Logical Reasoning

PT154 · S4 · Q2 Flores: The behavior of the

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Flores: The behavior of the character Gawain in Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur fluctuates radically and without apparent reason between heroic and criminal.

Flores' Claims

1. The behavior of the character Gawain in Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur fluctuates radically and without apparent reason.

2. Gawain fluctuates between heroic and criminal.

3. Malory's portrayal of Gawain is incoherent.

4. Malory portrays Gawain this way because Malory based his book on earlier sources from different eras.

5. Gawain’s role changed over time.

Piro's Responses

1. Disagrees 2. Agrees 3. Disagrees 4. Agrees 5. Agrees

Evaluate

Piro agrees with most of the points that Flores makes, but does not agree that Gawain's behavior is "without apparent reason" or "incoherent." According to Piro, Gawain's behavior was influenced by the type of situation he was in. Gawain behaved one way during crises, and a different way during stable periods.

Goal

We'll look for an answer that addresses claim #1 or #3.

2.

The dialogue provides most support for the claim that Flores and Piro disagree over whether

  1. Correct

    Malory’s portrayal of the character

    Why this is right

    Piro does not agree with Flores that Malory's portrayal of Gawain was incoherent.

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

    89% picked this

  2. the sources for Malory’s characterization

    Both Agree

    Flores states this. Piro says that the variation "might stem from the different times that Malory's sources were written." So, Piro thinks this is possible. She doesn't disagree.

    2% picked this

  3. Gawain was portrayed as a

    Unsupported Disagree Position

    Flores and Piro agree that Malory portrayed Gawain as heroic at times. They agree that Malory based his book on earlier sources. Since Malory sometimes portrayed Gawain's behavior as heroic, we could possibly infer that at least some of these sources portrayed Gawain as a hero. But that's not certain, and even if it is, we can't be entirely sure if Flores or Piro would agree or disagree about this.

    1% picked this

  4. the behavior of Gawain in

    Both Agree

    Flores states that Gawain's behavior "fluctuates radically" between heroic and criminal. Piro also refers to Gawain's heroic behavior and criminal behavior.

    3% picked this

  5. the sources for Malory’s characterization

    Unsupported Disagree Position

    When describing Malory's sources, Flores notes that "Gawain's role changed over time." Piro states that the variation in Gawain's behavior might stem from this. However, it's not completely clear that either speaker thinks the sources vary "significantly." And in any case, the disagreement is not about how Gawain was portrayed in Malory's sources. It's about whether Malory's portrayal was "incoherent" and "without apparent reason."

    5% picked this

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