Home » Logical Reasoning » Analyzing Arguments
Directions to Solve
Read the below passage carefully and answer the questions: Some groups want to outlaw burning the flag. They say that people have fought and died for the flag and that citizens of the United States ought to respect that. But I say that respect cannot be leg-islated. Also, most citizens who have served in the military did not fight for the flag, they fought for what the flag represents. Among the things the flag represents is freedom of speech, which includes, I believe, the right for a citizen to express displeasure with the government by burning the flag in protest.
1.  Which of the following is similar to the argument made by the speaker?
A. The rich should not be allowed to "buy" politicians, so the Congress should enact campaign finance reform.
B. The idea of freedom of religion also means the right not to participate in religion, so mandated school prayer violates freedom of religion.
C. The Constitution guarantees freedom to own property, so taxes should be illegal.
D. Convicted felons should not have their convictions overturned on a technicality.
2.  Which of the following, if true, would weaken the speaker's argument?
A. An action is not considered a part of freedom of speech.
B. People who burn the flag usually commit other crimes as well.
C. The flag was not recognized by the government until 1812.
D. State flags are almost never burned
3.  Which of the following best expresses the main point of the passage?
A. Only veterans care about the flag-burning issue.
B. Flag burning almost never happens, so outlawing it is a waste of time.
C. Flag burning will be a very important issue in the next election.
D. To outlaw flag burning is to outlaw what the flag represents.