Work through the list without notes. If you cannot do a statement, follow its link, then come back. Guide = study guide; Practice = practice questions.
Understanding
- I can define rebutting and refuting and explain how they differ. (Guide: “Two ways to answer an opposing claim”; Practice question 1)
- I can explain why a strawman damages credibility. (Guide: “Fairness: avoid the strawman”; Practice question 2)
- I can explain how conceding, rebutting and refuting each enhance credibility. (Guide: “Two ways to answer an opposing claim”; Practice question 3)
Skills
- I can identify counterexamples, challenged assumptions, challenged evidence and alternative explanations. (Guide: “Tools for answering a claim”; Practice question 4)
- I can tell whether a response is a rebuttal or a refutation. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice question 5)
- I can write both a rebuttal and a refutation of one opposing claim. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice question 6)
Reasoning
- I can explain how a writer refutes a claim and judge how convincing the evidence is. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice question 7)
- I can choose when to concede, rebut or refute according to the evidence I have. (Guide: “Two ways to answer an opposing claim”; Practice question 6)
- I can analyse a public-domain refutation, such as Mill’s on the claim that truth always prevails, for its method. (Guide: “A public-domain example”; Practice question 8)
All ticked? Move on to the Topic 9.5 study guide, Introducing Counterarguments, and When to Address Them.