Week 7 — Quiz (auto-graded) · Argument: Claims, Evidence & Warrants (Toulmin)

Course: English Composition (ENGL 1A) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Lindgren
Objective tested: Objective 4 — the structure of argument (claim/grounds/warrant, counterargument & rebuttal) and logical fallacies.
Points: 10 (1 each) · Assignment group: Quizzes (10% of grade) · Due: end of Module 7. AI is not permitted on quizzes.

This is the human-readable quiz with its vetted answer key and feedback. The import-ready Classic QTI is in F-quiz-week-07-qti.xml (generated by a validated script — parses with 10 items, every single-answer item exactly one correct). The Canvas placement block is at the bottom of this file. No free-response items — all auto-gradable (MC / multiple-answer / matching / true-false).

Blueprint

No trick questions; distractors target the Week 7 misconceptions named in the lecture outline. Every fallacy definition is the standard one (cross-checked against the linked Purdue OWL and Excelsior OWL pages). All example passages are the instructor's own illustrations and name no real person.

Questions, key, and feedback

Q1 (MC). In the Toulmin model, the warrant is —
- A. the position the writer is trying to prove
- B. the assumption that links the evidence (grounds) to the claim — the reason the evidence counts as support ✅
- C. the facts and data offered as support
- D. a word like "probably" that limits the claim
Feedback: The warrant is the connector: it explains why the grounds support this claim, and it is often left unstated. (A is the claim; C is the grounds; D is the qualifier.)

Q2 (MC). Read this short argument: "The campus shuttle should be free. Hundreds of students each term skip it because the fare adds up, and a free shuttle would keep more cars off campus roads." Which sentence-part is the claim?
- A. "The campus shuttle should be free." ✅
- B. "Hundreds of students each term skip it because the fare adds up."
- C. "A free shuttle would keep more cars off campus roads."
- D. The whole passage is the claim.
Feedback: The claim is the arguable position the writer wants you to accept — "the shuttle should be free." The other sentences are grounds (the support). A claim is one part of the argument, not the whole thing.

Q3 (MC). Same argument: "The campus shuttle should be free, because hundreds of students skip it when the fare adds up." Which statement is the unstated warrant — the assumption that has to be true for the evidence to support the claim?
- A. The shuttle is currently expensive to operate.
- B. A campus transit service should be available to students who would otherwise be priced out of using it ✅
- C. Hundreds of students skip the shuttle.
- D. The shuttle should be free.
Feedback: The warrant is the bridge: it's the belief — a campus service should be reachable for students priced out of it — that makes "students skip it when it costs money" count as a reason to make it free. (C just restates the grounds; D restates the claim; A is unrelated backing.)

Q4 (MC). In an argument essay, including a counterargument and a rebuttal means you —
- A. repeat your thesis more forcefully at the end
- B. attack the character of people who disagree with you
- C. state the strongest opposing view fairly, then answer it with reasoning or evidence ✅
- D. remove every mention of the other side so your case looks stronger
Feedback: A counterargument is the other side's best case, stated fairly (steel-manned); the rebuttal is your answer to it. Doing this builds your credibility and closes a hole a reader would otherwise find. (B is the ad hominem fallacy; D weakens the argument and ignores the reader.)

Q5 (Matching). Match each logical fallacy to its correct definition.
| Fallacy | Correct definition |
|---|---|
| Straw man | Distorting an opponent's view into a weaker version, then attacking that version |
| Slippery slope | Claiming one small step will inevitably lead to an extreme outcome, with no evidence for the chain |
| False dilemma (either/or) | Presenting only two options when more actually exist |
| Ad hominem | Attacking the person making the argument instead of the argument itself |
| Hasty generalization | Drawing a broad conclusion from too little evidence |
Feedback: These five are the most common fallacies to catch (and to avoid). Note the classic mix-ups: a straw man distorts the other side's view; an ad hominem attacks the person; a slippery slope asserts an extreme chain without evidence for the steps.

Q6 (MC). Which fallacy does this passage commit? "We have two choices: cut the entire music program, or watch the school go bankrupt."
- A. Hasty generalization
- B. Circular reasoning
- C. False dilemma (either/or) ✅
- D. Post hoc
Feedback: A false dilemma reduces a complex issue to only two options when others exist (trimming costs elsewhere, fundraising, a smaller program). Naming only two "choices" is the tell.

Q7 (MC). Which fallacy does this passage commit? "If we let students use phones in one class, soon they'll be on their phones in every class, then they'll stop reading entirely, and eventually no one will learn anything at all."
- A. Slippery slope ✅
- B. Ad hominem
- C. Bandwagon (ad populum)
- D. Appeal to authority
Feedback: A slippery slope claims one small step triggers an inevitable chain to an extreme end without evidence that each step leads to the next. The unbroken "soon… then… eventually…" with no support is the giveaway.

Q8 (MC). Which of the following is an arguable claim (the kind you can build an argument around) rather than a fact or a topic?
- A. Many first-year students live on campus. (a fact)
- B. Campus housing. (a topic)
- C. First-year students should be guaranteed on-campus housing. ✅
- D. The residence halls were built in 1998. (a fact)
Feedback: An arguable claim is a position reasonable people could dispute and that you could support with evidence — "first-years should be guaranteed housing." Facts (A, D) leave nothing to argue; a topic (B) names a subject but takes no side.

Q9 (True / False). "A strong argument leaves out the other side's view entirely, so the reader only sees reasons to agree."
- True
- False ✅
Feedback: False. Ignoring the strongest counterargument is a weakness a reader will notice. A strong argument steel-mans the opposing view and then answers it — which builds credibility (ethos). (Steel-man the other side; don't straw-man it, and don't hide it.)

Q10 (Multiple answer — select all that apply). Which of the following are parts of a Toulmin argument?
- A. Claim (the position) ✅
- B. Grounds / evidence (the support) ✅
- C. Warrant (the assumption linking evidence to claim) ✅
- D. The writer's mood while drafting
- E. Correct spelling and punctuation
Feedback: A Toulmin argument is built from claim, grounds, and warrant (plus optional backing, qualifier, and rebuttal). The writer's mood (D) and surface correctness (E) matter to writing in general but are not parts of the argument's logical structure.

Answer key (quick reference)

Quality gate (self-checked): each single-answer item (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q6, Q7, Q8, and the T/F Q9) has exactly one correct option; the matching item (Q5) pairs five fallacies to five distinct, correct definitions one-to-one; the multiple-answer item (Q10) keys A, B, C (and requires D and E left unselected). Every fallacy definition has been cross-checked against the linked authoritative pages (Purdue OWL "Logical Fallacies" and Excelsior OWL): straw man = distorting the opponent's view and attacking the distortion; slippery slope = an unfounded chain to an extreme; false dilemma/either-or = only two options when more exist; ad hominem = attacking the person, not the argument; hasty generalization = a conclusion from insufficient evidence — all correct. No quotations, named sources, or citations appear in this quiz — every example passage is the instructor's own illustration, attributed to no one — so there is nothing to mis-quote or misattribute. No computation in this quiz. No free-response items. Citation-integrity + correct-conventions gate: PASS.

Item-bank entries (for variants + the midterm/final)

All ten items are tagged course=ENGL1A · week=7 · objective=4 · topic=argument-claim-grounds-warrant-fallacies and deposited in Item Bank: Week 7 — Argument (Toulmin). The midterm (Week 8) and the per-term variant updates draw fresh items from this bank. (Tags: q1 warrant-defined, q2 identify-claim, q3 identify-warrant, q4 counter-rebuttal, q5 fallacy-match, q6 fallacy-false-dilemma, q7 fallacy-slippery-slope, q8 arguable-claim, q9 ignore-other-side-tf, q10 toulmin-parts.)

Canvas placement block

canvas_object   = Quizzes::Quiz
title           = "Week 7 Quiz — Argument: Claims, Evidence & Warrants (Toulmin)"
assignment_group = "Quizzes"
points_possible = 10
grading_type    = points
due_offset_days = 6        # 6 days after module start
published       = true
shuffle_answers = true
ai_permitted    = false    # AI is not permitted on quizzes
provenance      = "~ Prof. Lindgren's edition · Fall 2026 · built with thecoursemaker.com"