiences evidence. This is seen throughout the article, but mostly in the beginning of the article in which he talks about the experiences he’s had with friends and conversations with them surrounding politics. I think the article is reliable in its personal experiences, as the author uses first hand experiences and quotes from different events. This was such a strange article.
  • Citation:Elliott, written by Stephen, and Published by Quillette Magazine. “’Nobody Likes the Other Guy’: On the Road With Donald Trump’s Diehards.” Quillette, Quillette, 3 Nov. 2020, quillette.com/2020/11/02/nobody-likes-the-other-guy-on-the-road-with-donald-trumps-diehards/.