Arguable Claims

Arguable verses Verifiable Statement:• Arguable: meaning, you can disagree with it• EX: With technology being produced on multiple scales, it is only a

matter of time before newspapers become obsolete. • Verifiable: meaning, it is not sufficiently written to develop

an effective argument• EX: Students graduating from college today can expect to have

more debt than any previous generation

Sample prompts:• Same-sex classrooms have gone in and out of favor in public education. Write an

essay explaining why you would support or oppose same-sex classrooms for public schools in grades 10-12.• Plagiarism is rampant in public high schools and colleges. In fact, some people

argue that the definition of plagiarism has changed with the proliferation of the Internet. Write an essay explaining the appropriate response of a teacher to a student who turns in a plagiarized essay.• In 1962, the noted biologist Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, a book that

helped to transform American attitudes toward the environment. Carefully read the following passage from Silent Spring, Then write an essay in which you define the central argument of the passage and analyze the rhetorical strategies that Carson uses to construct her argument.• Contemporary life is marked by controversy. Choose a controversial local,

national, or global issue with which you are familiar. Then, using appropriate evidence, write an essay that carefully considers the opposing positions on this controversy and proposes a solution or compromise.

Fix the following prompts with qualifiers:• SUV owners should be required to pay an energy

surcharge.•People who read novels are less likely to attend

sporting events and movies than those who do not.•Plagiarism is a serious problem in today’s schools.