ARQ chapter 2, “What Are the Issue and the Conclusion?”

1. The two primary types of issues discussed in the chapter were descriptive issues and perspective issues. Descriptive issues reflect the human’s natural curiosity about the world. Key words for these issues are does, what, and is. Perspective issues are the same as social controversies. Key words for perspective issues are should, what ought to be done, and must.
2. When looking for the conclusion, asking questions that can be argued either way can help locate it. There are five clues listed in the chapter to help locate the conclusion. The first clue is asking questions to help figure out what the issue is. Skimming the article and looking at headings can also help formulate the issue. The second clue is looking for words that give indication of a conclusion. Some of these indicator words include “thus” and “therefore,” but there are many more. The third clue is to look in the places of the article that conclusions are typically placed. Conclusions can be found at the beginning or end of a paragraph, or at the very end of the article. The fourth clue is remembering the conclusion is not several things, including evidence, examples, and definitions. The list continues. The fifth and final clue is checking the author’s background. The background of the author can explain potential biases and organizations the author may be part of. This context can help a reader locate the conclusion of the author.

ARQ chapter 3, “What Are the Reasons?”

1. The book defines an argument as a combination of reasons and the conclusion. The reasons a writer provides as well as the conclusion the writer draws from the reasons are the necessary components of an argument. In addition to reasons and a conclusion, other characteristics of an argument are intent and quality. An argument must be created with an intent in mind. It also needs quality in order for a reader to take the argument seriously.
2. The main question to ask when trying to find an author’s reasons for a conclusion is why. Why questions allow a reader to find what the author believes to be important and valid for supporting the conclusion. There are numerous words and phrases that indicate where a reason is located. Some indicator phrases include as a result of and is supported by. One word that is prominent in the reasoning structure is “because.” Some “because” phrases include because the evidence is and because of the fact that.

 “How ‘Intellectual Humility’ Can Make You a Better Person”

1. The overall issue discussed within the article is intellectual humility. The author concludes that people with intellectual humility learn better than their counterparts. The author reasons this to be true, stating that these people are often open minded, allowing them to consider the viewpoints of other people. These people can learn from those they disagree with because they can listen to and analyze oppositions. This creates a person’s intellectual humility. Once people can achieve this humility, they can overcome biases that have been formed. This bias leads to defensiveness of personal stances and opinions, eliminating the ability to have an open mind. With intellectual humility, people can have empathy for one another.