Critical Analysis Forms

Axia College Material

Appendix E

Critical Analysis Forms

Fill out one form for each source.

Source 1 Title and Citation:  The Problems of Open Adoption

Source Citation: Mary Beth Style. “The Problems of Open Adoption.” Contemporary Issues Companion: Adoption. Ed. Allen Verbrugge. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Apollo Library. 11 Sep. 2009. <http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/ovrc/infomark.do? &contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T010&prodId=OVRC&docId=EJ3010420214&source =gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=apollo&version=1.0>.

1	Identify the principal issue presented by the source.	The principal issue presented in this article is the problems all parties go through during an open adoption.
2	Identify any examples of bias presented by the author. If none exist, explain how you determined this.	The author shows her bias against open adoption all throughout her paper in use of such terms as “More disturbing…” in her discussion of the grief adopted children could feel, or in her statement “One of the major reasons couples wishing to adopt, adopt from other countries is because they do not wish to participate in ‘open’ adoption.” With this statement she assumes to know the minds of most of the couples that adopt from other countries with no survey to back it up.
3	Identify any areas that are vague or ambiguous. If none exist, explain how you determined this.	I felt this author did a great job of being clear and precise in her paper.  Explained all terminology used and had many different ways of explaining the purpose she was trying to get across.
4	Do you find the source credible? Explain your reasoning.	The author cited many different sources for her information, She was not overly biased, the article seemed very in depth.  For these reasons I found the source credible.
5	Identify and name any rhetorical devices used by the author. If none exist, explain how you determined this.	The author used a metaphor when saying a birthmother did not “get over it”.  One example of Hyperbole is when the author states, “the means were based on an erroneous understanding…”
6	Identify and name any fallacies used by the author. If none exist, explain how you determined this.	One fallacy used by the author is the “Slippery slope” fallacy when the author is talking about what track a birth parent takes when an adoptive parent falls short of the birthmothers expectations of the open adoption after the adoption takes place. One other would be when she says “Any discussion of roles or relationships may create problems. But to not discuss the relationship would undermine the philosophy of "open" adoption advocates.”  This is a case where the author states it is either one or the other.  In my experience the right answer could be neither.  That makes it a false dilemma fallacy.
7	State one argument made by the author.	One argument stated by the author is that the child of an open adoption may become confused about the mother and father roles if there is contact, especially at an early age.
8	Identify the premises and conclusion of the argument.	The author used an excerpt from another book as their premise, an adoptive parent in the book indicated their child could use the term birthmother appropriately. Another stated premise is a statement made by the author of the book the excerpt came from and indicates a three year old child “only has an elementary understanding of adoption”.  The conclusion that she arrives at is that using the term does not indicate understanding on the part of the child.
9	Is the author’s argument valid or invalid, sound or unsound, strong or weak? Explain how you determined this.	This argument is valid, sound and strong.  The argument is made valid by its logical statement, sound by its true premise, and strong by its powerful reasoning.
10	Does the author use moral reasoning? If not, explain how you determined this.	This article is rife with moral reasoning.  From saying “The goal was noble – to prevent pain” when talking about the agency’s efforts to reduce a birthmothers grief, to  “it can raise concerns as his parents have also expressed love and he wonders when he will lose them” when discussing telling the child he was given up because the birthmother loved him.

Source 2 Title and Citation: Open Adoption Policies Should Be Supported

Romanchik, Brenda. "Open Adoption Policies Should Be Supported." Opposing Viewpoints: Adoption. Ed. Mary Williams. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Apollo Library. 11 Sep. 2009. <http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/ovrc/infomark.do? &contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T010&prodId=OVRC&docId=EJ3010104275&source= gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=apollo&version=1.0>.

1	Identify the principal issue presented by the source.	The principal issue is that open adoption can be beneficial to all parties involved in the process, adoptive family, birthfamily and the child.
2	Identify any examples of bias presented by the author. If none exist, explain how you determined this.	The author made it plain where her bias laid, in that a child centered open adoption is the right way to be when she talked about open adoption being an uncomfortable experience but many of us do things for our kids even when we are not totally comfortable.
3	Identify any areas that are vague or ambiguous. If none exist, explain how you determined this.	There were a few vague statements such as when she talked about contract versus covenant, but then proceeds to explain the difference in the next paragraph.
4	Do you find the source credible? Explain your reasoning.	This author is credible on this subject when considering she is the author of several books on this very subject.
5	Identify and name any rhetorical devices used by the author. If none exist, explain how you determined this.	One rhetorical device used by the author is Expletives, like this example “The definition is, in fact, a variation of a semiopen…..” and expletive is a word or phrase that interrups the normal syntax.
6	Identify and name any fallacies used by the author. If none exist, explain how you determined this.	One fallacy found was in “how can we honestly call an adoption open if the child is not involved?” is an example of begging the question.  The author is assuming it is obvious the statement is true.
7	State one argument made by the author.	One argument made is ‘open adoption appears to be another complication they would rather not deal with” when talking about couples starting the adoption process.
8	Identify the premises and conclusion of the argument.	The premise for this was given in the form of a question by a prospective adoptive mom at a conference.  She asks the author to persuade her into an open adoption since she does not wnt to have to deal with her child’s birthfamily.  An unspoken premise is that problems come from knowing the birthfamily of their child.  The conclusion came in the form of an answer to the question saying, the birthfamily is part of the child and it allows you to know your child better by knowing where he or she comes from.
9	Is the author’s argument valid or invalid, sound or unsound, strong or weak? Explain how you determined this.	The argument is made valid by its logical argument, sound by its true premise question posed by the mom, and strong by its powerful answer given by the author.
10	Does the author use moral reasoning? If not, explain how you determined this.	The author used moral reasoning when she said “Many worry that their involvement might confuse the child”.  Another place she used moral reasoning was in “it should be about providing for the needs of the child”

Source 3 Title and Citation: Capital Punishment Is Moral to Prevent the Taking of Innocent Lives

Source Citation:Vermeule, Cass R. Sunstein and Adrian. "Capital Punishment Is Moral to Prevent the Taking of Innocent Lives." Current Controversies: Capital Punishment. Ed. Paul Connors. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Apollo Library. 11 Sep. 2009 <http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/ovrc/infomark.do? &contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T010&prodId=OVRC&docId=EJ3010036277&source= gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=apollo&version=1.0>.

1	Identify the principal issue presented by the source.	The principal issue is executions can be morally justified when measured against the taking of innocents.
2	Identify any examples of bias presented by the author. If none exist, explain how you determined this.	One example of bias would be when the writer actually puts in the paper “that includes one of the current authors”.  Making this statement constitutes as showing bias in my opinion.
3	Identify any areas that are vague or ambiguous. If none exist, explain how you determined this.	I found the statement “Our goal here is to suggest that the debate over capital punishment is rooted in an unquestioned assumption, and that the failure to question that assumption is a serious moral error” vague as it was hard to follow what the author was trying to say.
4	Do you find the source credible? Explain your reasoning.	I find this source credible considering his background in law and being a professor at a university.  He also used many varied sources and quoted numerous statistics to back up his beliefs.
5	Identify and name any rhetorical devices used by the author. If none exist, explain how you determined this.	This author uses hyperbole all throughout their paper like in such statements as “a serious moral wrong”.
6	Identify and name any fallacies used by the author. If none exist, explain how you determined this.	One fallacy used is the appeal to fear, or scare tactics as noticed in such statements as “to be both violating the rights and reducing the welfare of its citizens”
7	State one argument made by the author.	One argument the author is trying to make is capital punishment may be morally required to prevent the taking of innocent lives
8	Identify the premises and conclusion of the argument.	One premise is in a study suggesting that execution prevents murders.  A second is that, a refusal to impose capital punishment condemns many innocent people to death.    The conclusion is that to continue to be skeptical in light of these statistics would be morally wrong.
9	Is the author’s argument valid or invalid, sound or unsound, strong or weak? Explain how you determined this.	I would say this argument is valid in it has a logical statement, unsound as it has at least one  premise that is more opinion than fact, and this would be weak because the conclusion stands partly on opinions and not facts.
10	Does the author use moral reasoning? If not, explain how you determined this.	The entire paper is based in moral reasoning as represented in even the title of the paper, like is such statements as “On moral grounds, a choice that effectively condemns large numbers of people to death seems objectionable to say the least”

Source 4 Title and Citation: Capital Punishment Does Not Make Nations Safer

Source Citation:Simon, Paul. "Capital Punishment Does Not Make Nations Safer." At Issue: Does Capital Punishment Deter Crime?. Ed. Amy Keyzer. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Apollo Library. 11 Sep. 2009 <http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/ovrc/infomark.do? &contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T010&prodId=OVRC&docId=EJ3010009231&source= gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=apollo&version=1.0>.

1	Identify the principal issue presented by the source.	The issue being presented is whether or not capital punishment is wise for the US to still have.
2	Identify any examples of bias presented by the author. If none exist, explain how you determined this.	The author shows his bias mostly when discussing the cost of execution, especially in statements such as “and you make heroes out of people” implying not himself therefore showing bias. Another place is when he says “Innocent people are being put to death” his very tone suggests bias.
3	Identify any areas that are vague or ambiguous. If none exist, explain how you determined this.	I felt the entire paper was well structured with a lot of easy to understand language.  This author explained all terminology and made his opinion very plain and clear.
4	Do you find the source credible? Explain your reasoning.	This author seems very credible considering his background as a teacher and in government, he used a variety of sources and an over abundance of documented statistics to lend weight to his opinion.
5	Identify and name any rhetorical devices used by the author. If none exist, explain how you determined this.	One rhetorical device used is the simile when the author compares capital punishment to slavery in that neither are condemned in the bible but now we appreciate that slavery is morally wrong.  Another device used is the rhetorical question when asking such questions as “do you feel less safe in Massachusetts than in Connecticut?”
6	Identify and name any fallacies used by the author. If none exist, explain how you determined this.	The author tries a fallacy known as “appeal to popularity” when he makes the statements about who still has the death penalty.
7	State one argument made by the author.	One argument the author continually makes is that violence breeds violence.
8	Identify the premises and conclusion of the argument.	He states numerous statistics all throughout the paper for his premises.  In numbers and in that only the most currently violent nations still employ the death penalty.  The conclusion is that the US do away with the death penalty
9	Is the author’s argument valid or invalid, sound or unsound, strong or weak? Explain how you determined this.	The author’s argument is made valid by its logical statement, sound by its true statistical premises, and strong by its very powerful reasoning.
10	Does the author use moral reasoning? If not, explain how you determined this.	Right off the author uses a moral reason in likening the morality of slavery to the morality of capital punishment.

Capstone CheckPoint

1. Capstone CheckPoint

•

Due Date: Day 4 [Individual forum]

•

Answer the following questions in a 100- to 200-word response. Cover each bullet point in your
answer.

o

o

In the future, how will thinking critically influence the ways that you:

•
•
•

Read?
Write?
Process information?

Why and how could you apply critical thinking when evaluating each of the following:

•
•
•
•

Articles
Advertising
Media
Conversations

Thinking critically will affect all aspects of my life, how I read, write and even process
information. With more knowledge on what critical thinking is and how evaluate what I read, I
can better assimilate what is really important in the information I read. I will be able to see the
truth behind what I read and make me more aware of what I write and how it can be perceived. I
am now able to apply my new critical thinking skills to all types of media. Reading articles I can
better spot the real issues beneath what I am reading. I can better evaluate advertising methods
and spot the difference between hype and truth. When watching the media news I can see what
they are really talking about under all the flash. And in conversations, I can see better how
people really think about what they are saying. Learning to think critically has allowed me to see
better the difference between the truth and the window dressing.

Argument Validity

1. CheckPoint 1: Argument Validity

•

Resources: Ch. 7 and the Answers, Suggestions, and Tips for Triangle Exercises section of
Critical Thinking. Please note: You are not required to complete questions displaying a triangle
symbol.

•

Due Date: Day 3 [Individual forum].

•

Complete Exercise 7-9 on pp. 236-237 of the text.

Exercise 7-9

Given the premises, discuss whether the conclusion of each argument that follows is (a) true beyond
a reasonable doubt, (b) probably true, or (c) possibly true or possibly false. You should expect
disagreement on these items, but the closer your answers are to your instructor’s, the better.

2. The annual rainfall in California’s north valley averages twenty-three inches. So the rainfall next year
will be twenty-three inches.

I would say this is (c ) possibly true or possibly false. The average is just that, average.
Next year’s rainfall could be more or less. But since they arrived at that number by
taking actual data and averaging it, it is still possible that next year’s rainfall could be
what the author predicted.

3. You expect to get forty miles to the gallon in that? Why, that old wreck has a monster V8; besides, it’s
fifty years old and needs an overhaul.

I will pick (b) probably true. V8’s are most often gas guzzler’s, the vehicle being 50
years old and needing an overhaul lends more proof that the vehicle could not get that
kind of gas mileage. Although it is still possible the speaker is wrong in his conclusion or
his assessments, so I can not say beyond a reasonable doubt.

4. In three of the last four presidential races, the winner of the Iowa Republican primary has not captured
the Republican nomination. Therefore, the winner of the next Iowa Republican primary will not capture the
Republican nomination.

This one is (c ) possibly true or possibly false. Whether or not the last three may not have
captured the nomination actually should have no bearing on the next primary candidate.
Therefore he or she would have equal chances as every other candidate and could still go
either way on his or her own merits.

6. The number of cellular telephones has increased dramatically in each of the past few years. Therefore
there will be even more of them in use this coming year.

This also I would say falls under (c ) possibly true or possibly false. The last three years
of data does not guarantee an increase in the coming year. Any business individual
knows after a few years any product does hit a plateau at some point. Therefore, in the
coming year the number could prove correct or not.

7. Since the graduates of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and other Ivy League schools generally score higher
on the Graduate Record Examination than students from Central State, it follows that the Ivy League
schools do more toward educating their students than Central State does.

I feel as though this falls under (c ) possibly true or possibly false. Scores alone can
not definitively say that school A is more active than school B to helping educate their
students. So, this statement could be true or false.

8. Michael Jackson has had more plastic surgery than anybody else in California. You can bet he’s had
more than anybody in Connecticut!

Since California has more individuals than Connecticut, and assuming this statement is
actually factual I would say this could be (b) probably true.

10. When liquor was banned in 1920, hospitalizations for alcoholism and related diseases plummeted;
in 1933, when Prohibition was repealed, alcohol-related illnesses rose sharply again. Legalization of
cocaine, heroin, and marijuana would not curb abuse of those substances.

I believe this is the one statement I would label (a) true beyond a reasonable doubt. Not
only for the statement made, but the unspoken agreement most professionals have about
dependency to drugs. Legalization does nothing to curb someone’s need for a certain
drug. Therefore I can agree beyond a reasonable doubt that legalization would not curb
abuse of these substances.

11. Relax. The kid’s been delivering the paper for, how long? Three, four years maybe? And not once has
she missed us. The paper will be here, just wait and see. She’s just been delayed for some reason.

This statement I would say is (b) probably true. The speaker has compelling evidence
that his statement is most likely true. There is a slim chance he is not correct in his
assumption, and if so, most likely without his knowledge.