Weighing a Spoken Argument as You Hear It · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Keeping up with a speaker's argument

English · Speaking & Listening · ages 14-16
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. A speaker cites a survey but never gives its sample size. What is that step?

    • A proven fact
    • An assumption needing support
    • A fair question

  2. A talk begins. What should you track first?

    • The claim and its reasons
    • Every word in order
    • The speaker outfit

  3. You should call out your question the moment it pops into your head.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Which note best records thinking rather than dictation?

    • Arrows linking short numbered points
    • Full copied sentences
    • Doodles of the slides

  5. Your page shows a claim with reasons indented below and facts under each. What do you hold?

    • A pile of exact quotes
    • A list of the speaker jokes
    • A map of the argument

  6. A polished confident talk cannot rest on one unsupported step.

    Circle one:   True   False

  7. You doubt step two but the speaker moves on. What is the best move?

    • Interrupt the speaker at once
    • Mark it and shape an end question
    • Cross out all your notes

  8. A story moves the room but proves nothing. How should a fair listener treat it?

    • Count it as evidence for the claim
    • Repeat it louder as proof
    • Weigh it apart from the evidence
LightMySky · lightmysky.comW1-mt_eSTvUWJufm-s1

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Keeping up with a speaker's argument W1-mt_eSTvUWJufm-s1

  1. An assumption needing support · A survey with no sample size asks for trust, not proof. That is assumption.
  2. The claim and its reasons · Shape first, detail later. Claim plus reasons is the skeleton of the talk.
  3. False · Blurting interrupts the case. Saved questions land harder and stay fair.
  4. Arrows linking short numbered points · Short linked points show thinking. Copied sentences only show hearing.
  5. A map of the argument · Indented reasons under a claim draw the talk shape at a glance.
  6. False · Polish can hide one unsupported joint carrying the whole weight.
  7. Mark it and shape an end question · A star plus a margin note turns doubt into a question the speaker can answer.
  8. Weigh it apart from the evidence · Stories push feelings. Evidence carries the claim. Judge them apart.
Worksheet · LightMySky