The Martian and the Car

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This page is a draft and is under active development.

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Marty Martian was sent to Earth by the Martian government to find life. While on Earth, Marty captured a car and brought it back to Mars. He thought he'd found a good example of life on Earth. The Martian government does not believe that the car Marty brought back is alive. Marty must stand trial for failing to perform his Martian duties.

At the trail, Marty spoke in his defense. "I first saw these life forms rolling along roads in great numbers. They were giving off thick clouds of poisonous waste as they moved. They seemed to exhibit herding behavior, as many of the cars moved in the same direction. They appeared to have a great deal of energy, some of them moved faster than 60 kilometers per hour. When one of these life forms stopped or slow down, the others behind it responded. They slowed down and gave off a reddish light from the back, and sometimes they would make honking noises. I observed that they would stop to feed on a liquid substance."

Take the part of Marty's defense attorney and make a good case for the car's being alive. Then be the prosecutor and show that the car is a nonliving thing. List as many reasons as you can.

Prosecutor

1. ___________________________________
2. ___________________________________
3. ___________________________________
4. ___________________________________
5. ___________________________________

Defense Attorney

1. ___________________________________
2. ___________________________________
3. ___________________________________
4. ___________________________________
5. ___________________________________

CLAIM, EVIDENCE, REASONING

What is your CLAIM regarding the status of the car. Is it a living thing or not? (Write a complete sentence.)

What EVIDENCE is there for your claim? (Combine arguments from the list above and write a complete sentence.)

REASONING: Connect your evidence to the claim. Complete this sentence:
All living things must __________________________________________________;
a car ________________________________________________, therefore it [ is / is not ] a living thing.