EXERCISE 14.1

Using the three characteristics just listed, decide which of the following statements are arguable and which are not.

  • The Dark Knight was the best movie of the last decade.

    Arguable
  • The climate of the earth is gradually getting warmer.

    Arguable, depending on the acceptance of scientific data
  • The United States must further reduce social spending in order to balance the budget.

    Arguable
  • Shakespeare died in 1616.

    Not arguable
  • President Roosevelt knew that the Japanese were planning to bomb Pearl Harbor in December 1941.

    Arguable
  • Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit.

    Not arguable, unless students want to discuss boiling temperatures at different air pressures
  • Van Gogh’s paintings are the work of a madman.

    Arguable
  • The incidence of breast cancer has risen in the last ten years.

    Arguable, depending on the acceptance of statistical reports
  • The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response to disasters must be radically improved.

    Arguable
  • A fifty-five-mile-per-hour speed limit lowers accident rates.

    Arguable, although some studies continue to show correlations between reduced speed and lower accident rates. More readily verifiable is the correlation between speed limit and mortality rate.