You can retake the quiz as many times as you’d like, but your average score from all attempts will be recorded in the gradebook, so each attempt can help improve your overall performance. For example, if you take the quiz three times and score 3/10, 7/10, and 10/10, your final recorded score will be the average of these attempts: (3 + 7 + 10) ÷ 3 = 6.7/10.
Explain Yourself: Integrating Explanation Techniques
Why Is the National Minimum Wage So Low?
The federal minimum wage has remained at $7.25 per hour since 2009, despite significant increases in living costs.
That’s the longest stretch of the minimum wage not being raised since it was established in 1938 (NPR). This prolonged stagnation has left many workers struggling to make ends meet, leading to increased poverty rates and greater reliance on social welfare programs. Economically, the failure to raise the minimum wage has contributed to income inequality, reduced consumer spending, and hindered economic growth, as low-wage workers have less disposable income to inject into the economy.
As we saw in the last chapter, the question of whether to raise the minimum wage is constantly debated in America, from minimum wage workers to billionaires, from small business owners to families who work multiple jobs to stay afloat. In these debates, each side uses evidence to support their arguments. But how they explain the evidence plays a big role in whether economic policy changes.
Explaining evidence is crucial for making your arguments clear and convincing. Simply presenting evidence is not enough; you must show how it supports your point. This skill is particularly important when discussing complex issues like the minimum wage vs. living wage debate, where clear and compelling explanations can make a significant difference in persuading your audience.
Why You Should Care
Learning thesis statements isn’t just about writing essays; it’s a life skill that enhances your communication, persuasion, and clarity in many areas of life.
Learning Objectives
In this lesson, you will…
- Understand why explaining evidence is important in academic writing.
- Learn how much explanation is necessary for each piece of evidence.
- Master various explanation tools to analyze and connect evidence to your arguments.
- Apply these tools to create compelling explanations in your own writing.
Explaining Your Evidence
Why Is It Important to Explain Evidence?
Evidence alone is not always clear and can be interpreted in different ways. Explaining evidence is necessary because it helps your audience understand how it supports your point. Different readers may draw different conclusions from the same piece of evidence, so your explanation clarifies its relevance and strengthens your argument.
How Much Explanation is Necessary?
The amount of explanation needed depends on the complexity of the evidence and its connection to your point. Generally, you should include at least one sentence of explanation per piece of evidence. However, thorough analysis often requires more. Analyze the evidence and connect it to your topic sentence to ensure your audience understands its significance.
Explanation Tools
You can use several techniques to explain your evidence. In this chapter, we’ll focus on some of the most common:
- Analysis
- Evaluation
- Relevance / Significance
- Compare / Contrast
- Cause / Effect
- Refutation / Concession
Before you use a piece of evidence, you should take some time to explore it using each of the tools. Yes, you probably will not need to use every tool for every piece of evidence. In fact, some evidence may only require you to use a single tool. However, by examining every piece of evidence using every tool, you will see the topic in new ways and develop interesting things to say. Also, your critical thinking skills will be greatly developed each time you go through the process.
With this in mind, let’s try it out.
Using the Explanation Tools
In this section, we will explore a single piece of evidence about the minimum vs. living wage debate using various explanation tools. The table below illustrates how each tool can be applied to the evidence and what insights can be gained from this analysis.
Evidence: “A study by the Economic Policy Institute found that the current federal minimum wage is insufficient to cover the cost of living in any U.S. state.”
While this evidence is pretty straightforward, let’s see what we can learn about the topic by exploring it through each tool.
| Tool | Definition | Critical Questions | Using the Tool | Insights Learned |
| Analysis | A detailed examination of the elements or structure of the evidence. | – What are the key components of the evidence?
– How does each component relate to the argument? – What data or details stand out? |
The study analyzes the gap between the federal minimum wage and the cost of living in various states, providing specific data on how much more workers need to earn to cover basic expenses. | This detailed breakdown highlights the widespread inadequacy of the minimum wage across different regions, emphasizing the need for wage reform. |
| Evaluation | Making a judgment about the amount, number, or value of something. | – How much is the amount, number, or value?
– Is this a small or large amount? – What can be learned by comparing this amount, number, or value to other things? (e.g., Is a $7.25 minimum wage a lot or a little and why?) |
The study’s methodology and comprehensive data collection are evaluated to determine the reliability and significance of its findings. | The evaluation confirms the study’s credibility and underscores the importance of addressing the wage gap to improve living conditions for workers. |
| Relevance / Significance | Clarifying the connection between the evidence and the main point. | – How does this evidence support the main point?
– Why is this evidence important to the argument? – What implications does this evidence have for the broader topic? |
This evidence is relevant because it directly supports the argument that the federal minimum wage is insufficient. It shows the real-world impact on workers’ ability to afford basic necessities. | This relevance highlights the critical need for policy changes to ensure that wages meet the cost of living, making the argument more compelling. |
| Compare / Contrast | Studying the similarities and differences between two or more elements. | – What are the similarities between the elements being compared?
– What are the differences? – How do these similarities and differences impact the argument? |
The evidence is compared to data from states with higher minimum wages, showing how workers in those states fare better in terms of affording basic needs. | This comparison illustrates the positive effects of higher wages on workers’ quality of life, reinforcing the argument for increasing the federal minimum wage. |
| Cause / Effect | Studying how and why elements affect one another. | – What is the cause and what is the effect?
– How does the cause lead to the effect? – What are the broader implications of this cause/effect relationship? |
The cause (low federal minimum wage) is linked to the effect (inability of workers to afford basic living expenses). | This analysis demonstrates the direct impact of wage policies on workers’ financial stability, emphasizing the need for a higher minimum wage to improve living standards. |
| Refutation / Concession | Arguing against a point or acknowledging its merits. | – What are the counterarguments to the main point?
– How can these counterarguments be refuted? – What concessions can be made to strengthen the argument? |
Addressing the argument that raising the minimum wage could lead to job losses, the evidence from the study is used to refute this claim by showing the widespread benefit of higher wages. | This refutation strengthens the argument by preemptively addressing counterarguments, making the case for a higher minimum wage more robust. |
Explanation Tools in Action
The short paragraph below illustrates how the explanation tools can be used in a body paragraph. Click on the underlines sentences to see which techniques were used and why.
The federal minimum wage in the United States, currently set at $7.25 per hour, is widely criticized for being insufficient to meet the basic needs of workers. According to a 2019 report by the Economic Policy Institute, the current minimum wage does not cover the cost of living in any U.S. state, forcing many workers to rely on government assistance and charity to make ends meet. As the report indicates, workers earning the minimum wage face significant challenges in affording housing, food, and healthcare (Economic Policy Institute). Comparing states with higher minimum wages, such as California and New York, where workers are better able to meet their basic needs, highlights the inadequacy of the federal minimum wage. Raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour could lift millions of workers out of poverty. While some argue that increasing the minimum wage might lead to job losses, the evidence suggests that the overall economic benefits, including reduced poverty and increased consumer spending, outweigh these potential downsides.
Check Your Understanding
The following quiz is graded.
Conclusion
Explaining evidence effectively is a critical skill in academic writing that can significantly enhance the persuasiveness and clarity of your arguments. By thoroughly analyzing, evaluating, and contextualizing evidence, you ensure that your readers understand its relevance and significance to your claims. Utilizing techniques such as comparison, cause and effect, and refutation helps you construct well-rounded and compelling body paragraphs. Mastering these explanation tools not only strengthens your writing but also deepens your understanding of the issues you are discussing, such as the minimum wage vs. living wage debate.
Key Takeaways
What are the key takeaways from this lesson?
- Importance of Explanation: Explaining evidence clarifies its relevance and strengthens your argument by ensuring the audience understands how it supports your point.
- Amount of Explanation: Provide as much explanation as necessary to analyze the evidence and connect it to your topic sentence, but include at least one sentence per piece of evidence.
- Explanation Tools: Common explanation tools include analysis, evaluation, relevance / significance, compare & contrast, cause & effect, refutation / concession.
- Using Explanation Tools: During the prewriting process, explore every piece of evidence using all of the tools and take notes. Then, generate the explanation for your body paragraphs.
Chapter Quiz
The following quiz is graded.
You can retake the quiz as many times as you’d like, but your average score from all attempts will be recorded in the gradebook, so each attempt can help improve your overall performance. For example, if you take the quiz three times and score 3/10, 7/10, and 10/10, your final recorded score will be the average of these attempts: (3 + 7 + 10) ÷ 3 = 6.7/10.
definition
Analysis: This technique was chosen to break down the evidence and highlight the specific areas where minimum wage workers struggle, emphasizing the inadequacy of the current wage.
Compare & Contrast: This technique was used to show the differences between states with varying minimum wages, illustrating how higher wages can significantly improve workers' ability to afford basic necessities.
Cause & Effect: This technique was employed to demonstrate the direct impact of increasing the minimum wage on reducing poverty, showing the positive effects of such a policy change.
Refutation: This technique was chosen to address and refute a common counterargument against raising the minimum wage, strengthening the overall argument by acknowledging and countering opposing views.