Evaluate Speaker's Argument and Evidence Practice Test

At a school board public comment session, a parent argues: “We should remove all homework from grades 6–8.” Reasons and evidence offered: (1) “Homework causes stress,” followed by “Stress is bad.” (2) “We should remove homework because homework shouldn’t exist.” (3) The parent says, “Studies show homework doesn’t help,” but does not name any studies, authors, or results.

Which choice best evaluates the argument’s reasoning and evidence?

During a class discussion, Jordan says: “We should ban all phones at school, including during lunch.” His reasons and evidence are: (1) “Everyone knows phones are distracting.” (2) “My cousin’s school banned phones and now nobody there ever gets distracted.” (3) “If we don’t ban phones, next students will stop talking in real life, then they won’t make friends, and eventually our whole community will fall apart.”

Which choice best identifies the main problem with Jordan’s reasoning and evidence?