Critical thinking is aimed at achieving the best possible outcomes in any situation.
Introduction : An argument is a statement meant to convince another person about your point of view. In these types of questions, your personal biases and opinions or any prior knowledge about the subject matter should never be considered. Here, you are given a statement followed by a set of arguments related to that statement. These arguments may support or contradict the statement. You are expected to assess whether each argument is strong or weak.
Concept of Strong and Weak Arguments : -
Examples of :
e.g., Consider the following statement which is an option or a point of view. Pollution should be controlled in today's world.
Argument 1 : Yes, pollution increases global warming, resulting in the melting of the polar ice caps, which can cause massive flooding.
If you look at Argument 1 carefully, you will realise the following features of the argument.
(i) The argument contains a strong reason to control pollution.(ii) The argument is directly related to controlling pollution.
Hence, Argument 1 is a strong argument
Argument 2 No, pollution is a necessary evil because of the industrial revolution in the 18th century.
Looking at Argument 2 carefully, you will realise the following features of the argument
(i) The argument contains a reason which is not directly related to the main statement which speaks of 'today's world' and focuses on what happened in the 18th century.
(ii) The argument does not address whether pollution should be controlled but rather tries to say that it cannot be controlled.
NOTE : The 'Yes' and 'No' at the start of the Arguments 1 and 2 are nothing but points of view with reference to the original statement. These views are then supported by the argument itself. Understand that, 'Yes' and No' are not parts of the argument. You have to assess the argument which follows either 'Yes' or 'No' and not the point of view.
Points taken into consideration while choosing a strong or a weak argument.
Strong Arguments are :
Weak Arguments are
Two Arguments Based : In this type of questions a statement is given, followed by two arguments. Candidates are required to distinguish between the strong and weak arguments. Generally both the arguments are contrary to each other and refer to positive and negative results.
Question : In the following question, a statement is followed by two arguments numbered I and II. You have to decide which of the arguments is a strong argument and which is the weak argument?
Statement : Should India make effort to harness solar energy to fulfill its energy requirement ?
Arguments :
(a) Only Argument I is strong (b) Only Argument II is strong (c) Both Arguments I and II are strong (d) Neither Argument I nor Argument II is strong
Solution (a) : India is a developing country and requires energy in abundance and the present sources of energy are exhaustible, so India should make efforts to harness solar energy. Hence, Argument I is strong, whereas Statement II does not strongly support the stated facts.
Directions : Question given below consists of a statement, followed by three or four arguments numbered I and II. You have to decided which of the arguments is/are 'strong' argument (s) and which is / are 'weak' argument (s) and accordingly choose your answer from the alternatives given below the question. Statement : Is ragging in colleges a good practice ? Arguments : I. Yes. A sensible ragging helps the college boys to step into manhood and teaches them to take trifles in a good humour. II. No. The tortures inflicted in the name of ragging and the humiliation suffered by young boys and girls often go beyond limits. | |||
Right Option : D | |||
View Explanation |
Directions : Question given below consists of a statement, followed by two arguments numbered I and II. You have to decided which of the arguments is/are 'strong' argument (s) and which is / are 'weak' argument (s) and accordingly choose your answer from the alternatives given below the question. Statement : Should selection tests be of the objective rather than of the descriptive type ? Arguments : I. Yes. The assessment of answers to objective type questions is fair and impartial. II. No. The descriptive type test is certainly a better tool than the objective type test. | |||
Right Option : D | |||
View Explanation |
Directions : Question given below consists of a statement, followed by two arguments numbered I and II. You have to decided which of the arguments is/are 'strong' argument (s) and which is / are 'weak' argument (s) and accordingly choose your answer from the alternatives given below the question. Statement : Should India change its course from the economic reform process and look inward for all round economic development ? Arguments : I. No. There is no way to look backward after having started the process. II. Yes. This will benefit India in the long run as the reform process borrowed from western countries will adversely affect our economy. | |||
Right Option : C | |||
View Explanation |
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