Question 2: Argument evaluation The argument on the following page has been standardised and an argument map diagram provided. Write a short evaluation of the argument (150-200 words). For each part of the argument, consider the following questions and justify your answers to them: 1. Support: lfthe premises were true, would they provide a good reason to accept the conclusion? Be careful to distinguish premises that support the main conclusion from premises that support another premise in the argument. 2. Truth: Are the premises true? Explain your answers. If you do not know whether a premise is true, you should either attempt to do some 'fact checking' to nd out (stating your sources), or explain what kind of evidence would be relevant and what sources you could use to answer the question. If a premise is not a straightforwardly factual matter you should a) state whether you would accept the premise or not and b) give at least one reason why or why not. Marking scheme Mark Comments Evaluation of the truth of 4 the premises Evaluation of support 12 (sub argument and main argument) Overall evaluation ofthe 4 success of the argument The argument Some people claim that the battery-powered electric car represents a potential solution to the problem of fossil fuel pollution. But they forget that it takes electricity to recharge batteries and that most of our electricity is generated by burning polluting fossil fuels. So even if all of the petrol and diesel cars on the roads today were replaced by electric cars, it would at best be an exchange of one source of fossil fuel pollution for another. Standard form 1. It takes electricity to recharge batteries 2. Most of our electricity is generated by burning polluting fossil fuels. Therefore: 3. Even if all of the petrol and diesel cars on the roads today were replaced by electric cars, it would at best be an exchange of one source of fossil fuel pollution for another. Therefore: C. The battery-powered electric car is not a potential solution to the problem of fossil fuel pollution. ls premise 1 true? ls premise 2 true? Do premises 1 and 2 support the intermediate conclusion 3? Does premise 3 support the main conclusion? Overall, is the argument successful i.e. Does it provide a good reason for accepting the conclusion