1. Is global climate change caused by humans?

2. Is the death penalty effective?
3. Is our election process fair?
4. Is torture ever acceptable?
5. Are school uniforms beneficial?
6. Do we have a fair tax system?
7. Do curfews keep teens out of trouble?
8. Is cheating out of control?
9. Are we too dependent on computers?
10.Should animals be used for research?
11. Should cigarette smoking be banned?
12. Are cell phones dangerous?
13. Are law enforcement cameras an invasion of privacy?
14. Is child behavior better or worse than it was years ago?
15. Should the government have a say in our diets?
16. Should members of Congress have term limits?
17. Are actors and professional athletes paid too much?
18.Should athletes be held to high moral standards?
19. Are CEOs paid too much?
20. Do violent video games cause behavior problems?
21. Should English be the official the language in Pakistan?

1. Is it okay for prisoners to vote?

2. Does boredom lead to trouble?
3. Does religion cause war?
4. Should the government provide health care?
5. Is homework harmful or helpful?
6. Is the cost of college too high?
7. Is college admission too competitive?
8. Do rich people need to pay more taxes?
9. Are schools and teachers responsible for low test scores?
Sample Argumentative Essay Skills vs. Knowledge in Education Jonan Donaldson

Introduction

Main Idea One: The Other Side – Learning Information is needed for tests

a) Tests are the best way to compare students b) Tests measure if you understand something

c) Not all students can have the same skills, but all can have the same knowledge

Main Idea Two: My Side 1 – Education is about understanding a) Knowledge is limited, but

imagination encircles the world (creativity) b) Knowledge is what other people think about

something, but understanding is what you think. c) Everybody sees, hears, feels, and thinks

differently, so each person will have a different understanding of the same thing.

Main Idea Three: My Side 2 – Skills are more important in the real world a) Finding information

b) Organizing information c) Analyzing information d) Synthesizing information e) Creating

new information

Conclusion
Copyright 2010 Jonan Donaldson
Jonan Donaldson Academic Writing January 12th, 2010

Sample Argumentative Essay Skills vs. Knowledge in Education

Education systems all over the world are based on the idea that students get and remember

information from teachers and books. These systems test this knowledge with standardized tests

which compare students to each-other. They only test the kind of information which is possible

to measure in tests. The goal is gaining information, not developing skills by which to use and

make information. Unlike the old style of education where people remembered things in order to

pass tests and get higher scores than other students, the modern world calls for a new kind of

education in which the focus is deep understanding, creativity, and information management

skills.

In this way, most education systems in the world are designed to make students remember

things. One reason is that schools feel the need to compare students. They do this by giving tests.

They want to be able to give grades and decide which students are smart and which are not. They

function as a sorting mechanism for society. From the earliest grades, students are put on tracks

that will decide their futures. Another reason schools like to make students remember things is

that by doing so they will be able to test their knowledge and determine if they remember or not.

They believe that if students remember things it is the same as understanding those things.

Schools also like to impart knowledge because in this way, although students can have different

individual skills, they can all have the same knowledge. As Einstein said. “Imagination is more

important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited”.

Moreover, Imagination encircles the world” (Needle, 2007). All the knowledge in the world is

useless unless you are able to use information in creative ways. Knowledge is what other people

have created. Understanding is all about what you think about something. Everybody sees, hears,

feels, and thinks differently. No two people in the world have the same understanding of the

same thing. It is impossible to give tests on a point of view. Because of this, tests are illogical.

The only reason tests exist is to label students as “smart” or “stupid.” There are many kinds of

intelligence, however. One of the most famous researchers in the field of intelligence, Gardner,

found at least seven different kinds of intelligence (Gardner, 1999). Intelligence and

understanding are related. Unfortunately, tests only measure one type of intelligence.

Therefore, in the modern world skills are more important than knowledge. If a person knows

many facts, it is impressive, but not very useful. It is of much greater importance to be able to

find information quickly, organize that information, analyze and understand the main ideas, put

different pieces of information together (synthesize), and create new information. Together these

skills make what we call information management and innovation, the skills which are most

desired in the business world.

Most people in the world believe that education is about remembering things to take tests

which measure one’s performance against other people who have studied the same information.

To conclude, this idea no longer matches the reality of the modern world in which knowledge is

less important than creativity and deep understanding. To be successful in the age of technology,

education must focus on helping students gain information management and innovation skills.

Sources Cited
Gardner, H. (1999). Intelligence reframed: Multiple intelligences for the 21st century. New

York, NY: Basic Books.

Needle, Andrew, et al. (2007). Combining art and science in 'arts and sciences' education.

College Teaching 55.3

1:

Should Fast Food Come with a Warning like Drugs?

You can get fast food on almost any street nowadays. Fast food and junk food are everywhere

you look, and the world is only creating more fast food shops around the globe. Fast food is more

accessible than other food sources; it is also one of the most popular ways to get dinner. Business

workers are ordering in either for lunch or dinner, and this is usually from fast food places with

drive-throughs. Fast food companies use chemicals in their food that aren’t exactly healthy for

the human to consume on a regular basis. So, why should fast food companies be allowed to hide

all the chemicals and ingredients in their foods as well as hide any of the side effects that come

with eating that food?

So, the issue is that fast food isn’t healthy. Healthy foods don’t contain many of the chemicals

that fast foods do, they don’t affect the body in the same way. Healthy foods come from
wholesome ingredients and don’t have preservatives or other pesticides or growth hormones in

them. We all know that that’s food ingredients are in exactly healthy, but many of us failed to

read the list of ingredients for our favorite menu items. Because of this many of us lack to

understand how bad the fast food we consume is.

Will you believe that fast food you come with a warning just like any other product you

purchased? You want to know exactly what’s going to happen to your body and you have the

right to know that information. It should not be hidden from you, and it should not be kept away

as some company secret. Every person has the right to understand how that food will affect their

body. From then on they can make their choices if they want to eat it or not.

Moreover, if you’ve looked at documentaries such as the McDonald’s documentary and other

fast food documentaries you probably noticed that fast food as a long-term effect on a human’s

health. Fast food isn’t bad as long as you eat it every once in a while, but many people choose to

eat fast food every single day. This is not a healthy way of living and can end up causing you

permanent damage to your body because of the chemicals you were introduced into your body

every time you eat at fast food meal.

Furthermore, there are many of people who don’t want to know what’s in their food. But that’s

only a small population. Every person has a right to know how a product will affect them. Just as

you see on labels such as pills, medications, and even products such as workout equipment for

scans. All of these come with a warning on what could go wrong when you’re using it or

consuming it. So why should fast food be any different? Just because a small population of

people doesn’t want to know what’s in their food doesn’t mean that the rest of the population

shouldn’t at least have a warning sticker.

By and large, everyone has the right to know what chemicals and products go onto their food. I

don’t know me that, but they also deserve to know by consuming the fast food what kind of

effects they should expect on their body. Many people think that fast food will only affect their

calorie intake for the day, this is not true. Fast food can affect a person’s Brain, psyche, and

body. This is why we believe the fast foods should come with a warning.

2:

Should Schools Switch to Electronic Textbooks to Save Money & Paper?

If you notice many students in college are getting their textbooks from either Amazon or another

website which has their textbook listed online. Real textbooks are made up of multiple hundreds

of pages of information, but this information is being written on paper. Writing .A textbook on

all paper takes so many pages that it can be harmful to the environment and cost more money.

Which would you rather be using? Would you rather be using a textbook that is online or a

textbook that has been printed into a real book?

So, the issue here is that it takes so many pieces of paper to write just one textbook. A regular

class of college students has at least 50 to 100 students in that class. If the average textbook takes

around 300 to 400 pages or more, you can see how this can be damaging to the environment and

end up costing a lot more money. Some students have a ready learned that by buying textbooks

online through Amazon, Chega, Kindle and other websites you can save almost half the money

you would originally be spending on a real textbook.

Similarly, we are advocating for all textbooks to be switched to being electronic textbooks. Not

only will the switch help reduce the cost of textbooks, but it will also be saving the environment

by reducing waste and reducing the amount of paper used. The only concern we have is some

teachers refuse to allow their students to use textbooks online instead of real life textbooks. This

is unfair and is only hurting the environment and the student’s wallet. What side would you be

on? Do you support textbooks? Or do you support electronic textbooks?

In this way, for every textbook that is bought and in stores you are essentially supporting at least

600 pages on average to be wasted. Many textbooks can only be used for that year as they are

constantly being upgraded to new versions. All the old tax end up just going in the trash or are

recycled, however, if you take a closer look at electronics textbooks they almost have zero waste

and are quite affordable. So, why wouldn’t you want to make the switch? Electronic textbooks

give you instant access to all of the same information, and you can even highlight, search, and

bookmark any pages that you would a normal book.

In this regard, many institutions argue that standard textbooks are still the way to go. One of the

reasons for this is because many colleges make their income based off of their textbooks. So it

only makes sense that they would want to continue selling their textbooks to you. But times are

changing, and these institutions need to change their mind and want to come to electronic

textbooks. Sure they won’t be making as much money, but they can save money by not shipping

those books and having them in print, or by keeping them in stock in their bookstores. Think

about how much money they waste shipping in all of those textbooks and making sure that they

are up to date and have all the information that you need to graduate.
In conclusion, electronic tech books are the better option when it comes to learning. They save

the environment and our eco-friendly. They are less expensive than traditional textbooks. And

they do not cost as much money as regular textbooks. Not only they have all these benefits, but

they also give you instant access to all the information you need. Perform searches, highlight,

and copy and paste all the information you need from your textbook into any other document to

write your notes. This is why we believe electronic textbooks are the best way to go when it

comes to purchasing textbooks.