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PBL
TWO
Effective Argument & Decision Making Skills
OVERVIEW

● Key notions to help you develop your arguments more effectively

● Reflective exercises that improve your decision making process

● Apply these skills by developing arguments from previous essay plans

● Apply these skills by writing paragraphs using your new understanding

OUTCOMES

● To further develop the way we formulate arguments and contentions beyond

what has been established in the Bridging Courses

● To understand how to identify better ‘argumentative concepts’ while planning

● To understand how ‘premises’ can improve arguments

● To have executed in your own words a paragraph that contains all the key
aspects of argument from an essay plan
Defining our
position ...
A GENERIC DEFINITION
- A major component of effective argumentation is Organisation & Structure.

- Organisation & Structure speak to the logic and coherency of the way in which words, sentences,
paragraphs, and ultimately, ideas are connected in our writing.

- Basically, Organisation & Structure determine whether we are making sense in our writing or not.

- No one is expecting you to be an expert in your GAMSAT essays. But what the assessors do expect
is coherent and logical relationships between keywords, examples, and contentions .

- Hence, we will be developing and instrumentalising our understanding of contentions and organisation that
we explored in BC 2 and 3.
Arguments &
Key
Concepts
Thinking Macro & Micro

Let’s break down Organisation and Structure further:

1) Organisation: The bringing together all the elements of your essay as a

whole. Think of this as macro-level consistency and logical coherence

2) Structure: Making each paragraph internally consistent. Think of this as

micro-level consistency and logical coherence.
Organisation | Macro Level
Consistency
Organisation | Macro Level Consistency

Arguments aren’t about yelling, loudness or even correctness. Arguments are about the coherent coming
together of things.

How A relates to B, and AB → C is one way of starting to get a sense of an uncomplicated and undaunting
comprehension of argumentation. Here’s a silly example.

Let’s take three elements. Phillip, Unicorns, and Spiciness.

Now consider this argument:

1) Phillip is a unicorn.
2) All unicorns are spicy
3) Therefore, Phillip is spicy because he is a unicorn

This doesn’t make sense in the real world, but that doesn’t matter at the moment. The relations
drawn between the elements make it valid in its structure.
ORGANISATION & MACRO CONSISTENCY

Contention - Phillip is spicy because he is a unicorn.

Topic Sentence 1) Phillip is a Unicorn

Topic Sentence 2) All unicorns are spicy

Structure | Micro Level Consistency
STRUCTURE & MICRO LEVEL CONSISTENCY

There are many ways in which you can structure your paragraphs. Visit
your ATLAS for more on this. Today we will be discussing TEEL
● Topic Sentence
● Elaborate & Explain
● Evidence & Example (How do I know this is true?)
○ Analysis & Evaluation (How does this prove my Topic
Sentence?)
● Linking Sentence
STRUCTURE & MICRO LEVEL CONSISTENCY

Topic Sentence - Phillip is a Unicorn

Premise(s) - Elaborate & Explain

Although unicorns are largely rare mythical creatures, Phillip has transcended time and space because of the poor economic conditions at home. He has settled in Frankston because of
work opportunities.

Evidence - Evidence/Example (How do I know this is true?)

Many local Frankstonians deny the existence of Unicorns, and understandably so. But, Phillip exemplifies all the phenomenological characteristics of the well-known mythical creature -
from the magical properties of the horn on his head, to its uncommon appearance atop his shimmering and silver, equine body - despite its plausibility.

Analysis & Evaluation (How does this prove my Topic Sentence?)

Despite public incredulity, the evidence remains clear. Phillip is, based on all scientific and ontological yardsticks and litmus tests available to us, a mythical creature, namely a unicorn,
as the creature is conventionally understood.

Link - (How does this paragraph support your contention?)

Because of Phillip’s Unicorny phenotype, his biology is also subject to the culinary characteristics typical of his species. In other words, he’s a spicy boi!
Argument & Decision Making in Practice

We are not going to bore with you with academic talk. Rather, we are going to try
and apply and instrumentalise these key ideas so that you can immediately
incorporate the principles so you can become excellent arguers...
Topic Sentence

A topic sentence is what we elsewhere call a claim, assertion, statement of

intent.
For your paragraphs to make sense, it is necessary that they each contain a topic
sentence which forwards a claim. As illustrated a few slides ago, each topic
sentence serves to support your contention - the broader purpose and intent of
your essay.
Without a topic sentence asserting a claim, your paragraph is rendered
meaningless and brings down the structural integrity of the essay and its
organisational consistency
Elaborate and Explain

Elaborating and explaining sentences are were you elaborate on and further
explain your claim. This is sometimes referred to as presenting the premises of
the claims.
A claim in and of itself can sometimes seem obscure, silly, or just way too deep for
some people to understand. Your job is to help your reader/assessor know and
understand where you are coming from. Take the time to unpack what the words
and meaning of your claim are about.
Evidence

Evidence in the GAMSAT can be just about anything. But to help understand how
we can make anything evidence, we first need to know that evidence is that
which supports our claims and premises. It seems simple doesn’t it. That’s
because it is! But what you need to understand is that for your evidence to support
your claims, you need to couple it with analysis. Analysis draws out the implicit
suggestions from the evidence and transforms them into explicit support.

Too often GAMSAT candidates do very little of their own talking and thinking, and
let the “examples” do all the talking, and the assessor all the thinking. Analysis will
ensure you don’t fall into this trap!
Linking Sentence

Your linking sentence is the conclusion of your paragraph. It is that phase of a

paragraph that explicitly summarises the paragraph by saying directly what the point,
purpose or function of the paragraph is relative to your contention.
To put it somewhat differently, your linking sentence is that phase of the paragraph
that evaluates what you have said such that what you have said is explicitly
linked to the intent/purpose of your essay.
It links the claim, premises and evidence (the evaluative and analytic dimension of the
paragraph); and taken as a set, a whole bunch of conclusions that link together start to
construct something akin to a compelling argument (essay as a whole).
Key Notions
That Will
Help You
Argue Well
Pep Talk

As we look at the following terms that will help us understand something a bit
T
more technical about argumentation, remember this: we argue all the time, we
are constantly doing this in our daily lives. We are not showing you the
darkside of the moon here, we’re simply trying to provide some basic knowledge
to help you plan and write more logically.
ARGUMENT INDICATORS

Conclusion: Evidentiary: Dynamical:

- Therefore, - To illustrate, - On the other hand,

- Thus, - For example, - In other words,
- As such, - As shown, - That is,
- Which is to say,
CONNECTIVE WORDS GLOSSARY

And Consequently Meanwhile

But Furthermore Additionally
Yet Further Finally
So Nonetheless Nevertheless
While Moreover If, then
Although Alternatively On the other hand
Finally Henceforward This implies
However Henceforth Ergo
Therefore Hence Concordantly
Because Whereas In contrast
Diagnostics
PLAN & ASSESS YOUR ARGUMENT

● Is my argument ambitious enough?

● Am I biting off more than I can chew?

● Are my topic sentences serving the contention?

● What kind of language should I use to express my claims? Is my language too

strong or passive?

● Is my support strong enough for this contention to be compelling?

REFLECTIONS & QUESTIONS

Reflecting on our writing thus far:

● What pitfalls did everyone encounter? Were some more common than
others?

● Keep track of this as you practice your writing - if you encounter specific
pitfalls often, you may want to practice this in particular.
SUMMARY

● The best way to improve your argumentation is to develop a sense for it, and this comes
with practice and review (diagnostic tools are an aid for this).

● The ordering of your premises, as well as the connective words you use to join is
extremely influential to your argument. Carelessness can make an argument hard to
understand, or even change the argument entirely, such that it becomes inconsistent.

● Logical consistency can make or break an argument. Keep an eye out, and make sure you
are restricting your claims appropriately.

● Think ahead with your structure, and broader argument. Use the diagnostic tool to help
you develop a sense of this.
HOMEWORK

● While you practise planning, use the diagnostic tool to review and assess your planned
argument. Take note of your areas for adjustment each time. Track which adjustments
you make more regularly and give these particular attention.

● Re-read your essays and ask yourself:

○ “Should I re-order this paragraph?”
○ “Are my connective words helping or working against my argument?”

● Keep an eye out for inconsistent claims. Ask yourself:

○ “Could all the propositions/beliefs in your essay be true together in some possible situation?”.
○ “Is my claim exaggerated or unrestricted, such that someone could perceive this as
inconsistent with my broader argument, or simply unconvincing?
 Writing
Exercises
PLAN AN ESSAY - 8 MINS
Comment 1

One person, one vote, one voice. Foolery. Money is the loudest voice in democracy.

Comment 2

There are so many problems in democracies today it is nearly impossible to single any particular
one out.

Comment 3

If a democracy is failing you, it’s hard to imagine how things could be better otherwise.

Comment 4

Only democracy can keep us together as we face the challenges of the 21st century.
Paragraph X

YOU HAVE 10
MINUTES
Sharing &
Feedback
PLAN AN ESSAY - 8 MINS
Comment 1

Family is the most important part of a person’s life, no matter where they are from.
h
Comment 2

My grandmother’s story is also my own. It is a shame I didn’t discover this truth until after she was dead.

Comment 3

Family is important. But, families come in all shapes and sizes and types. Many of which have nothing to do
with ‘blood’.

Comment 4

Genetics have never been at the root of the family tree. Love is.
Sharing &
Feedback
Paragraph Z

YOU HAVE 10
MINUTES
Sharing &
Feedback