Debate V: Cross-examination

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Debate V Cross-examination

• Doris L. W. Chang

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Outline (Johnston 92-98 99-126)

• Refutation Review
• The Purpose of Cross-examination
• The Goals of Cross-examination
• Guidelines for the Cross-examiner
• Guidelines for the Cross-examinee
• Using the Results of Cross-examination
• Planning Organizing Strategy
• Samples
• Practice Time

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Refutation Review

• What is Refutation?
• Issues for Refutation
• How to Organize Your Refutation

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What Is Refutation?

• Refutation means using argumentation to show
  that the opposing position cannot be established
  (Johnston 92).

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Issues for Refutation

1. Refute those contentions which are basic to our
   opponents case
2. Refute those contentions which your opponent
   spends much time trying to establish.
3. Refute those contentions your opponent claims are
   major issues.

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Refute Contentions Basic to Opponents Case

• Aff.
• Refute arguments that may damage your prima
  facie case? predict how the neg. will challenge
  your position on stock issues.
• Neg.
• Refute the stock issues that form the aff. Prima
  facie case. ?predict the aff. position on the
  stock issues

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Refute Key Contentions/Issues

1. Challenge the relevance of the contention to the
   debate proposition.
2. Challenge the evidence or argument that supports
   the contention

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Organize the Refutation

• Briefly state the position you intend to refute/
• State the nature of the problem in your
  opponents case.
• Present your reasoning/evidence to support your
  refutation.
• Show the effect of your refutation on your
  opponents case (or on your case.)

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The Nature of the Problem in Your Opponents Case

• Failing to address an important issue.
• Unsupported assertion which is false, or at least
  lacks common presumption.
• Argumentation containing a logical fallacy
• Conclusion not following from premises
• Conclusion irrelevant to premises
• In-admissible evidence, evidence irrelevant to or
  insufficient to establish conclusion
• A position that cant be discussed for its
  supported only by a vague or unverifiable
  statement.

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The Purpose of Cross-examination

1. To discover information to be used as a basis of
   your refutation in a later speech
2. To discover information to be used as a basis of
   argumentation for your own contentions.

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The Goals of Cross-examination

1. To explore, clarify, and better understand your
   opponents assertions, arguments, or position on
   stock issues. To seek out or confirm items (1-6).
2. To expose items above by asking questions
   according to a prepared strategy or refutation
   model.
3. To expose irrelevant issues so as to narrow the
   debate and focus on key issues.
4. To get your opponent to admit or concede points
   to be used to support or strengthen your own
   arguments.

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Items 1-6

• Any weakness of the opponents case regarding
  stock issues or issues you raised.
• Assertions or unstated premises that are false or
  without common presumption.
• Logical fallacies (of form or relevance).
• Inadmissible or insufficient evidence.
• Un-resolvable vagueness and ambiguity
• Avoid distorting opponents assertion and
  attacking a straw man.

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6 Guidelines for Cross-examiner

• Control your time by asking questions requiring a
  simple YES/NO answer.
• Politely interrupt when your opponent
• Tries to say more than is needed to answer Q
• Isnt answer the Qs you asked
• Starts speaking without being asked a Q
• Starts to argue or give reasons for his answer

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6 Guidelines for Cross-examiner

• 3. Ask Questions, dont present arguments.
• If the opp. provides absurd or obviously false
  answers or refuses to admit a position, the
  x-exam. is successful. Just remind the judges in
  a later speech.
• Dont explain the results of your questioning
  during the x-exam. time, explain and draw
  conclusions in a later speech

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6 Guidelines for Cross-examiner

• 4. You must allow your opponent to answer your
  question.
• You may ask Qs that require a YES/NO answer
• You may not insist on a YES/NO answer if it
  distorts your opponents position.
• Avoid complex Q fallacies that distort their
  position.
• 5. Be polite and gentle.
• 6.Be sincere and fairavoid using sophisticated
  strategems to trick them into saying what they
  dont really mean.

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4 Guidelines for Cross-examinees

1. You must answer all Qs honestly and without
   wasting time.
2. You may qualify your answergive direct and
   honest answers that express your position, but
   you dont need to accept your opponents
   conditions if they distort your position.
3. You may not consult other team members.
4. You may ask the x-examiner to clarify/explain the
   meaning of a question which you honestly dont
   understand.

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5 Guidelines to Use X-exam. Results

• Use the most effective x-exam. results in later
  speeches for better refutation.
• Use the weaknesses in your opponents case that
  were exposed in x-exam. to refute their position
  on stock issues.
• When your opp. responds to your x-exam. results,
  use their responses for future x-exam. or
  refutation.

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5 Guidelines to Use X-exam. Results

• Prepare and organize your case as a team so as to
  use each others x-exam. results in later
  speeches.
• A good, organized x-exam./refutation strategy
  begins in x-exam. and ends in the final speech.
• 5. Follow guidelines 1-4 for organizing your
  refutation.

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8 Steps to Plan X-exmination

• Make a list of arguments your opponent may
  present to
• support his position on each of the stock issues
• attack your position
• Analyze the arguments. Find
• Ambiguities
• Unsupported assertions
• Unstated premises
• Incorrect evidences
• Logical fallacies

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8 Steps to Plan X-exmination

• 3. Decide whether to use x-examination as a
  starting point of refutation or just rely on your
  speeches.
• 4. Plan your line of Qs (write the 1st Q) to
  force your opponent to take a definite position
  that you can refute.
• 5. Follow your opponent around with Qs until he
  has no place to go except taking a definite
  position.

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8 Steps to Plan X-exmination

• 6.Do your homework to predict your opponents
  possible answers and position
• prepare a refutation argument no matter what
  position your opponent takes
• 7. Plan to continue x-exam. to expose your
  opponents fallacy,
• or end your x-exam. on that issue and complete
  refutation in a later speech, after your opponent
  is forced to take a definite position
• 8.Be patient and dont give up.

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Reference

• Johnston, Greg. The Logic and Language of
  English Debate A Practical Guide for Chinese
  Students of EFL. Taipei Bookman, 1994.

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Have Fun Debating!