Statement and Argument Easy Questions and Answers

Statement and Argument

Direction: In making decisions about important questions, it is desirable to be able to distinguish between ''Strong'' arguments and ''Weak'' arguments insofar as they relate to the question. ''Strong'' arguments are those which are both important and directly related to the question. ''Weak'' arguments are those which are of minor importance and also may not be directly related to the question or may be related to a trivial aspect of the question.

Statement:
Should communal violence be allowed on television ?
Arguments:
I. Yes, It is only when we see the devil within us that we can exorcise it.
II. No, It leads to tensions in actual life.

I is strong. Literature and media are often hailed as mirrors of life. If the mirrors doesn't show the dirt on your face, it would be difficult to wipe it clean. II is also strong : there are many such instances.

Correct Option: E

Statement:
Should political activity on the campus be restrained?
Arguments:
I. Yes. Too much of politics vitiates the academic atmosphere.
II. No. It will be an impingement on the students 'right to freedom.

if only argument I is strong

Correct Option: A

if only argument I is strong

Statement:
Should voting be made compulsory for all adults?
Arguments:
I. Yes. The candidates then elected would be far more representational.
II. No. The citizens would thereby lose the right to not choose a representative.

I is strong: the more the number of voters, the better the representation. II is also strong if the concept of voting is seen analytically. When you vote, you decide to be with someone. Now, it is not necessary that you must be with someone. Such a compulsion would be going against the democratic principal .

Correct Option: E

Statement:
Should subsidy on domestic LPG cylinders be stopped?
Arguments:
I. Yes. It leads to misuse of LPG by housewives who over- cook their food.
II. No. Any subsidy cannot be stopped in a country committed to social welfare.

I is not only a weak argument but absurd! Which house-wife would want to spoil her food by over- cooking it? II is also a weak argument: commitment to social welfare dose not imply blind carrying on of subsidies. The necessity of subsidies needs to be revised from time to time on a case-by -case basis.

Correct Option: D

Statement:
Should the Knowledge of computers be made essential for employment in offices?
Arguments:
I. Yes, computers are state-of-the -art devices.
II. No, works in office are yet to get fully computerised.

I is not strong: the reason for the desirability of something is not its ''newness'', but its use. II is strong because it tells us that such a compulsion is not going to benefit us in any big way.

Correct Option: B

I is not strong: the reason for the desirability of something is not its ''newness'', but its use. II is strong because it tells us that such a compulsion is not going to benefit us in any big way.