Logical Reasoning

PT116 · S3 · Q4 Sydonie: Parents differ in their

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Sydonie: Parents differ in their beliefs about the rules to which their children should be subject.

Conclusion

Your conclusion (any disciplinary structure in schools is bound to create resentment) is incorrect.

Evidence

Educational research shows that when parents list the things that they most want their children’s schools to provide, good discipline is always high on the list.

Evaluate

Sometimes there's just so much wrong with an argument that it's hard to know where to start. Stephanie's evidence provides very little support for her rebuttal of Sydonie because it fails to address the concepts in Sydonie's evidence or her conclusion. There's no mention of resentment, and no mention of what Sydonie believes will guarantee resentment: parental beliefs about which rules their children should be subject to.

Goal

Look for an answer that says something along the lines of "Stephanie doesn't rebut Sydonie's actual argument."

4.

Stephanie's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that

  1. it focuses on educational research

    Bad Objection

    Yes, Stephanie focuses on research rather than practice. But that's not a very good objection to this argument. Educational research presumably reflects and informs educational practice, so this distinction doesn't feel particularly relevant.

    2% picked this

  2. it addresses a more general

    Bad Description

    The scope of the issues in these two arguments is the same: parent's desire for and response to school discipline.

    14% picked this

  3. Correct

    it does not counter Sydonie’s

    Why this is right

    Stephanie doesn't counter any of the claims Sydonie actually makes, so this is a good description. It's also a good objection because this hurts Stephanie's argument. Diverse parental ideas about what constitutes good discipline means that even if parents unanimously agree that they want good discipline, they might not agree on what good discipline looks like and may therefore grow resentful if their favorite version of discipline isn't what they see in the schools.

    Skill tested: Flaw · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

    79% picked this

  4. the phrase “high on the

    Bad Objection

    While it's true that "high on the list" is not very specific, it's specific enough to convey that there is widespread agreement among parents that they desire good discipline in schools. Pro tip: Answers that accuse an argument of containing a word or phrase that's too vague are almost always wrong.

    4% picked this

  5. it fails to discuss educators’

    Bad Objection

    Does Stephanie discuss educators attitudes? No. But is that a problem? No. We don't need that perspective to make a good rebuttal.

    1% picked this

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