AP LANG Q3 Argument

Take a Position

Creating the Thesis

Organize the Response

1. Create a position on the selected conversation

2. Answer the prompt

3. In thesis, answer "so what?" or "why should the audience care?"

4. No examples in the thesis

5. Thesis should establish the line of reasoning

1. Consider various conversations surrounding the topic. There is always more than one conversation.

2. Pick a conversation to enter

3. Take a nuanced position, not just "yes" or "no" to the question. There are always more than two sides to any argument.

4. Do not go off on a tangent

Parsing the Prompt

• Brainstorm specific evidence
• Think about how your evidence follows a line of reasoning
• Which evidence should go first and which should go last?
• Inductive vs deductive reasoning
• Inductive: Specific example, then generalizing to your position
• Deductive: General example, then making it specific to your position

• Put the prompt in your own words
• Identify the specific element that you are being asked to take a stance on
• Define the variable elements

Evidence

Types of Evidence that may be Used

-Facts: A true qualitative statment

-Expert Testimony: Citing an authority in the field

-Anecdotes: Personal Experience

Dos and Donts

-Do NOT generalize

-Do NOT speak in general trends

-Do NOT use more than one anecdote

-DO use one of the types of evidence

-DO use evidence that appeals to the reader

-DO stay up to date on current events

-Read the NY Times, Atlantic, New Yorker, etc

-Bring up knowledge from other courses (history, sciences, art)

Common Errors

Avoid these mistakes while writing

- Not addressing prompt

- Not planning a skeleton before writing

- Being vague - not definite stance

- Hinting at examples, not definite and specific examples

- No example or more than one per paragraph

- Not including the example in topic sentence

- Dealing with argument as 2-sided conversation

- Answering the prompt with "yes" or "no"

- Using inappropriate, weak, or hyporthetical (if then) evidence

- Limited time, plan the essay before wrting to be efficient

- Bad spelling/grammar (3 or more spelling/grammar errors loses you the sophistication and 4th evidence point

Qualify

AP LANG Q3 Argument

- What does it mean to qualify?

Acknowledge other conversations that exist around your main conversation

Does not need to be an opposing conversation, just a different one

- How to introduce it:

"On the other hand"

"Some may argue"

- ALWAYS bring qualifer back to your main argument

- Meant to add an element of sophistication to writing --> demonstrates that you know more about the topic than the conversation you chose to enter

Effective Argumentation

Body Paragraph Structure

TOPIC SENTENCE

• The topic sentence should introduce the specific example that the body paragraph is discussing
• Should connect the body paragraph with the previous body paragraph.
• Support Line of Reasoning

One example per body paragraph

Explain the evidence in detail and be specific. Explain why the evidence proves your topic sentence and thesis

Parts of an argument

Conclusion Statement

• Claim: Three types: Fact, Value, Policy
• Fact: Condition that exists and is based off of data
• Value: Arguing something is more or less desirable than another
• Policy: A specific policy must be taken to fix a problem
• Support: Convince the audience with evidence
• Warrant: The underlying assumption that ties the evidences claim; it can be explicit or implicit

- Does not have to be long

- Leave the reader with something to think about