How to Analyze an Argument used by writers

What is an Argument?

An argument is a set of ideas that support a point.

According to Lee and Deakin (2016: 21), they define argument as “developing and defending a position; appealing to
a reader’s logic and emotion; anticipating and countering a reader’s reactions and aligning with or distancing oneself
from cited sources.”

Arguments can be divided into four general components: claim, reason, support, and warrant.

(Department of Communication, 2017).

1. Claims are statements about what is true or good or about what should be done or believed. Claims are
potentially arguable.
2. Reasons are statements that support a given claim, making a claim more than a mere assertion.
Reasons are answers to the hypothetical challenge: “Why do you say that?” or “What justifications can you
give me to believe that?” Reasons can be linked-most often, not explicitly -to claims with the word
“because.”
3. Support substantiates the reasons offered and helps compel audiences to accept an advanced claim. This usually
comes in the form of evidence. Evidence comes in different sorts and tends to vary from one academic field or
argument topic to another. It comes in various forms, including specific examples, statistics, data, testimonies,
and narratives, to name only a few.
4. Warrants are the inferences or assumptions that connect the support to the claim. Warrants often answer the
question “what do you have to believe in order to believe that support justifies the claim or reason being made”

Example:
Claim: Recent tax cuts should be abandoned.
Reason: …because they only benefit the reach.
Support: Statistics show that majority of the tax cuts are targeted at upper middleclass families, not poor
families and individuals.
Warrant: Tax cuts that only benefit the reach are unfair.

Analyzing an Argument

When you “Analyze an Argument” you evaluate someone else’s argument. The task presents a brief passage in
which the author makes a case for a course of action or interprets image by presenting claims and supporting
evidence. Your job will be to examine the claims made and critically assess the logic of author’s position.

Points for Analysis

(Brainfuse, 2022) you will analyze the logic of the author’s case by evaluating both the use of evidence and logical
connections. In reading the author’s argument, consider the following:

 What evidence is given

 What conclusions are made
 What assumptions (likely not stated) are made?
 What ramification (perhaps not stated) would necessarily follow them the author’s argument?

Also evaluate the reasoning and structure of the argument. Look for transition words and phrases to show the
author’s logical connection (e.g., however, thus, therefore, evidently, hence, in conclusion). then evaluate the
following:

 is the premise believable? (how does the author back them up?)
 is the author making assumptions that weaken the premise?
 Is the claim a logical one given the premises?