Which one of the following statements most accurately characterizes a difference between the two passages?
letishiaon April 9, 2019
facts and argument
hi,
i don't understand the first facts or argument example. you mentioned that facts have no conclusion and arguments do. from what im understanding this example is an arguments that is stating facts from research that they did. theres an argument and the conclusion is there is no comparable decline in the number of people killed in home fires. can you explain why it is a fact and not an argument.
thank you.
Replies
letishiaon May 12, 2019
friendly reminder to answer my question
Victoriaon May 12, 2019
Hi @idkwhatimdoing
In this example, the author is not making the argument that smoking in bed is the main cause of home fires. They are merely stating the fact that smoking in bed is the main cause of home fires. After presenting this fact, the author shares that, despite a decrease in cigarette smoking, there has been no comparable decline in the number of people killed in home fires.
The author does state that there has been no comparable decline in the number of people killed in home fires, but this is not the conclusion to an argument. If it were, then it would be drawn based on the premise that smoking in bed has long been the main cause of home fires. This premise does not lead to any conclusion nor is the lack of comparable decline in deaths supported by any information in the passage. The author is simply presenting facts in this passage. While the facts may appear to contradict one another, creating a potential research question, the author does not take a stance on this.
Hope this is helpful! Let us know if you have any further questions.
