Activities For Further Reflection

Your instructor may ask you to complete one or more of the following exercises.

1. Find an online argument. You might check out the Reddit subreddit Change My View, where people post controversial viewpoints and others try to change their mind. Try to identify the elements of an argument you learned in this chapter. Write 1 – 2 paragraphs about your findings.
2. Write a paragraph that connects Brenda Knights’ narrative to the rest of the chapter and your own personal experience.
3. Find an online argument. You might check out the Reddit subreddit Change My View, where people post controversial viewpoints and others try to change their mind. Imagine that you were asked to contribute to the discussion. Write a response that uses the elements of an argument we learned in this chapter. You don’t need to post it, but if you do post it, pay attention to the responses you get. How do people respond to your argument?
4. Find a report or other piece of writing where someone is making an argument in the workplace. Identify its thesis and major points. Do you agree with all of the points? If so, write 1-2 paragraphs about whether the argument was persuasive. If not, write 1-2 paragraphs identifying weaknesses in the argument.
5. If you speak another language, find an example of an argument in that language. Does it use the elements of argument you learned in this chapter? Are there any differences in how the argument is constructed?