ACTIVITY For each of the following statements, evaluate whether it is arguable or too
easily verifiable to develop into an effective argument. Try revising the ones
you consider too easily verifiable to make them into arguable claims.
1. SUV owners should be required to pay an energy surcharge.
2. Charter schools are an alternative to public schools.
3. Ronald Reagan was the most charismatic president of the twentieth
century
4. Requiring students to wear uniforms improves school spirit.
5. The terms global warming and climate change describe different perspec-
tives on this complex issue.
6. Students graduating from college today can expect to have more debt
than any previous generation.
7. People who read novels are more likely to attend sports events and mov-
ies than those who do not.
8. Print newspapers will not survive another decade.
9. The competition among countries to become a site for the Olympic
Games is fierce.
10. Plagiarism is a serious problem in today's schools.

A claim or statement is said to be arguable if it is very obvious that its premise does not end in a logical conclusion.

An arguable claim, for example, is:

"There are more foods served during Christmas than in any other period of the year in the US."

The statement above has some semblance of logic and is therefore arguable.

One statement which is too easy to verify and as such cannot proceed  into an argument  is exemplified below:

"The sun and the moon are the same."

Following through on the above, the statements are revised as follows:

1. There is no claim here. There is insufficient evidence to show that the SUV owners use up additional energy.

Revised version: "Owners of  Electric SUVs should be required to pay an energy surcharge by the hotel management"

2.  This is an easily verifiable claim. Better to say: Graduates from Charter schools are better than those from public schools.

3. This is an arguable claim.

4. This is an arguable claim.

5. This is an arguable claim.

6. This is an arguable claim.

7. This is easy to verify. It's a fallacious statement.

Revision: "People who read novels are likely to have a better understanding of life than those who don't."

8. This is an arguable claim.

9. This is easy to verify because the answer is true.

Revision: "The competition to become a site for Olympic games is limited to only 14 countries."

10. This too is easy to verify.

Revision: "Plagiarism is on the decline."

Read more about arguable claims here:

link

showing or suffering from nervousness, fear, or a lack of confidence