Senior High School

Department of Education
National Capital Region
SCHOOL S DIVISION OFFICE
MARIK INA CITY

English for Academic and Professional Purposes

Second Quarter – Module 2
Position Paper
(Arguments and Factual Evidences)

Writer: Araceli C. Maligalig, Ph.D.

Illustrator: Marexcza Z. Salinas
Richland C. Buere
Layout Artists:
Shiela Mae A. Cancino

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 What I Need to Know

Hello Grade 12 learners! In this module for the 2nd grading period, you will learn
how to:
Defend a stand on an issue by presenting reasonable arguments supported by properly
cited factual evidences.

You can say that you have understood the lesson in this module if you can already:
1. define fallacy;
2. determine the logical fallacies;
3. identify the arguments and evidences; and
4. present reasonable arguments with factual evidences.

What I Know

Write YES if the statement about position paper is correct and NO if the statement is
wrong. Write your answer on the line after the statement.

1. Claims are statements that support the writer’s stand. _____

2. Evidence is a proof that will support the writer’s claim. _____

3. If the evidence fails for any reason, the argument fails and the claim is not
proven. _______

4. Fallacies are beliefs that can be used in an argument. ______

5. “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” is an example of fallacy. _______

Let us think it over! How did you find the activity? Do you think you did well? If
you find it hard, then do not worry, this module will help you understand the lesson on
your own pace and level. Always remember, just keep going, you will be surprised to
finally finish all the tasks!

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 Lesson Position Paper
1 (Arguments and Factual Evidences)

What’s In

In this lesson, you will learn about position paper and its contents, but our focus
is on arguments and factual evidences found in a position paper, and how they can be
identified.

So now, before you move forward, complete the mind map below. Write
something about the word evidence in an argument, in relation to position paper.

Evidence

What’s New
A. Before Reading Activity

Have you experienced persuading someone with something that you believe in?
What did you do? How did you persuade him/her?

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 B. During Reading Activity

Let us read this text about evidence by Davis Oldham from

https://app.shoreline.edu/doldham/SRR.html

Evidence is the concrete facts used to support a claim. Ideally, evidence is

something everyone agrees on, or something that anyone could, with sufficient training
and equipment, verify for themselves.

At its most basic, evidence is something that can be perceived with the senses. A
great deal of scientific evidence is observable phenomena, like the change in color when
two chemicals are mixed in an experiment, or the light emitted by a distant star, or the
structure of bones in a fossil. In some cases, though, what you’re observing is very
removed from the claim. For example, if I say “Einstein said that space is curved” as a fact
to support my claim, the observable fact is the written record of what Einstein said, not a
physical phenomenon that relates directly to my claim.

C. After Reading Activity

Let us analyze the text about the evidence written by Oldham by answering the
following questions:

1. What do you think Oldham meant when he said that evidence is something
that we can perceive?
______________________________________________________________________

2. What observable phenomena were given? Write two.

______________________________________________________________________

3. What physical phenomenon does Oldham mention regarding the theory of

Einstein?
_____________________________________________________________________

4. What is the use of evidence in argument?

_____________________________________________________________________

5. Do you think it is possible that an evidence can also be abstract at some

point? if that is the case, can we possibly use this in argument? Why? or Why
not?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

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 What is It
Let us now study the succeeding lessons. You need to understand what fallacies
are when you look at the evidences in an argument. You need to have a clear picture of
factual evidences used in order to win the argument. First, let me ask you what fallacy is.
What is Fallacy?
A fallacy is reasoning that comes to a conclusion without the evidence to support
it (Merriam Webster dictionary).
What are the Types of Fallacies?
1. Ad Hominem- It is attacking the person making the argument rather than the
argument itself.

Tony will run as president in our school, but Tony was involved in a fight two
years ago, therefore he cannot be a good president.

2. Strawman- It is misrepresenting someone’s argument to make it easier to attack.

Al Gore feels that all companies are irresponsible and should be punished for
allowing emissions, which causes global warming.

3. Loaded Question-It is asking a question that has an assumption built into it so

that it can be answered without appearing guilty.

Have you stopped cheating in EAPP class?

4. Black or white- It is where two alternative states are presented as the only
possibilities when in fact more possibilities exist.

If you will agree with him then you are against us.

5. Slippery slope- It is asserting that if we allow A to happen, then Z will

consequently happen too, therefore A should not happen.

(A teacher to a student)
I will not allow you to go to the comfort room because you might fall on the stairs,
and if you fell on the stairs your parents will complain, and if they complained, a
case will be filed against me. Therefore, you cannot go to the comfort room.

6. Burden of proof- It is saying that the burden of proof lies not with the person
making the claim, but with someone else to disprove.

If you cannot prove that I was the one who stole your bag, therefore, I wasn’t the
one who stole it.

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7. Composition Division-It is assuming that what’s true about one part of
something has to be applied to all or other parts of it.

The students in Hogwarts High School are lazy. Luna Lovegod is a student in
Hogwarts High School. Therefore, Luna Lovegod is lazy.

8. Bandwagon- It is appealing to popularity or the fact that many people do

something as an attempt of validation.

I wanted to take HUMMS, but all my friends will take STEM, therefore, I will take
STEM.

9. Appeal to Emotion-It is manipulating an emotional response in place of a valid

or compelling argument.

I remember my grandmother told me that if I will let rice fall on the table while
eating, the rice will cry, so I shouldn’t let these rice fall on the table while eating.

Arguments as we have discussed in the previous module is the attempt to prove a

point using evidence and reasoning.
Evidence is the concrete facts used to support a claim. Ideally, evidence is something
everyone agrees on, or something that anyone could, with sufficient training and
equipment, verify for themselves.
Evidence is one of the two basic ingredients of argument (the other is reasoning), and
so a great deal of effort goes into ensuring its quality, and challenging the quality of
evidence in arguments we disagree with.

What is Factual Evidence?

Factual evidence is very convincing in argumentative essay. The three types of
factual evidence are:
1. Facts- are the things that we know to be true like personal experiences or
observations and interviews, which provide empirical or statistical information.
These should come from a credible source.

2. Empirical Evidence- are data that have been observed and tested.

example: experiential data- these are scientific research and testing

3. Statistical Information- These are data gathered, sorted, analyzed, interpreted,
and presented by scientists.

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 What’s More

Answer the activities that will follow to practice your knowledge and skill.

Activity 1

Answer briefly and concisely the following questions. Write in complete sentences.

1. In your own words, what is fallacy?

_______________________________________________________________________________________
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2. Choose at least three fallacies and give your own example for each fallacy.
__________________________________________________________________________________
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Grading Criteria
Relevance of Content 3 pts
Organization / Coherence 1 pt.
Grammar and punctuation 1 pt.
Total 5 pts. HPS per item

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Activity 2

Determine the type of fallacy used in the following. Write the letter of the correct
answer before the number.

A. Black or White B. Bandwagon C. Ad Hominem

D. Appeal to Emotion E. Composition Division

__________1. Before buying a kilo of grapes I always pick one and taste it first to make sure
that the grapes are sweet.

_________2. Hyun Bin is endorsing Smart LTE sim card. I am a fan of Hyun Bin, so I will
switch from globe sim card to smart sim card.

_________3. Yes, Dr. Snape is a good professor, but he left his wife and children. Therefore,
Dr. Snape is not a good professor.

_________4. Choose where to eat good hamburger, Mc Donalds or Jollibee?

_________5. If you will not let me join in the competition, it is like you took my life. I will
forever live in sadness.

Activity 3

Read and analyze the essay below. Identify the argument/s and the evidences
used. Write your answer on the space provided. You may use a separate sheet of paper if
the space is not sufficient.

As online learning becomes more common and more and more resources are
converted to digital form, some people have suggested that public libraries should be shut
down and, in their place, everyone should be given an iPad with an e-reader subscription.

Proponents of this idea state that it will save local cities and towns money because
libraries are expensive to maintain. They also believe it will encourage more people to read
because they won’t have to travel to a library to get a book; they can simply click on what
they want to read and read it from wherever they are. They could also access more materials
because libraries won’t have to buy physical copies of books; they can simply rent out as
many digital copies as they need.

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 However, it would be a serious mistake to replace libraries with tablets. First, digital
books and resources are associated with less learning and more problems than print
resources. A study done on tablet vs book reading found that people read 20-30% slower on
tablets, retain 20% less information, and understand 10% less of what they read compared
to people who read the same information in print. Additionally, staring too long at a screen
has been shown to cause numerous health problems, including blurred vision, dizziness,
dry eyes, headaches, and eye strain, at much higher instances than reading print does.
People who use tablets and mobile devices excessively also have a higher incidence of more
serious health issues such as fibromyalgia, shoulder and back pain, carpal tunnel
syndrome, and muscle strain. I know that whenever I read from my e-reader for too long,
my eyes begin to feel tired and my neck hurts. We should not add to these problems by
giving people, especially young people, more reasons to look at screens.

Second, it is incredibly narrow-minded to assume that the only service libraries offer
is book lending. Libraries have a multitude of benefits, and many are only available if the
library has a physical location. Some of these benefits include acting as a quiet study space,
giving people a way to converse with their neighbors, holding classes on a variety of topics,
providing jobs, answering patron questions, and keeping the community connected. One
neighborhood found that, after a local library instituted community events such as play
times for toddlers and parents, job fairs for teenagers, and meeting spaces for senior
citizens, over a third of residents reported feeling more connected to their community.
Similarly, a Pew survey conducted in 2015 found that nearly two-thirds of American adults
feel that closing their local library would have a major impact on their community. People
see libraries as a way to connect with others and get their questions answered, benefits
tablets can’t offer nearly as well or as easily.

While replacing libraries with tablets may seem like a simple solution, it would
encourage people to spend even more time looking at digital screens, despite the myriad
issues surrounding them. It would also end access to many of the benefits of libraries that
people have come to rely on. In many areas, libraries are such an important part of the
community network that they could never be replaced by a simple object.

-Christine Sarikas

Answer Sheet (Activity 3)

Identify the argument/s and the evidences used.

ARGUMENT 1
_______________________________________________________________________________________
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EVIDENCES:
1._____________________________________________________________________________________
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2._____________________________________________________________________________________
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3._____________________________________________________________________________________
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4._____________________________________________________________________________________
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ARGUMENT 2
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EVIDENCES:
1._____________________________________________________________________________________
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2._____________________________________________________________________________________
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3._____________________________________________________________________________________
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 What I Have Learned

In this module, you have studied about arguments and factual evidences. Express what
you have learned by answering the questions below.
1. What is the other basic ingredient of argument aside from evidence?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

2. What are the three types of factual evidences?

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

3. What type of fallacy appeals to popularity? Give your own example.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

4. What is the role of argument?

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

5. What make the fallacies useless in an argument?

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

What I Can Do
Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write your answer before the number.
____1. A factual evidence analyzed and interpreted by scientists.
A. Credibility C. Facts
B. Empirical D. Statistical Information

____2. A factual evidence from personal experience or observation.

A. Credibility C. Facts
B. Empirical D. Statistical Information

____3. It uses evidence and reasoning.

A. Argument B. Claim C. Evidence D. Fallacy

_____4. These are unsound arguments.

A. Arguments B. Claims C. Evidences D. Fallacies

_____5. What type of fallacy misrepresents the opponent’s argument to make it easier to
attack?
A. Bandwagon B. Burden of Proof C. Slippery Slope D. Strawman

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 Assessment
Apply what you have learned in this module by doing this activity. Defend your
stand on the issue below by presenting reasonable arguments with factual
evidences. Use the space below.

There are some students in senior high school who have decided not to pursue
college education and there are some who are already in college and they decided to stop
because they feel that education in college is not at all the solution to earn good money or
to be rich. If you want to earn good money or to be rich, which is better? Get a diploma
in college? Or Put up your own business? Use a separate sheet of paper for your answers.
Follow the rubric in presenting your arguments.

Grading Criteria
Relevance of Content 6 pts
Organization / Coherence 2 pts
Grammar and punctuation 2 pts.
Total 10 pts. HPS per item

Additional Activities
Write your reflections below.

REFLECTION

SOMETHING I LEARNED:
_______________________________________________________________________________________
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SOMETHING I STILL HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT:

_______________________________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________

SOMETHING I HAVE AN IDEA ABOUT:

_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

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 Post Test

I- Multiple Choice. Choose the letter of the best answer.

1. “This chart shows statistical information on Bacolod's population by age group and
sex.” What kind of evidence is this?
A. Empirical C. Statistical Information
B. Facts D. Testimony

2. This kind of evidence shows the data that have been tested and observed.
A. Empirical C. Statistical Information
B. Facts D. Testimony

3. Evidence based from the personal experience of a credible source.

A. Empirical C. Statistical Information
B. Facts D. Testimony

4. It is a reasoning that has no evidence that makes an argument invalid.

A. Deductive C. Inductive
B. Fallacy D. Metaphoric

5. What type of fallacy deals with popularity to make it convincing?

A. Bandwagon C. Slippery Slope
B. Burden of Proof D. Strawman

6. Which among the following is NOT helpful in proving your argument?

A. Beliefs C. Inductive Reasoning
B. Empirical Evidence D. Statistical Information

7. What type of fallacy overthinks of what will happen even if it is not yet happening?
A. Bandwagon C. Slippery Slope
B. Burden of Proof D. Strawman

8. What type of fallacy needs to disprove an argument?

A. Bandwagon C. Slippery Slope
B. Burden of Proof D. Strawman

9. These are concrete facts used to prove one’s claim.

A. Arguments C. Fallacy
B. Evidence D. Burden of Proof

10. “If you will go to her birthday party, then forget that we are your friends!” What type
of fallacy is this?
A. Appeal to Emotion C. Composition Division
B. Black or White D. Strawman

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II- Essay
1. In your own understanding, how do fallacies hinder in an argument?

Grading Criteria
Relevance of Content 6 pts
Organization / Coherence 2 pts
Grammar and punctuation 2 pts.
Total 10 pts.

References

Accessed July 13, 2020

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fallacy
Accessed July 13, 2020
https://thebestschools.org/magazine/15-logical-fallacies-know/
Accessed July 14, 2020
https://www.sophia.org/tutorials/types-of-support-factual-evidence-3
Accessed July 14, 2020
https://blog.prepscholar.com/argumentative-essay-examples
https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com
http://www.iep.utm.edu/fallacy
https://churchm.ag/logic-fallacy/
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/
https://examples.yourdictionary.com/argumentative-essay-examples.html

Answer Key

What I Know (Pre-Test)

1. YES
2. YES
3. YES
4. NO
5. NO

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 Development Team of the Module

Writer: Araceli C. Maligalig, Ph.D. (MHS)

Editor: Nieves T. Salazar, Ph. D. (PHS)
Internal Reviewer: Janet S. Cajuguiran (EPS- English)
External Reviewer: PNU Professor
Illustrator: Marexcza Z. Salinas (PHS)
Layout Artists: Richland C. Buere (SEHS) & Shiela Mae A. Cancino (SRNHS)

Management Team:
Sheryll T. Gayola
Assistant Schools Division Superintendent
OIC, Office of the Schools Division Superintendent

Elisa O. Cerveza
Chief, CID
OIC, Office of the Assistant Schools Division Superintendent

Janet S. Cajuguiran
EPS-English

Ivy Coney A. Gamatero

EPS – LRMS

For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Schools Division Office- Marikina City

191 Shoe Ave., Sta. Elena, Marikina City, 1800, Philippines

Telefax: (02) 682-2472 / 682-3989

Email Address: sdo.marikina@deped.gov.ph

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