AWA Evidence Evaluation & Support 5 ā Questions and Answers
Question 1: An AWA argument draws on evidence from a study funded by the company whose product is being evaluated. What is the primary concern?
- Company-funded research always produces false results
- Funding source creates a potential conflict of interest that may introduce bias into study design or reporting (Correct answer)
- Only government-funded studies meet academic standards
- The company should have hired independent researchers instead
Correct answer: Funding source creates a potential conflict of interest that may introduce bias into study design or reporting
A financial stake in the outcome canāconsciously or unconsciouslyāinfluence how a study is designed, conducted, or reported, warranting skepticism.
Question 2: Which technique best demonstrates how to use counterevidence responsibly in an AWA argument?
- Omit contradictory evidence to maintain a clear thesis
- Acknowledge the counterevidence, explain its limitations, and show why it does not defeat the main claim (Correct answer)
- Dismiss all counterevidence as coming from biased sources
- Relegate counterevidence to a footnote so it does not weaken the essay
Correct answer: Acknowledge the counterevidence, explain its limitations, and show why it does not defeat the main claim
Engaging with counterevidence and explaining its limits shows intellectual honesty and strengthens the argument's credibility.
Question 3: An argument concludes that a medication is safe because no participants reported side effects during a two-week trial. What evidential limitation is most critical to flag?
- Two weeks is longer than most drug trials
- The trial duration is too short to detect long-term or delayed side effects (Correct answer)
- Participants may have been too healthy to represent the general population
- Safety conclusions require government approval, not trial data
Correct answer: The trial duration is too short to detect long-term or delayed side effects
Many significant side effects emerge only after extended use, so a two-week observation period cannot establish long-term safety.
Question 4: In an AWA critique, what is meant by 'the scope of the evidence does not match the scope of the conclusion'?
- The evidence is from a different field than the conclusion
- The evidence covers a narrow or specific context while the conclusion makes a broad or universal claim (Correct answer)
- The conclusion is longer than the evidence section of the argument
- The evidence uses technical language the conclusion avoids
Correct answer: The evidence covers a narrow or specific context while the conclusion makes a broad or universal claim
A mismatch in scope occurs when limited evidenceālocal, short-term, or small-sampleāis used to justify sweeping, general conclusions.
Question 5: An AWA argument supports a business recommendation by noting that 'competitors who tried this strategy failed.' How does this evidence actually undermine the argument?
- Competitor failures are irrelevant to business decisions
- Evidence that the strategy failed for others contradicts rather than supports the recommendation to adopt it (Correct answer)
- Competitor data is proprietary and cannot be used ethically
- The argument should focus on internal data only
Correct answer: Evidence that the strategy failed for others contradicts rather than supports the recommendation to adopt it
Citing competitor failures as support for adopting the same strategy is self-defeatingāit is counterevidence, not supporting evidence.
Question 6: Which question is most useful when assessing whether an AWA argument's evidence is sufficient to support its conclusion?
- Is the evidence written in formal academic language?
- Does the evidence, even if true, logically necessitate the conclusion, or could the conclusion still be false? (Correct answer)
- Does the evidence come from at least three different sources?
- Is the evidence cited in the first paragraph of the argument?
Correct answer: Does the evidence, even if true, logically necessitate the conclusion, or could the conclusion still be false?
Sufficiency asks whether the evidence, taken at face value, closes the logical gap between premises and conclusion or leaves room for doubt.
Question 7: An AWA argument states: 'Since sales of organic food have tripled, consumers clearly prefer healthier lifestyles.' What unwarranted assumption does this evidence contain?
- That organic food sales can be measured accurately
- That purchasing organic food is equivalent to preferring a healthier lifestyle broadly, ignoring other motivations like environmental concern or marketing (Correct answer)
- That a tripling of sales is statistically significant
- That consumers make rational purchasing decisions
Correct answer: That purchasing organic food is equivalent to preferring a healthier lifestyle broadly, ignoring other motivations like environmental concern or marketing
Consumers may buy organic food for reasons unrelated to overall health lifestyle preferences, such as environmental values, taste, or social signaling.
AWA Evidence Evaluation & Support 5
An AWA argument draws on evidence from a study funded by the company whose product is being evaluated.
What is the primary concern?