The best test of an argument is the argument's ability to convince someone with an opposing viewpoint.
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Claim: Governments must ensure that their major cities receive the financial support they need in order to thrive.
Reason: It is primarily in cities that a nation's cultural traditions are preserved and generated.
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Universities should require every student to take a variety of courses outside the student's field of study.
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It is no longer possible for a society to regard any living man or woman as a hero.
Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim. In developing and supporting your position, be sure to address the most compelling reasons and/or examples that could be used to challenge your position.
People's behavior is largely determined by forces not of their own making.
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The well-being of a society is enhanced when many of its people question authority.
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Claim: Knowing about the past cannot help people to make important decisions today.
Reason: The world today is significantly more complex than it was even in the relatively recent past.
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To understand the most important characteristics of a society, one must study its major cities.
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Claim: Any piece of information referred to as a fact should be mistrusted, since it may well be proven false in the future.
Reason: Much of the information that people assume is factual actually turns out to be inaccurate.
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Governments should offer college and university education free of charge to all students.
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Claim: In any field-business, politics, education, government-those in power should step down after five years.
Reason: The surest path to success for any enterprise is revitalization through new leadership.
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Educational institutions should actively encourage their students to choose fields of study that will prepare them for lucrative careers.
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If a goal is worthy, then any means taken to attain it are justifiable.
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It is primarily through our identification with social groups that we define ourselves.
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Colleges and universities should require their students to spend at least one semester studying in a foreign country.
Write a response in which you discuss your views on the policy and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider the possible consequences of implementing the policy and explain how these consequences shape your position.
Claim: It is no longer possible for a society to regard any living man or woman as a hero.
Reason: The reputation of anyone who is subjected to media scrutiny will eventually be diminished.
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The increasingly rapid pace of life today causes more problems than it solves.
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Learning is primarily a matter of personal discipline; students cannot be motivated by school or college alone.
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Although innovations such as video, computers, and the Internet seem to offer schools improved methods for instructing students, these technologies all too often distract from real learning.
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Claim: Many problems of modern society cannot be solved by laws and the legal system.
Reason: Laws cannot change what is in people's hearts or minds.
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Leaders are created by the demands that are placed on them.
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Some people claim that you can tell whether a nation is great by looking at the achievements of its rulers, artists, or scientists. Others argue that the surest indicator of a great nation is, in fact, the general welfare of all its people.
Write a response in which you discuss which view more closely aligns with your own position and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should address both of the views presented.
Educators should find out what students want included in the curriculum and then offer it to them.
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Claim: The surest indicator of a great nation is not the achievements of its rulers, artists, or scientists.
Reason: The surest indicator of a great nation is actually the welfare of all its people.
Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim and the reason on which that claim is based.
The luxuries and conveniences of contemporary life prevent people from developing into truly strong and independent individuals.
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