Exercise 3: 

Instructions:  
1) Read  "Notes on Argument Basics" before attempting this exercise. You should know the difference between a deductive and non-deductive argument.  
2) Read the passage below.  
3) With the conclusion, "There must be some [wrong claims in my textbook]" construct the argument in standard form analysis. Be sure to include both stated and implied premises which support the conclusion. 
4) Construct the numerical analysis. (See "Analysis of Arguments in Texts" in "Notes on Argument Basics"). 

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Grading: 
If you are able to construct only the stated claims leading to the conclusion, "There must be some [wrong claims in my textbook]," your grade will be a "C." If you are able to construct an argument with that conclusion which includes the correct implied premise(s), your grade will be an "A" or "B."  

The Passage:  
I don't know of any claims in my textbook that are wrong. But there must be some because authors are human beings just like everybody else. So I have to say there must be some. 

Some Hints About Deductive and Non-Deductive Arguments in Texts 
Most arguments are non-deductive. That is, at best, their premises make the conclusions only "likely" or "probable"--sort of like the odds in a weather forecast; no meteorologist can say with certainty what precisely the weather will do. That's why non-deductive arguments are often called "probability arguments." 

Of course, every non-deductive argument--with even a whiff of pride and self-respect--is, in disguise, a "deductive wannabe!" Every non-deductive argument would like to grow up to be a deductive argument in which the premises guarantee the conclusion. And I mean just that--the premises, by the way they are worded, guarantee the exact wording of the conclusion--word for word! 

In fact, many seemingly non-deductive arguments are supported by authors' implied premises which actually make the argument deductive. The implied premises usually lie behind the stated premises as reasons for the stated premises. In other words, what often appears to be a simple, non-deductive argument in stated form is, in reality, a complex, deductive-argument once the reader has identifed both the stated and implied premises. 

How do you tell which is which? It's often really a matter of correctly interpreting the author's intention. To get at the implied premises, you have to ask the critical question "why?" twice, once to discover the stated claims and then a second time to identify the unstated claims--these are the assumptions that the author must be making in order to justify, in his own mind, the reasons (premises) stated in support of the conclusion. Sometimes it's a matter of interpreting the author's strength of opinion in offering a conclusion. Ask yourself, "Does this writer really intend a deductive argument here? If your answer is "yes," then it is necessary for you to identify both the stated and the unstated conclusions that must be leading to the final conclusion in a way in which the final conclusion is guaranteed--word for word. 
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Tips for Exercise 3
See "Tips for Exercise 3."
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Should I revise only the sentences you have marked or the whole essay? 

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