反論 and 批判: countering a claim and evaluating a target
Compare counterarguments to a claim with criticism of a proposal or work. Read the target and argumentative relationship rather than sorting the words by emotion.
Responding to a claim
反論 (はんろん) means a rebuttal or counterargument. 「彼女は相手の意見を聞いてから冷静に反論しました。」 says she listened to the other person’s view before calmly responding with a rebuttal.
「その主張への反論を、具体例とともに述べてください。」 requests a counterargument to that claim with specific examples. The direct target is the claim.
Evaluating a proposal or work
批判 (ひはん) means criticism or critique. 「提案への批判を整理して次の案に生かした。」 describes organizing criticisms of a proposal and incorporating them into the next proposal.
「作品を批判する前に作者の意図を考えた。」 says the creator’s intention was considered before criticizing the work. That consideration is stated, but the actual content of the criticism is not supplied.
Reading the target and relationship
For a counterargument, identify the claim being answered; for criticism, identify the target being evaluated. A contribution can counter a claim while criticizing the proposal it contains.
Do not define rebuttal as an emotional attack and criticism as always objective. The example contains a calm rebuttal; grounds and tone must be read from what the sentence actually states.
What is the direct target in 「その主張への反論を、具体例とともに述べてください。」?
Show the answer and why
That claim. The sentence requests a counterargument with specific examples; it neither requests an attack on the person nor reports a completed rebuttal.