All of us have encountered motorists who will go to any length to get a parking spot within 20 feet of the door they expect to enter. This obsession with good parking spots transcends all logic. It might take 5 minutes to secure the ideal spot in a store parking lot, while a more distant spot that is immediately available is only a 40-second walk from the door. Waiting for that ideal spot also results in frenzied nerves and skyrocketing blood pressure. Inevitably the occupant of the desired space will preen her hair before departing, and all the while the cars backed up behind the waiting driver are blaring their horns. Parking a little farther away is usually easier and safer because you can pull out more quickly, and it avoids damage to car doors by adjacent parkers.

The following arguments gradually increase in difficulty. Use the method presented in this section to construct argument patterns. If a statement is redundant or plays no role in the argument, do not include it in the pattern.