Structure of Arguments Exercise

2. I'm on my way to school. 1 I left 5 minutes late. 2 Traffic is heavy. 3 Therefore, I'll be late for class. 4 So I might as well stop and get breakfast. 5

Argument? If an argument, number each part that might be a claim.
Yes

Conclusion:
I'm going to be late for class, so I might as well stop and get breakfast.

Additional Premises Needed?
I left 5 minutes late on my way to school and traffic is heavy, so I'll be late for class. It would have been more specific if the person explained their reason for leaving 5 minutes later than their usual time, whichever time that may be.

Identify any subargument:
Claims 2, 3 and 4 are independent and support the conclusion.

Good Argument?
No, this is not a good argument because the person merely assumes he's late for class. Leaving 5 minutes later than their usual time and encountering heavy traffic does not prove that the person will actually be late to class. In fact, they may barely make it to class. Therefore, the person's situation does not justify their reason of getting breakfast just because they think they are late. The premises are also vague, they should have mentioned where they left from. Did they leave for school from their home? A friend's house? Their grandparent's or relative's house? They should also been more specific there reason for leaving five minutes late.

Was this exercise useful or not?
This exercise was very beneficial for me to better identify an argument; its claims, conclusions, and subarguments. The exercise also improved my ability to fix premises to make them more effective and/or plausible in an argument in order to justify if an argument can be deemed good or not. Overall, this exercise was a great way to improve my skills in analyzing arguments.