Lesson 2: Arguments : Application

Exercise – 1

Questions 1 to 3 are based on the following passage:

If government refuses to grant rights to the people it governs, and repeatedly shows itself deaf
to the people's wishes, what exact recourse do those people have except either to acquiesce,
or to become tumultuous according to the government's interpretation of the word? It's easy to
tell people to show up at the ballot box and make their voices heard by voting, but some of the
most violent actions in history were sparked by the struggle for voting rights in the first place.
People don't engage in collective action because democracy has been effective; they engage
in it because it has ceased to be responsive to its citizens. In 1992, Hunt found that when
authorities in Los Angeles told people to quiet down, go back home, and use their voting power
to push for the changes they desired, people's responses were along the lines of: 'That's what
we have been doing. And nothing has changed.'

1. The event of 1992 in Los Angeles features which one of the following ways in the above
passage?
(a) It is the conclusion that the author wants to argue.
(b) It supports the author's main contention.
(c) It acts as a limit to the author's main conclusion.
(d) It is a situation that acts as a counter to popular perception.

2. Which of the following best expresses the main point of the passage?
(a) The event in Los Angeles in 1992 highlights the misuse of voting power.
(b) Government's refusal to grant rights to people is illogical.
(c) Asking people to express their voices through voting is unreasonable.
(d) In a democracy, people should engage in collective action.

3. Which one of the following is a statement of fact and not a statement of opinion?
(a) In 1992, Hunt found that when authorities in Los Angeles told people to quiet down,
go back home, and use their voting power to push for the changes they desired.
(b) People don't engage in collective action because democracy has been effective;
they engage in it because it has ceased to be responsive to its citizens.
(c) It's easy to tell people to show up at the ballot box and make their voices heard by
voting, but some of the most violent actions in history were sparked by the struggle for
voting rights in the first place.
(d) 'That's what we have been doing. And nothing has changed.'

Lesson 2: Arguments : Application Page 1

Questions 4 to 6 are based on the following passage:
Socrates, while serving on the Athenian Council, sought to prevent it from making an illegal
decision. Martin Luther, when a council convened by the Emperor Charles V in 1521 told him to
recant, is said to have declared: 'Here I stand; I can do no other.' The United States' attorney
general Elliot Richardson and the deputy attorney general William D Ruckelshaus both chose
to resign in 1973 rather than obey President Richard Nixon's order to fire the special prosecutor
investigating Watergate. More recently, the acting attorney general Sally Yates was fired after
she announced that the US Department of Justice would not cooperate in enforcing President
Donald Trump's executive order against Muslim immigrants. They all said no. Each of them, for
reasons of principle, opposed an order from a higher authority (or sought to prevent its issuance).
They are exceptional figures, in extraordinary circumstances. Yet most of the time, the rule of
law is more mundane: it depends on officials carrying out their ordinary duties within the purposes
of the offices they hold, and on citizens obeying them. That is to say, the rule of law relies upon
obedience by bureaucrats, and obedience of bureaucrats - but crucially, within the established
norms of the state.
4. Which one of the following sentences from the passage captures the author's main
conclusion?
(a) Each of them, for reasons of principle, opposed an order from a higher authority
(or sought to prevent its issuance).
(b) They are exceptional figures, in extraordinary circumstances.
(c) They all said no.
(d) That is to say, the rule of law relies upon obedience by bureaucrats, and obedience of
bureaucrats - but crucially, within the established norms of the state.

5. The author brings up the firing of Sally Yates in order to highlight which one of the following?
(a) The President Donald Trump's executive order against Muslim immigrants is against
the law.
(b) Sally Yates's non-cooperation with President Donald Trump's executive order is
mundane.
(c) There are situations where people opposed an order from a higher authority for reasons
of principle.
(d) Sally Yates should not have opposed President Donald Trump's executive order since
the law relies on obedience.
6. Which one of the following is a statement of opinion and not a statement of fact?
(a) The United States' attorney general Elliot Richardson and the deputy attorney general
William D Ruckelshaus both chose to resign in 1973 rather than obey President
Richard Nixon's order to fire the special prosecutor investigating Watergate.
(b) They are exceptional figures, in extraordinary circumstances.
(c) More recently, the acting attorney general Sally Yates was fired after she announced
that the US Department of Justice would not cooperate in enforcing President Donald
Trump's executive order against Muslim immigrants.
(d) Martin Luther, when a council convened by the Emperor Charles V in 1521 told him to
recant, is said to have declared: 'Here I stand; I can do no other.'
Page 2 Lesson 2: Arguments : Application
Questions 7 to 9 are based on the following passage:
Brevity and quicksilver processes constitute a raging trend be it Twitter or two-minute noodles.
It is in sync with the current era notorious for its shrinking attention spans and paucity of time.
Organised sport too isn't immune from this need to shorten formats. In this universe of instant
gratification, Test cricket with its five-day schedule and breaks for lunch and tea, might seem an
anachronism. It may boggle the mind that there were timeless Tests in the past during which a
contest stretched beyond five days till a result was arrived at. That phase ended in 1939 as
visiting squads were constrained by the urgency to catch a ship back home. Since those days
of the slow life, cricket evolved and Tests now have two raucous siblings in One Day Internationals
and Twenty20s, where a result is inevitable and the thrills, however transitory, seem limitless in
these abridged formats. ODIs and T20s draw in the crowds and sponsors while Tests are now
seen as an ageing matriarch lost to nostalgia and the prospect of ever-dwindling revenues.
In a bid to bolster cricket's original form, the International Cricket Council (ICC), is mulling over
four-day Tests from 2023. Cold logic has trumped relevance and it is a move that will destroy
the sanctity of Tests and all that it stood for.

7. Which one of the following best expresses author's main conclusion?

(a) The game of cricket has evolved from being a five-day test to ODIs and T20s
(b) A move to create a four-day cricket Test will end the sanctity of Tests.
(c) ODIs and T20s are more popular than Tests resulting in the loss of sanctity of Tests.
(d) ICC's decision to create four-day Tests from 2023 is flawed.

8. The author's statement of opinion regarding ODIs and T20 is best captured in which of
the following?
(a) They are exciting (b) They are unpleasant
(c) They are better than Tests (d) They saved cricket

9. Consider the first sentence "Brevity and quicksilver processes constitute a raging trend
be it Twitter or two-minute noodles." This acts as which one of the following:
(a) an analogy (b) a generalization
(c) an appeal to emotion (d) an appeal to authority

Questions 10 to 12 are based on the following passage:

Herein lies the contradiction and the design flaw. As Secretary in charge of the Department of
Military Affairs (DMA) and having superintendence over the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian
Air Force, there would be an implied subordination of the three service chiefs to the CDS
notwithstanding any declaration to the contrary. As Secretary of the DMA, the CDS is tasked
with facilitating the restructuring of military commands, bringing about jointness in operations
including through the establishment of joint/theatre commands. This will invariably encroach
upon the domain of the service chiefs.

Lesson 2: Arguments : Application Page 3

The CDS, as Permanent Chairperson of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, would outrank the
three service chiefs even though theoretically all are four star. Moreover, the advice of the CDS
could override the advice of the respective Service Chiefs on critical tactical and perhaps even
strategic issues.

With the creation of the DMA on most issues, the reporting structure of the three services to the
Defence Minister would now be through the CDS; if not immediately it would become the norm
over time. Even today while in theory the service chiefs report directly to the Defence Minister,
in practice all files and decisions are routed through the Defence Secretary.
However most problematic is the erosion of civilian supremacy over the defence establishment
in the Ministry of Defence itself. This impacts on the first principles of constitutionalism and has
implications for our democratic polity also. Sophistry is being employed to suggest that the
Secretary DMA would be in charge of military affairs and the Defence Secretary would look
after the 'defence of the realm'.

10. Which one of the following can be attributed to the author of the passage?
(a) The CDS will now have complete authority over all the matters relating to the military
affairs.
(b) The defence establishment should be given more importance over civilian supremacy.
(c) The design flaw in the post of Secretary DMA will undermine the roles of the service
chiefs.
(d) It is a sound policy to give Secretary DMA the charge of military affairs as it allows
better decision making.

11. Consider the following statements from the passage: "However most problematic is the
erosion of civilian supremacy over the defence establishment in the Ministry of Defence
itself. This impacts on the first principles of constitutionalism and has implications for our
democratic polity also."
The statements can be best described as:
(a) a causal argument (b) argument from analogy
(c) argument from authority (d) inductive generalization

12. Consider the statement : "We expect that as CDS takes over he will be able to integrate
our military strategies and operational tasks."
Based on the author's argument, the above statement will lead to which one of the
following?
(a) The advice of the respective Service Chiefs on critical tactical issues may end up
getting ignored.
(b) The Secretary DMA direct access to the Defence Minister not on financial and military
matters.
(c) CDS will be a post that will be a key advisory body to the government on all military
matters.
(d) The new department will cut the red tape and bureaucratic bottleneck that often cause
delays.
Page 4 Lesson 2: Arguments : Application
Questions 13 to 15 are based on the following passage
U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to assassinate top Iranian military commander Qassem
Soleimani has faced brickbats abroad for the risks that it poses to peace in West Asia and
beyond. But there is also little doubt that in embarking on this adventurist path of antagonising
Tehran, the American President has driven a deeper wedge between political constituents at
home.

First, in invoking the spectre of national security to justify the assassination, Mr. Trump has
endangered American persons and assets, military and civilian, abroad. A bill passed in the
Iranian parliament this week designated all U.S. forces involved in the "martyrdom" of Soleimani
as "terrorists". Every one of them could now potentially find themselves in the cross hairs of the
inevitable reprisal that will originate from an angry Iranian regime.

Second, Mr. Trump's strike against Iran has deepened the sense of angst and hostility on
Capitol Hill, where partisan bickering has already polarised lawmakers over the impeachment
of the President in an election year. Now the House is formulating a response to Mr. Trump not
notifying it in advance of the drone strike that killed Soleimani. The Speaker of the U.S. House of
Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, and her Democratic colleagues will do so via a war powers
resolution - even if there are slim chances of the Republican-controlled Senate passing any
such bill into law. Mr. Trump could only continue so far without running afoul of the 1973 War
Powers Act. The Act requires that the President inform Congress within 48 hours of introducing
military forces into armed conflict abroad. Second, it bars the president from committing armed
forces to any foreign action lasting over 60 days without Congressional approval. Already
questions of presidential propriety have been raised regarding Mr. Trump's decision to make
the White House's notification to Congress on the Soleimani strike a classified document,
a move clearly aimed at limiting transparency on the subject.

A third strand of domestic opposition to Mr. Trump's agenda in West Asia comes from the
American public. Last weekend, anti-war protests swirled through communities across the
U.S. Protesters numbering from a few hundred to more than a thousand called for an end to the
hostility against Iran and Iraq. This begs the question: what is the exit strategy Mr. Trump and
his team have in mind for their West Asia strategy, one that they will have to explain to their
domestic constituents? Washington has steadily nudged Tehran onto the warpath - first by
scuttling the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, then by slapping Iran with crushing sanctions, and finally by
killing Soleimani.

Lesson 2: Arguments : Application Page 5

13. In paragraph 2, what is the author's main conclusion?
(a) There will be reprisal from the military regime of Iran.
(b) Trump has endangered American persons and assets.
(c) Iranians now considers Soleimani as a martyr.
(d) US used national security as the justification for an assassination.

14. In paragraph 3, why does the author say that there is lack of transparency with regards to
Trump's action?
(a) Because Trump administration did not notify the Congress regarding the strike.
(b) Because there is huge partisan bickering caused due to Trump's unilateral decision.
(c) Because there is a deepening of hostility towards Capitol Hill due to the conflict.
(d) Because the notification to the Congress for the justification of the strike is classified.

15. Which of the following is one of the premises the author used to claim that there has
been domestic opposition to Trump's agenda [Paragraph 4]?
(a) Trump does not have any exit strategy for their West Asia strategy.
(b) There were anti-war protests in the US to end hostilities against Iran.
(c) Trump have exponentially multiplied hostility among US citizens.
(d) There is a lot of negative publicity against Trump decision.

Page 6 Lesson 2: Arguments : Application

 Lesson 2: Arguments : Application
Answers and Explanations
1 b 2 c 3 a 4 d 5 c
11 a 12 a 13 b 14 d 15 b
1. b [it is a premise]
Option (b) is the correct answer as the event in Los
Angeles supports the main contention of the author
which is that people raise their voices against the
government when they feel that the government is
unresponsive towards the citizenry.
Options (a) and (c) are incorrect as the event in Los
Angeles is cited neither as a conclusion nor as a limit
to conclusion but it is an example which supports the
premise on which the passage is based.
Option (d) is incorrect as it is contrary to the intention
of author of citing the event in Los Angeles.
2. c [this is the conclusion of the argument, rest are
premises]
Option (c) is the correct answer as it states the
conclusion of the argument which has been forwarded
by the author throughout the passage, making it the
main point.
All the other options are incorrect as they are the
premises on which the passage is based.
3. a [Fact is something that is verifiable - Only a is a fact.
Rest are statement of opinion]
Option (a) is the correct answer as it is the only option
which gives a statement which is verifiable, fulfilling
the general trait of a 'fact'.
All the other options list statements which cannot be
verified and thus come under the category of 'opinion'
rather thana fact.
4. d [The author uses all the examples to highlight the role
bureaucrats have in the rule of law]
Option (d) is the correct answer as all the examples
given in the passage are aimed towards highlighting
the role bureaucrats in establishing the rule of law
which forms the main conclusion of the passage.
Option (a) is incorrect as it enlists an incident whose
role is to support the main conclusion but is not in itself
the main conclusion.
Options (b) and (c) are incorrect as they enlist the
details of the incident which is stated to support the
main conclusion of the passage.
Lesson 2: Arguments : Application
6 b 7 b 8 b 9 a 10 c
5. c [Sally Yates is one of the many examples that the
author provided to highlight the fact that there have
been many who defied orders]
Option (c) is the correct answer as the incident of the
firing of Sally Yates is used by the author to state the
scenario where there has been a refusal to comply
with the unjust order of a superior by a subordinate
by reasons of principle and moral consciousness.
Options (a) and (d) are inc orrect as they are
unverifiable opinions rather than the statement which
the author seeks to establish by mentioning the said
incident.
Option (b) is incorrect as it is vague and is inconsistent
with the issue being raised in the question.
6. b [a, c and d are verifiable - They are statement of
Facts. (b) is a statement of opinion]
Option (b) is the correct answer as it is a statement
which cannot be verified and therefore comes under
the category of an opinion.
All other options are incorrect as they enlist statements
which can be verifies and thus come under the
category of facts.
7. b [d is not the answer since ICC has not made that
decision]
Option (b) is the correct answer as it highlights the
concluding note of the author which is the impact of a
four-day Test cricket on match on the sanctity of the
said format.
Options (a) and (c) are incorrect as there are assertive
statements which are used by the author in the
passage to reach onto the conclusion.
Option (d) is incorrect as it is merely an opinion as the
ICC has not yet made that decision.
8. b [ Author mentions …. Tests now have two raucous
siblings in One Day Internationals and Twenty20s…]
Option (b) is the correct answer as the author has
used the term 'raucous' for the one-day and Twenty20
format of cricket in the passage and therefore it can
be inferred that he feels that the said formats are
unpleasant.
All the other options are inc orrect as they rea
inconsistent with the facts provided in the passage.
Page 1
9. a [This acts as an analogy to ODIs and T-20s]
Option (a) is the correct answer as the author has
given an analogy between Twitter trend and
two-minute noodles on one hand and the one-day
international cricket matches and Twenty20 format of
cricket on the other hand stating their futility.
All the other options are incorrect as they fail to capture
the correct relationship which the author intends to
make with reference the above-mentioned line from
the passage.
10. c [(a) is too extreme; (b) and (d) contradicts what is
mentioned in the passage]
Option (c) is the correct answer as the author has
expressly stated the point of design flaw and its
negative effects in the first paragraph of the passage.
Therefore, the statement can be attributed to the author
based on the passage.
Option(a) is incorrect as it is too extreme a statement
which does not finds mention in the passage.
Option (b) and (d) are inc orrect as they are
contradictory to the opinions whic h has been
expres sed by the author specif ically in the last
paragraph of the passage.
11. a [A leads to B - this is a causation]
Option (a) is the correct answer as the statement
given is a causal argument where the cause i.e. the
creation of the CDS post would lead to the effect i.e. it
would impact the principles of constitutionalism and
democratic polity.
All the other options are incorrect as they fail to
recognise the true nature of the statement which has
been referred in the question.
12. a [Rest are +ve statements on the move. The author has
been -ve]
Option (a) is the correct answer as it highlights the
negative impact of the appointment of CDS which falls
in coherence with the opinion of the author.
All the other options are incorrect as they enlist the
positive impacts of the appointment of CDS which run
contrary to the opinion of the author.
Page 2
13. b [rest are premises to the conclusion]
Option (b) is the correct answer as by the statements
made in the second paragraph the author seeks to
establish that Trump's actions have led to the creation
of a dangerous situation for the American persons
and assets stationed abroad.
All the other options are inc orrect as they are
statements which form the premise of the argument
rather than its conclusion.
14. d [last sentence of Para 3]
Option (d) is the correct answer as it finds mention in
the last line of the third paragraph which states that
as the notification to the Congress for the justification
of the strike is classified, there is lack of transparency
with regards to Trump's action.
All the other options are incorrect as despite of being
factually consistent they fail to establish the foundation
on which the author has called Trump's action lacking
transparency.
15. b Option (b) is the correct answer as it is mentioned in
the fourth paragraph of the passage that there have
been anti-war protests in the US to end hostilities
against Iran which factually proves that there is
domestic opposition to Trump's agenda.
Option (a) is incorrect as despite of being factually
correct it fails to answer the question being raised
regarding domestic opposition.
Options (c) and (d) are incorrect as they are factually
inconsistent with the information provided in the
passage.
Lesson 2: Arguments : Application