Deck 6: Categorical Propositions

Question 1

The terms of a proposition are its:

A)quantifier and verb
B)quantifier and predicate
C)subject and verb
D)subject and quantifier
E)subject and predicate

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Must the subject and predicate each be a single word?

A)Yes.
B)No.
C)The subject must be a single word, but the predicate can be more than one.
D)The predicate must be a single word, but the subject can be more than one.
E)It doesn't matter, as long as the subject and predicate have the same number of words.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following is a categorical proposition?

A)Whales are mammals.
B)whales, mammals, lung breathers
C)mammals
D)Do whales breathe by means of lungs?
E)Breathe, whale, breathe!

Answer 3

A

Question 4

What is the predicate class in the following proposition? Every good idea is a step in the right direction.

A)good idea
B)is
C)every good idea is
D)right direction
E)step in the right direction

Question 5

Could there be a categorical proposition about two classes that have no relation to each other?

A)Yes, because the two classes in a categorical proposition are always unrelated.
B)Yes, but the proposition would have to be affirmative.
C)Yes, but the proposition would have to be negative.
D)No, because a categorical proposition requires that the two classes share at least one referent.
E)No, because a categorical proposition requires that one class be a species of the other.

Question 6

Can a declarative English sentence be put into standard form as a categorical proposition if its subject is a pronoun?

A)No, since a pronoun does not provide enough information to serve as a subject.
B)No, since logic considers pronouns to be completely meaningless.
C)No, since pronouns represent referents rather than concepts.
D)Yes, but it would be preferable to replace the pronoun with its antecedent.
E)Yes, and it would be preferable to leave the pronoun as is, rather than replacing it with its antecedent.

Question 7

What is the subject class in the following proposition? The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

A)the grass is always greener
B)the grass
C)always greener
D)the other side of the fence
E)fence

Question 8

If a proposition is true and the subject class is only one of several species of the predicate class, then:

A)there is not enough information to determine the quantity or quality of the proposition
B)the proposition must be negative
C)the proposition must be affirmative
D)the proposition must be particular
E)the proposition must be universal

Question 9

Which of the following is a categorical proposition?

A)prayer beads
B)Pray with these beads.
C)Do many world religions use prayer beads?
D)using the prayer beads
E)Many world religions use prayer beads.

Question 10

Which of the following is the complete list of the logical components of a categorical proposition?

A)subject, verb, direct object, indirect object
B)subject, predicate nominative, predicate adjective
C)subject, predicate
D)subject, predicate, copula, quantifier
E)subject, object, place, time

Question 11

Suppose we are trying to put declarative English sentences into standard form as categorical propositions.The subject of each sentence:

A)will always be the first word or phrase in the sentence
B)will always be the last word or phrase in the sentence
C)will always appear before the verb
D)will always appear after the verb
E)will appear different in different places in different sentences

Question 12

What is the predicate class in the following proposition? No witness has come forward.

A)witness
B)person who has come forward
C)come forward
D)has come
E)no witness has

Question 13

A categorical proposition is always a proposition that:

A)asserts a relationship among classes
B)is the conclusion of an argument
C)is the premise of an argument
D)is stated explicitly
E)is left implicit

Question 14

Could there be a categorical proposition that only involves one class?

A)Yes, but the class would have to have a large number of referents.
B)Yes, but the proposition would have to be affirmative.
C)Yes, but the proposition would have to be negative.
D)No, because categorical propositions must involve at least three classes.
E)No, because categorical propositions simply tell us how two classes differ from each other.

Question 15

Can a categorical proposition have two subject classes?

A)No, since a proposition with two subject classes is not categorical.
B)No, since it is impossible to relate the same predicate to two subjects.
C)No, since English grammar only allows a sentence to have a single subject.
D)Yes, as long as one of the subject classes is a species of the other.
E)Yes, as long as the two subject classes are both species of the same genus.

Question 16

Suppose we are trying to put declarative English sentences into standard form as categorical propositions.Will all of the English sentences have explicit subjects?

A)No, since many sentences have no subject at all.
B)No, since for some of these sentences, the subject could be an understood "you."
C)Yes, since English grammar requires an explicit subject in declarative sentences.
D)Yes, since English grammar requires an explicit subject in all sentences.
E)Yes, since without explicit subjects, the sentences would necessarily be interrogative rather than declarative.

Question 17

Must the predicate of a categorical proposition be a verb?

A)Yes, because otherwise the proposition would have no verb and not be a complete sentence.
B)Yes, because only verbs form broad enough classes to serve as predicates.
C)No, as long as the first word is a verb.
D)No, because the verb is supplied by the copula.
E)No, as long as the predicate contains a verb.

Question 18

Is it possible to form a categorical proposition that has only a subject or only a predicate but not both?

A)No, since a categorical syllogism expresses a relationship between a subject and predicate.
B)No, since every categorical proposition must have all five parts.
C)A categorical proposition could lack a subject, but it must have a predicate.
D)A categorical proposition could lack a predicate, but it must have a subject.
E)Yes, as long as the proposition contains either a subject or a predicate.

Question 19

What is the predicate class in the following proposition? Whales breathe by means of lungs.

A)whales
B)lungs
C)things that breathe by means of lungs
D)by means of lungs
E)breathe

Question 20

What is the subject class in the following proposition? Empty is the house without love.

A)the house without love
B)love
C)empty
D)empty is the house
E)without love

Question 21

If a proposition is true and the predicate class is only one of several species of the subject class, then:

A)there is not enough information to determine the quantity or quality of the proposition
B)the proposition must be negative
C)the proposition must be affirmative
D)the proposition must be particular
E)the proposition must be universal

Question 22

What is the copula in the following proposition? No ocean is a river.

A)no
B)is
C)ocean
D)no ocean
E)river

Question 23

Which class must be more abstract, the subject or the predicate?

A)It doesn't matter which one is more abstract.
B)the subject class
C)the predicate class
D)The two must be equally abstract.
E)The subject class for affirmative propositions and the predicate class for negative propositions.

Question 24

What are the quantity and quality of the following proposition? Some good tablet computers are not Apple products.

A)universal affirmative
B)universal negative
C)particular affirmative
D)particular negative
E)It depends on whether or not you agree with the proposition.

Question 25

Which of the following is the complete list of standard quantifiers?

A)some / none
B)more / less / all / none
C)every / each / some / fewer
D)all / no / some
E)all / many / few

Question 26

When we are putting a categorical proposition into standard form, its quality can affect our choice of:

A)neither quantifier nor copula
B)copula, and also quantifier if the proposition is universal
C)copula, and also quantifier if the proposition is particular
D)quantifier only
E)copula only

Question 27

If the following sentence were put into standard form as a categorical proposition, what would the quantifier be? A lot of what Oprah Winfrey says really resonates with me.

A)many
B)all
C)no
D)few
E)some

Question 28

If the following sentence were put into standard form as a categorical proposition, what would the copula be? Nothing quenches thirst like a glass of iced tea.

A)are
B)are not
C)is
D)is not
E)can

Question 29

Which of the following propositions has an affirmative quality?

A)No time is a good time for a house fire.
B)Many of Beth's closest friends are not coming to her birthday party.
C)Some orphanages used to be much larger operations.
D)There's no place like home.
E)A few of our nicest dishes did not survive the move.

Question 30

What is the copula in the following proposition? Businesses with fewer than 20 employees are not required to have a pension plan.

A)businesses with fewer than 20 employees
B)businesses
C)businesses required to have a pension plan
D)some
E)are not

Question 31

If the following sentence were put into standard form as a categorical proposition, what would the copula be? Everyone in my office can keep a secret.

A)are
B)are not
C)is
D)is not
E)can

Question 32

Suppose we are trying to put declarative English sentences into standard form as categorical propositions.The predicate of each sentence:

A)will always be the first word or phrase in the sentence
B)will always be the last word or phrase in the sentence
C)will always appear before the verb
D)will always appear after the verb
E)will appear different in different places in different sentences

Question 33

In a categorical proposition, does the quantifier modify the subject term or the predicate term?

A)both
B)only the predicate
C)only the subject
D)either one, but never both
E)neither

Question 34

What is the quantifier in the following proposition? Some astronauts are not Russians.

A)some
B)astronauts
C)are
D)are not
E)Russians

Question 35

If we only know the quantifier used in a categorical proposition, that is enough information to determine:

A)only the quality
B)only the quantity
C)always the quality and sometimes the quantity
D)always the quantity and sometimes the quality
E)nothing about quality or quantity

Question 36

If the following sentence were put into standard form as a categorical proposition, what would the quantifier be? Everybody is welcome to join our club.

A)many
B)all
C)no
D)few
E)some

Question 37

When we put a declarative English sentence into standard form as a categorical proposition, what happens to the main verb if it is not a form of the verb "to be"?

A)It always becomes the copula.
B)It is removed and replaced with a form of the verb "to be."
C)It is always absorbed into the subject class.
D)It is always absorbed into the predicate class.
E)Sometimes it is absorbed into the subject class, and sometimes into the predicate class.

Question 38

If a proposition contains the word "not," then:

A)it is always affirmative
B)it is always negative
C)it is probably affirmative
D)it is probably negative
E)it is equally likely to be affirmative or negative

Question 39

The affirmative or negative character of a proposition is called its:

A)subject
B)predicate
C)quality
D)quantity
E)strength

Question 40

Which of the following propositions has a negative quality?

A)Nothing you say will change my mind.
B)Everyone I know can juggle better than I can.
C)People are rarely nice to Liam.
D)Some African safaris are more exciting than others.
E)Some of the canoes must be repaired before they can return to the river.

Question 41

In a categorical proposition, how does quantity limit quality?

A)If the quantity is particular, then the quality must be affirmative.
B)If the quantity is particular, then the quality must be negative.
C)If the quantity is universal, then the quality must be affirmative.
D)If the quantity is universal, then the quality must be negative.
E)Quantity does not limit quality at all.

Question 42

Which of the following propositions is in standard form O?

A)No birthday is a day to be sad.
B)Some weekends are durations of three days.
C)All near-death experiences are scary events.
D)Where there is a will, there is a way.
E)Some ex-spouses are not friends.

Question 43

Which of the following propositions has form O, "smile" as the subject, and "hostile gesture" as the predicate?

A)Some smiles are not hostile gestures.
B)Some hostile gestures are not smiles.
C)No smile is a hostile gesture.
D)Some hostile gestures are smiles.
E)All smiles are hostile gestures.

Question 44

A particular affirmative proposition has which form?

A)A
B)E
C)I
D)O
E)U

Question 45

The content of a proposition is determined by its:

A)quantity and quality
B)quantity and subject
C)quality and predicate
D)subject and predicate
E)subject and quality

Question 46

Which of the following propositions is in standard form E?

A)No birthday is a day to be sad.
B)Some weekends are durations of three days.
C)All near-death experiences are scary events.
D)Where there is a will, there is a way.
E)Some ex-spouses are not friends.

Question 47

In a categorical proposition, how does quality limit quantity?

A)If the quality is affirmative, then the quantity must be universal.
B)If the quality is affirmative, then the quantity must be particular.
C)If the quality is negative, then the quantity must be universal.
D)If the quality is negative, then the quantity must be particular.
E)Quality does not limit quantity at all.

Question 48

A universal negative proposition has which form?

A)A
B)E
C)I
D)O
E)U

Question 49

The form of a proposition is determined by its:

A)quantity and quality
B)quantity and subject
C)quality and predicate
D)subject and predicate
E)subject and quality

Question 50

Can the quantity of a true proposition be particular if all members of the subject class belong to the predicate class?

A)No, because the relationship between the subject and predicate would be universal.
B)No, because then the proposition would fail to talk about part of the subject class.
C)No, because then the proposition would fail to talk about part of the predicate class.
D)Yes, because the proposition does not need to acknowledge that the relationship between the subject and predicate classes is universal.
E)Yes, but only if it is accompanied by a second proposition that acknowledges that the relationship between the subject and predicate classes is universal.

Question 51

What are the quantity and quality of the following proposition? No S is P.

A)universal affirmative
B)universal negative
C)particular affirmative
D)particular negative
E)It depends on what classes are represented by S and P.

Question 52

What are the quantity and quality of the following proposition? A few of the people I know have appeared in Hollywood movies.

A)universal affirmative
B)universal negative
C)particular affirmative
D)particular negative
E)It depends on what classes are represented by S and P.

Question 53

The quantity of an argument indicates:

A)how many simpler propositions it contains
B)whether the proposition is about some or all of its subject class
C)whether the proposition is about some or all of its predicate class
D)how many words it contains
E)how many letters it contains

Question 54

Which of the following propositions is in standard form A?

A)No birthday is a day to be sad.
B)Some weekends are durations of three days.
C)All near-death experiences are scary events.
D)Where there is a will, there is a way.
E)Some ex-spouses are not friends.

Question 55

A particular negative proposition has which form?

A)A
B)E
C)I
D)O
E)U

Question 56

A universal affirmative proposition has which form?

A)A
B)E
C)I
D)O
E)U

Question 57

How many distinct categorical propositions in standard form could be identical in form?

A)1
B)2
C)4
D)6
E)infinitely many

Question 58

How many distinct categorical propositions in standard form could be identical in both form and content?

A)1
B)2
C)4
D)6
E)infinitely many

Question 59

Which of the following propositions is in standard form I?

A)No birthday is a day to be sad.
B)Some weekends are durations of three days.
C)All near-death experiences are scary events.
D)Where there is a will, there is a way.
E)Some ex-spouses are not friends.

Question 60

What are the quantity and quality of the following proposition? All S are P.

A)universal affirmative
B)universal negative
C)particular affirmative
D)particular negative
E)It depends on what classes are represented by S and P.

Question 61

If the subject of a categorical proposition begins with the article "a" (as in "a house"), must the proposition be singular?

A)Yes, because the article "a" guarantees that the proposition is about a single individual.
B)Yes, because grammatically, the article "a" can only be followed by a singular noun.
C)No, because the noun that follows could be intended to represent a class of things.
D)No, because grammatically, the noun that follows could be plural.
E)No, because the article "a" always signals that the proposition is particular.

Question 62

Which of the following propositions has form I, "island" as the subject, and "inhabited location" as the predicate?

A)Some inhabited locations are not islands.
B)Some islands are inhabited locations.
C)Some inhabited locations are islands.
D)All inhabited locations are islands.
E)All islands are inhabited locations.

Question 63

An advertising campaign for Jell-O used the slogan, "There's always room for Jell-O." What is this proposition in standard form?

A)All places are places where there is room for Jell-O.
B)All times are times when there is room for Jell-O.
C)All Jell-O is a thing for which there is time.
D)All rooms for Jell-O are things that exist.
E)All people are people who have room for Jell-O.

Question 64

Which of the following categorical propositions is in standard form?

A)All whales are large things.
B)Tender is the night.
C)No code has been made that cannot be broken.
D)Some blondes have more fun.
E)New York City is big.

Question 65

When a categorical proposition is put into standard form:

A)some information is always lost
B)some information is sometimes lost
C)new information is always introduced
D)some information is always lost and some information is always introduced
E)the information ought to remain the same

Question 66

A singular term is any term that:

A)is unusual
B)is highly original
C)refers to a single thing
D)refers to a genus
E)refers to a species

Question 67

Which of the following categorical propositions is in standard form?

A)No vending machine sells healthy food.
B)Some credit cards are not cards with good interest rates.
C)All of my relatives are people with the same last name.
D)Some Westerns are very entertaining.
E)Every lime is a citrus fruit.

Question 68

"Tom is a good basketball player" is what type of proposition?

A)A
B)E
C)I
D)O
E)non-categorical

Question 69

Do we need to know the content of a proposition in order to determine its form?

A)Yes, because otherwise we cannot determine its quantity.
B)Yes, because otherwise we cannot determine its quality.
C)Yes, because otherwise we cannot determine its quantity or quality.
D)No, because both quantity and quality can be determined without the content.
E)No, because if no content is provided, we assume that the proposition has form A.

Question 70

When a categorical proposition is put into standard form, does the ordering of the parts matter?

A)No, as long as all of the parts are present.
B)No, as long as the copula appears between the subject and the predicate.
C)No, as long as the quantifier appears before the subject.
D)Yes, because the parts must always appear in a specified order.
E)Yes, because each of the four forms is distinguished by the ordering of its parts.

Question 71

Which of the following propositions has form E, "legend" as the subject, and "completely false story" as the predicate?

A)No legend is a completely false story.
B)No completely false story is a legend.
C)Some legends are not completely false stories.
D)Some completely false stories are not legends.
E)Some legends are completely false stories.

Question 72

Which of the following is a singular proposition?

A)Some artists are quite talented.
B)Each dog has a unique personality.
C)Different cleaning products are for different purposes.
D)Most aliens in movies look like people in costumes.
E)The third car in the lot is a clunker.

Question 73

An advertising campaign for Almond Joy candy bars used the slogan, "Sometimes you feel like a nut." What is this proposition in standard form?

A)Some times are times when you feel like a nut.
B)Some people are people who feel like nuts.
C)Some feelings are the feelings of being like a nut.
D)Some nuts are things like which people feel.
E)(All) you are a person who feels like a nut.

Question 74

Could there be a categorical proposition that does not fit any of the four forms: A, E, I, and O?

A)No, because even non-categorical propositions can be made to fit one of the four forms.
B)No, because a proposition without a quality and quantity would not be categorical.
C)Yes, because some categorical propositions have no quality.
D)Yes, because some categorical propositions have no quantity.
E)Yes, and that is why we have the miscellaneous form U.

Question 75

Which of the following propositions has form A, "champagne" as the subject, and "carbonated beverage" as the predicate?

A)Some champagnes are carbonated beverages.
B)Some carbonated beverages are champagnes.
C)Some champagnes are not carbonated beverages.
D)All carbonated beverages are champagnes.
E)All champagnes are carbonated beverages.

Question 76

The standard form for all categorical propositions is:

A)[quantifier] subject predicate [copula]
B)subject [copula] predicate [quantifier]
C)[quantifier] subject [copula] predicate
D)[copula] subject [quantifier] predicate
E)subject predicate [copula] [quantifier]

Question 77

"I am not a coward" is what type of proposition?

A)A
B)E
C)I
D)O
E)non-categorical

Question 78

When a proposition is in standard form, its copula must be a form of which verb?

A)to go
B)to come
C)to be
D)to have
E)to give

Question 79

The motto of the United Negro College Fund is "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." What is this proposition in standard form?

A)No mind is a good thing to waste.
B)No mind should be wasted.
C)Some minds are terrible things to waste.
D)All minds are terrible things to waste.
E)Some minds are not things that should be wasted.

Question 80

An advertising campaign for John Deere used the slogan, "Nothing runs like a Deere." What is this proposition in standard form?

A)Some things are things that do not run like a Deere.
B)A Deere is a thing that runs like nothing else.
C)No thing is a thing that runs like a Deere.
D)No Deere is a thing that runs like anything else.
E)No running is a thing that is done like a Deere.