Lesson: Critical/Logical Reasoning - 10t01

Let Context Be Your Guide, continued

Let Context Be Your Guide, continued

Now identify the function of the same statement in the following argument.

The living room needs to be vacuumed. The sink is full of dishes. A family of dust bunnies is living under my bed. My apartment is a mess.

Countinue

What has changed about the function of the statement My apartment is a mess? Here, the author has concluded that his apartment is a mess based on the evidence mentioned in the first three sentences: the apartment has a dirty living room floor and a sink full of dishes, and is also inhabited by a dust bunny family.

Although you will often be able to use Keywords to help you identify the evidence and conclusion, it will always be essential that you understand the context of a sentence in an argument in order to properly identify its function.