| Developing Critical Reading Skills, 6/e Deanne Spears,
City College of San Francisco
Exercises
Online Exercises- To test your skills in detecting sloppy thinking and manipulative appeals,
choose an area of controversy that you are interested in. Some examples are
the death penalty, the debate on abortion, illegal immigration, the gender
wars, firearms policy, race relations, and so forth. Then troll Internet Newsgroups
to start your search. Follow these directions for easy access. Note: Not all
computers are equipped to access Newsgroups. Only fully-installed versions
of Netscape or Outlook Express, for example, will give you unlimited access.
If you are in doubt about getting to a complete list of the thousands of Newsgroups
out there, ask your college reference librarian for help. Or follow these
simple directions to get you started, which should work from any computer:
First, go to this site: groups.yahoo.com
Then click on "Cultures and Community."
Next, scroll down to "Issues and Causes" groups.
Choose one that appeals to you, and you will be on your way.
- On pages 316 - 317 of the text is a boxed list of some excellent websites
for studying logical fallacies. Access all three, see what features they offer,
and work through some exercises to sharpen your ability to detect these insidious
forms of thinking.
- What are the arguments for and against using animals as entertainment in
circuses? Which side of the debate do you sympathize with, and why? Now that
you know how to access Newsgroups (see item 1 above), use the same technique
to locate Newsgroups devoted to this subject. Also check the home page of
the animal rights organization known as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment
of Animals) to see what information is available there. Before starting this
assignment, be sure to read Kathy Snow Guillermo's editorial in the text on
pages 333 -334. PETA's address is www.peta-online.org/.
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