Assignment 1

Tutor-marked Assignment 1

Weight: This exercise is worth 15% of the final grade.

Due: After completing Unit 2 of Study Guide I

We suggest that you review Units 1 and 2 of Study Guide I, then complete this assignment without using books or notes. Doing so will help you prepare for the final examination. Once you have finished, feel free to go back to Units 1 and 2 to check any points you are not sure of, then if you wish to revise your answers you may. Once you are satisfied with your completed assignment, use the assignment drop box on the course home page to submit it to your tutor for marking. It will be returned to you so that you can see where your strengths and weaknesses lie.

Part A (30%)

Instructions: Determine whether the following passages contain arguments, explanations, or descriptions. Explain and justify your answer with reference to the meaning of each of these terms.

Example: The film Patch Adams was an illuminating portrayal of medical education because it highlighted the importance of treating patients as people and not just as the locations of disease.

Govier, Trudy. A Practical Study of Argument, 5th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2001, p. 43.

Answer: This passage contains an argument because the author is attempting to convince the reader that Patch Adams is an illuminating portrayal of medical education, on the basis of the premise that this film shows how important it is to treat patients as persons, not as examples of diseases.

The Surprise Quiz that Never Happens

A logic teacher announces, “There will be a surprise quiz given during one of the next three class-meetings.” . . . [A student in the class claims that] such a quiz is impossible. Here’s the proof: Will the quiz be given during the third meeting of class? If it were, then the quiz wouldn’t have taken place during either of the first two classes. At the end of the second class, we’d know that the quiz must happen during the third class, so we would be able to figure out the...