Ms. Smith: I am upset that my son’s entire class lost two days of recess because some of the children were throwing raisins in the cafeteria. He was not throwing raisins, and it was clear to everyone just who the culprits were.
Principal: I’m sorry you’re upset, Ms. Smith, but your son’s situation is like being caught in a traffic jam caused by an accident. People who aren’t involved in the accident nevertheless have to suffer by sitting there in the middle of it.
Summary
Ms. Smith’s son’s class lost two days of recess.
The class lost recess because some of the children were throwing raisins.
Ms. Smith believes her son wasn’t throwing raisins.
Ms. Smith believes everyone knows who was throwing raisins.
Ms. Smith believes that it’s unfair for her son to lose two days of recess because of the raisin incident.
The principal believes that Ms. Smith’s son is collateral damage in the punishment over the raisin-throwing.
Very Strongly Supported Conclusions
The principal believes it’s possible that Ms. Smith’s son did not throw raisins.
The principal believes that it is sometimes acceptable for a person to suffer as a result of another person’s actions.
A
many children were throwing raisins in the cafeteria
Unsupported. The principal says nothing about how many or few children were throwing raisins in the cafeteria.
B
Ms. Smith’s son might not have thrown raisins in the cafeteria
Very strongly supported. The principal’s analogy likens Ms. Smith’s son to people who didn’t cause the traffic jam they’re stuck in. This suggests that the principal believes Ms. Smith’s son might not have caused the incident that led his class to lose recess.
C
after an accident the resulting traffic jams are generally caused by police activity
Unsupported. The principal does not mention police activity or give any reason to believe that she thinks police generally cause traffic jams after accidents.
D
Ms. Smith’s son knows who it was that threw raisins in the cafeteria
Unsupported. The principal doesn’t comment on whether or not anyone knows who threw the raisins. Rather, Ms. Smith is the one who believes that “everyone” knew who the culprits were.
E
losing two days of recess will deter future disruptions
Unsupported. The principal doesn’t comment on the motivations behind the decision to take away two days of recess. Maybe she thinks it will deter future disruptions, or maybe it’s just generally meant to punish the students.