Linguistic----Language and Thinking Problem Set

Ling 21 Online

Problem Set – Final Exam

Instructions: After reading the article “Illiberal Immigration” by Victor Davis Hanson, respond to the following questions and then upload the completed document to the Final Exam dropbox in Word or PDF format by the specified due date/time. This final exam problem set is worth a possible 50 points (5 points each response). Please note that NO late submissions will be accepted.

1. In line 18, Hanson claims that “we will not see comprehensive immigration reform” and goes on to give three main reasons for that claim. What are those three reasons? Note - all three reasons are NOT found on the first page of the article. (5 points each reason).

2. In lines 23-28, Hanson supports the claim that a fence along the US/Mexico border is needed with an argument by analogy. A) What analogy does he make? (that is, what two things does he compare?) B) Is this a strong argument by analogy, or does it commit the fallacy of weak analogy? Explain your answer. (5 points for each part of the response).

3. In lines 28-29, Hanson states that it is “…odd that we are lectured about the Neanderthal nature of secure borders by elites who are about the only ones in America who demand them around their own estates.” In making this statement about the “elite” members of American society (whomever they might be) Hanson commits a logical fallacy. Which fallacy does he commit? (5 points).

4. The logical fallacy of presupposition/assumptive thinking occurs when an arguer inserts unsupported assumptions into statements used to support an argument (this is a fallacy that we did not study –if you want to know more about this before answering the question, please Google it). Hanson commits the fallacy of presupposition/assumptive thinking in lines 31-33 in the statements that he makes about members of the U.S. Immigration Service/Border Patrol. What unsupported assertion does Hanson make about the Border Patrol in this part of his argument? (5 points).

5. The website of the National Council of La Raza, a Latino advocacy organization, states that “We advocate for fair and nondiscriminatory immigration policies, with the goal of achieving comprehensive immigration reform” (http://nclr.org/issues/). In lines 43-46, Hanson restates their view on immigration and in doing so, he commits a logical fallacy. State which fallacy is committed and explain your answer (5 points).

6. In lines 43-46, Hanson makes an argument about what might happen if legal immigration depended upon the prospective immigrant’s skills or college degree. Is this a strong argument, or does Hanson commit a logical fallacy here? If so, which logical fallacy does he commit? Either way, be sure to explain your answer (5 points).

7. In lines 88-90, Hanson makes argument about why business leaders, ethnic activists, and liberal politicians are not in favor of the deportation of undocumented immigrants. Is this a logical argument or does it commit a logical fallacy? If you think it is a logical argument, explain why. If it is fallacious, name the fallacy it commits and explain your answer (5 points).