Page 165 - Smart Thinking: Skills for Critical Understanding and Writing, 2nd Ed

15 2 ANSWERS, DISCUSSION, AND FURTHER ADVICE

Exercise 2.6

Claims a and c are explicit value claims; claim b has an implied value judgment;
claim d is (probably) simply descriptive. Where is the value judgment in claim b?
It does, of course, depend on context, but most people in contemporary Australia
recognise that 'fat is bad for you'. Hence, claiming that some product contains fat
connects it with this value judgment; equally, though, there are some situations in
which fat is good for you (or at least better than avoiding it altogether). On the
other hand, is there some value judgment in claim d? In certain contexts, the idea
that 'white is pure' (and hence 'good for you') could be implied by this claim, thus
making it, to some extent, a value judgment. If you found this exercise hard, you
have done well: judging and identifying value claims depends, by and large, on the
contexts in which we find those claims.

Exercise 2.7

Some examples: 'Because the road is wet [p], you need to drive more carefully
[c]'; 'Because you need to drive more carefully [p], you should pay attention to
what you are doing [c]'; 'I conclude that there was a rainstorm a few minutes
ago [c] because Verity has just come home soaking wet [p]'; 'There was a
rainstorm a few minutes ago [p] and so the road is wet [c]'. In preparation for
chapter 3, think about the role of words such as 'because', 'I conclude', and so
on.

Exercise 2.8

Conclusions a and d are appeals to action, with the latter involving a change in
thinking. Note the disguised claim in the rhetorical question. Conclusion b makes
a prediction. Conclusion c is an explanation showing how the conclusion comes
about. Conclusion e is a justification on the part of the government for its past
actions (as stated in the conclusion).

Chapter 3

Exercise 3.1

Some examples of the way to rewrite them are:
a I was elated because, today, I found out that I had passed my exam. (Two
claims now contained in one sentence.)
b I felt ill and so I went home from work. (Still two claims in one sentence but
different way of signalling the conclusion... 'so'.)
c Thinking helps us to do better at work; and thinking improves our perfor-
mance at university. So we better learn to do it! (Changing where the nouns
and pronouns fit, and the order.)