Argument Analysis Exercise
MMW 12
What is the author’s topic?
On which event, issue, institution, phenomenon, and/or person does the author
focus?
In which historical period did the subject of the essay exist or take place?
In which geographical area did the subject of the essay exist or take place?
What is the author’s project?
What research question does the essay address and/or what problem does it attempt
to solve?
What is the author’s thesis?
What is the answer to the author’s research question or the solution to the problem
that he/she poses?
What are the components of the author’s argument?
What claim(s) does the author develop and support in making his/her argument?
Does the author explain the connection between each of these claims and the thesis?
How thoroughly does he/she explain that connection?
How well does the author support his/her claims?
On what kinds of evidence does the author rely?
Where does this evidence come from? How reliable are the sources of this evidence?
How much evidence does the author offer in support of each of his/her claims? Are
some claims better supported than others; that is, does the author offer more
evidence for some claims than for others? If so, which ones?
Does the author discuss the relevance of the evidence to each of his/her claims?
What is the effect on your understanding of the argument when he/she does so?
Does the author address counter-arguments and/or alternative hypotheses?
Does the author refer to points of view different from his/her own?
If so, does he/she explain these alternate views? Does he/she support them with
evidence and/or explain how the same evidence can support both the thesis and
the alternative views?
What reason(s) does the author give when explaining why his/her claims are stronger
than other scholars’ claims?
Overall, how persuasive do you find the author’s argument?
Based on your analysis of the argument’s components, how well has the author
convinced you that his/her point of view is correct, or at least plausible?
If you are not persuaded, what is the basis for your skepticism? What else would the
author have to do to convince you? What other kinds of information might you
need to fully assess the strength of the author’s argument?