Questions for Review on Graff's "'Skeptics May Object':

Planting a Naysayer in Your Text" (article is in Module 8 Overview)

1. In the opening paragraph concerning the writer Jane Tompkins, how does she initially react upon realizing that "skeptics may object" to her views in the piece she's writing? After her initial reaction, what does she then do next with the the piece?

2. Circle T (true) or F : Graff et al. argue that in our writing when we explicitly voice the objections to our views, we paradoxically both build our own credibility and also preemptively disarm our critics’ opposing views.

Note - #s 3 and 4 are fill-in the blanks with the best 1-word answer

3. Graff et al. suggest that if we don’t include counter-arguments, we very possibly come across as ______________________ - minded.

4. If we dismiss objections out of hand, claiming they’re “just wrong” without offering reasons, then instead of genuinely persuading our readers, we are instead ________________________ them.

5. What is the main idea of the example-sample text by Kim Chernin? (circle letter of best answer) A. The benefit of feeling better when we lose weight. B. The fact that almost all people who do lose weight end up just gaining it back. C. The pressure on obese Americans to lose weight. D. The stress and inner conflict adult women feel over the dual social pressures-- to have both a successful career outside the home and have children/a family of their own. E. The pressure on American women to be thin/slender.

6. Answer Yes or No, AND accurately, briefly explain why: Do Graff et al. indicate that it’s acceptable to incorporate opposing views by attributing them to anonymous, unnamed entities like “readers,” “some people,” and “critics”? Why do or don’t they believe this?

7. T or F : The most effective arguing and counter-arguing, to Graff et al., attributes views to specific ideologies or intellectual schools of thought, rather than to unnamed opponents. Such labels (like “social Darwinists” and “law-and-order Republicans”) aren’t stereotypes but instead are valuable intellectual shorthand to Graff, linking your work to ongoing debates and broader ideas that many readers already identify with.