School
Students should be allowed to wear hats because hats help some students feel more comfortable at school. Feeling comfortable can help students participate more in class. Since students learn better when they are comfortable, schools should change their dress code to allow hats. It would make school a better place for everyone.
Unsupported Opinion: The speaker never proves that allowing hats actually improves participation or learning. They simply expect the audience to believe it.
People should always pack light when traveling. Packing light makes it easier to carry your luggage. Smaller bags are easier to move through airports and train stations. Carrying fewer things makes traveling easier because your bags are lighter. That's why everyone should pack light.
Repeating Yourself The speaker keeps saying the same idea ("lighter bags are easier") in different ways without adding a new reason or evidence.
Watching movies in a brighter theater would make everyone feel more comfortable. It would also help people enjoy the movie more because they wouldn't be sitting in complete darkness. Since brighter theaters are better for everyone, movie theaters should stop dimming the lights so much.
Unsupported Opinion: The speaker assumes brighter lights make movies more enjoyable but gives no facts, research, or examples to support that idea.
People should always be kind to others. Kindness makes the world a better place because it helps people feel respected and included. Kind people are good people, and good people act kindly toward others. When people choose kindness, they are choosing to be kind instead of unkind. Therefore, everyone should always be kind.
Repeating Yourself- the argument keeps repeating that kindness is good and kind people are kind. It sounds longer, but it does not add meaningful evidence or a new reason.
Schools should have a longer lunch period. A longer lunch would give students more time to eat, relax, and socialize with friends. Spending time with friends can improve students' moods during the school day. My favourite lunch at school is pizza because it's delicious. Therefore, every school should make lunch at least one hour long.
Irrelevant Evidence: The sentence about pizza has nothing to do with proving that lunch should be longer.
Airplanes are the best way to travel. Airplanes can get people to faraway places much faster than cars. Flying also allows people to visit countries that would be impossible to drive to. My favourite airplane is painted blue. That's why airplanes are the best way to travel.
Irrelevant Evidence
Animated movies are better than live-action movies. Animated movies allow filmmakers to create worlds that would be impossible to build in real life. Many award-winning animated films are praised for their creativity. I always wear my favourite hoodie when I watch animated movies. That's why animated movies are better.
Irrelevant Evidence: Wearing your favourite hoodie has nothing to do with the claim.
Having more choices always makes people happier. People enjoy being able to make their own decisions because choice gives them freedom. For example, students often like choosing which book they will read for an assignment. My favourite book has a blue cover and is about a dragon. Since choice gives people control, having more choices always makes people happier.
Irrelevant Evidence: The detail about the speaker’s favourite book does not help prove that more choices make people happier. It is connected to books, but not to the actual argument.
Schools should require every student to take music classes. Music teaches creativity, discipline, and perseverance. Many famous musicians have become very successful because they practiced music from a young age. Since successful people often studied music, every student should be required to take music classes throughout school. This would prepare all students for success in the future.
Weak Reasoning: The evidence shows music can be valuable, but it doesn't prove every student should be required to take it or that it leads to success for everyone.
Families should travel more often. Families should travel more because vacations are fun. Everyone enjoys going somewhere new and having exciting experiences. Since vacations make people happy, every family should travel as much as possible.
Unsupported Opinion: The speaker never provides any evidence that everyone enjoys traveling or that traveling always makes families happier.
Every movie shown in schools should be educational. Educational movies can help students understand history, science, and literature in engaging ways. Studies have shown that visual learning can improve students' understanding of some topics. Since educational movies help students learn, schools should only show educational movies.
Weak Reasoning: The evidence supports using educational movies, not eliminating every other type of movie.
A fair society should give every person exactly the same things. Equality is important because people should not be treated as though some lives matter more than others. Giving everyone the same resources would prevent jealousy and make society more peaceful. People would feel respected because no one would receive more than anyone else. Therefore, giving everyone exactly the same things is the fairest possible system.
Unsupported Opinion- The speaker claims that equal resources would prevent jealousy, create peace, and make everyone feel respected, but provides no evidence that these results would actually happen.
Schools should require students to wear uniforms. Uniforms make everyone wear the same clothes each day. When everyone wears the same clothes, students all dress alike. Since students dress alike, uniforms help everyone wear the same outfit to school. That is why uniforms should be mandatory.
Repeating Yourself: Each sentence repeats the same idea in slightly different words. The speaker never introduces a new reason or piece of evidence.
Every family vacation should be to the beach. Beach vacations give people opportunities to swim, relax, and enjoy warm weather. Many people look forward to spending time near the ocean during the summer. Since beaches offer so many fun activities, every family should choose a beach vacation every year.
Weak Reasoning: The evidence shows beaches can be enjoyable, but it doesn't prove they're the best choice for every family.
Movie theaters should ask everyone to silence their phones. Phone screens distract nearby viewers. Bright lights can pull people's attention away from the movie. A theater without glowing screens creates a better experience because there are fewer distractions. Phones should be silenced so there are no distracting screens.
Repeating Yourself
People should forgive anyone who sincerely apologizes. Forgiveness can help people release anger and repair damaged relationships. Some counsellors explain that holding onto resentment may make it harder for people to move forward. Think about how painful it would be to apologize honestly and still be rejected forever. Since everyone deserves a second chance, people should forgive anyone who truly apologizes.
Emotional Argument- The argument begins with relevant reasoning, but its main push depends on making the audience feel sorry for the person who apologized. The emotional picture does not prove that forgiveness is always deserved or safe.
Schools should completely ban homework. Students already spend almost seven hours each day in school, so they deserve time to relax when they get home. Imagine how upsetting it is when children miss family dinners or can't play with friends because they have homework. Students feel stressed, overwhelmed, and exhausted when they have assignments every night. Schools should completely eliminate homework so children can enjoy being kids again.
Emotional Argument: The speaker relies heavily on emotional language ("upsetting," "stressed," "enjoy being kids") but never provides evidence that eliminating homework improves learning or student outcomes.
National parks should limit the number of tourists allowed each day. Some national parks have become so popular that trails, wildlife, and natural habitats are being damaged by large numbers of visitors. Studies have shown that heavy foot traffic can increase soil erosion and disturb local ecosystems. Limiting the number of daily visitors would help protect these environments for future generations. Therefore, families should only be allowed to visit a national park once every five years.
Weak Reasoning:
The evidence supports limiting the number of visitors each day.
It doesn't support restricting each family to one visit every five years.
The conclusion goes much further than the evidence.
Movie theaters should stop showing superhero movies. Over the past decade, superhero movies have earned billions of dollars at the box office, and many theaters dedicate multiple screens to them during opening weekends. Because these movies are shown so often, smaller independent films sometimes receive fewer showtimes, making them harder for audiences to discover. If theaters showed a wider variety of movies, audiences would have more choices and independent filmmakers could reach more viewers. Therefore, movie theaters should stop showing superhero movies altogether.
Weak Reasoning:
Everything in the argument is reasonable:
The flaw is the last step.
The evidence supports showing fewer superhero movies or creating a better balance.
It doesn't prove theaters should stop showing them altogether.
The conclusion is much stronger than the evidence.
A person should be judged mainly by their intentions rather than the results of their actions. People cannot always control what happens after they make a decision, but they can control what they were trying to achieve. A person who tries to help may accidentally cause harm, while someone acting selfishly may accidentally create a good result. Because outcomes can depend on luck, intentions reveal more about a person’s character than consequences do. Therefore, harmful outcomes should not strongly affect how we judge someone’s actions.
Weak Reasoning- The evidence reasonably shows that intentions matter and outcomes can involve luck. However, it does not prove that harmful results should have little importance. A person’s intentions and the consequences of their actions can both matter when judging responsibility.