Final answer:
Malcolm Gladwell provides various examples and evidence in Chapter 2 of 'Outliers: The Story of Success' to support his central idea that success is influenced by external factors. Strong examples include the success of Canadian hockey players, while a weaker example is the discussion of IQ scores.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Chapter 2 of Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell provides various examples and evidence to support his central idea or claim. He argues that success is not solely determined by individual effort or ability, but is heavily influenced by external factors such as cultural background, opportunities, and timing.
Gladwell uses real-life examples, such as the success of Canadian hockey players and the impact of the birthdate cutoff in sports, to illustrate the role of these factors.
One strong example of text evidence is the story of Canadian hockey players. Gladwell explains that a disproportionate number of successful hockey players in Canada were born in the first few months of the year. This is because the age cutoff for youth hockey is January 1st, so children born in January have almost a year advantage in physical maturity compared to those born later in the year.
Gladwell's use of this example effectively highlights the influence of arbitrary cutoff dates on a child's opportunities for success in sports.
On the other hand, a weaker example of text evidence is the discussion of the importance of IQ scores in determining success. Gladwell mentions that high IQ scores do not guarantee success and uses the example of Christopher Langan, who has an exceptionally high IQ but did not achieve mainstream success. While this example supports Gladwell's claim that individual talent alone is not enough for success, it is less compelling compared to the other examples.