Deck 7: Analyzing Arguments

Question 1

Redundant statements should be numbered and included in argument diagrams, but no arrow should be drawn from them to any conclusion or subconclusion.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The premises are independent in the following argument: "No rock stars are shuffleboard players. Mick is a rock star. So, Mick isn't a shuffleboard player."

Answer 2

False

Question 3

A good paraphrase is clear, concise, accurate, and charitable.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

In standardizing arguments, one should not _____.

A) include anything that is not a statement
B) All of the answers are correct
C) include anything that is not a premise or a conclusion
D) write in incomplete sentences

Question 5

_____ in the following argument: "Bill will drive if Heather doesn't drive. But Heather won't drive, because she lost her driver's license and her right leg is in a cast. Therefore, Bill will drive."

A) The premises are independent
B) None of the answers are correct
C) The premises are linked
D) Some of the premises are linked and some are independent

Question 6

To _____ an argument means to break it up into its various parts to see clearly what conclusion is being defended and on what grounds.

A) summarize
B) analyze
C) synopsize
D) synthesize

Question 7

Which of the following should be included in an argument standardization?

A) questions
B) None of the answers are correct
C) missing premises or conclusions
D) irrelevant statements

Question 8

The premises are linked in the following argument: "If Speedy is a lizard, then Speedy is a reptile. Speedy is a lizard. So, Speedy is a reptile."

Question 9

Which of the following tips is most likely to help diagram arguments like a pro?

A) identifying that sentences with the word "and" often contain two or more separate statements
B) numbering or diagramming any sentence that is not a statement
C) treating conditional statements, or if-then statements, as two separate statements rather than as single statements
D) evaluating all the premises of the argument before finding the main conclusion

Question 10

There are two statements asserted in the sentence "Either Paul walks to school, or he rides his bike to school."

Question 11

Two premises are linked if _____.

A) the premises would not provide good reason to accept the conclusion if one of the premises were omitted
B) the omission of one of the premises would weaken or cancel the amount of support provided by the other
C) All of the answers are correct
D) the argument would not be deductively valid if one of the premises were omitted

Question 12

_____ should be omitted from argument diagrams.

A) Logically irrelevant statements
B) Redundant statements
C) Logically irrelevant statements and redundant statements
D) None of the answers are correct

Question 13

In the following argument, there are _____ premises (including subconclusions) that should be diagrammed: "If souls die, they must die either by decomposing or by annihilation. But what is not composed cannot decompose. And souls are not composed. Therefore souls cannot decompose. And nothing is annihilated as a whole. Therefore souls are not annihilated as a whole. Thus souls do not die either by decomposition or annihilation. Thus souls do not die." (Peter Kreeft and Ronald K. Tacelli, Handbook of Christian Apologetics)

A) nine
B) None of the answers are correct
C) seven
D) eight

Question 14

Two premises A and B are linked just in case A and B, taken together, provide more support for the conclusion than either premise provides by itself.

Question 15

The sentence "If I'm in Oklahoma City, then I'm in Oklahoma" expresses two statements rather than one.

Question 16

The premises in the following argument are independent: "Dogs make better pets than cats. They're smarter, more sociable, and easier to train."

Question 17

In the context of filling in missing information in an enthymeme, being _____ means interpreting the argument as generously as possible.

A) antithetical
B) faithful
C) charitable
D) logical

Question 18

Missing premises and conclusions should not be included in argument standardizations.

Question 19

The premises in the following argument are linked: "Lake Jean is at a higher elevation than Lake Wallenpaupak, because Lake Francis is at a higher elevation than Lake Wallenpaupak and Lake Jean is at a higher elevation than Lake Francis."

Question 20

An argument in which each step in the argument is numbered consecutively, premises are stated above the conclusions they are claimed to support, and justifications are provided for each conclusion in the argument is said to be in _____.

A) standard logical form
B) prototypical form
C) summary form
D) standard deductive form

Question 21

A(n) _____ is a detailed restatement of a passage using different words and phrases.

A) summary
B) enthymeme
C) synopsis
D) paraphrase

Question 22

An argument with a missing premise or conclusion is called _____.

A) a synoptic argument
B) an enthymeme
C) a truncated argument
D) a protasis

Question 23

In filling in missing premises and conclusions, we should _____.

A) be charitable
B) faithfully interpret the author's intentions and be charitable
C) None of the answers are correct
D) faithfully interpret the author's intentions

Question 24

There is one statement asserted in the sentence "If Julie goes rock climbing, then Diane will go with her."

Question 25

In argument diagramming, an arrow means "is evidence for."

Question 26

There are _____ statements in the following argument: "If Jack plays, then Jerry and Jill will play. Jerry will play but Jill won't. Therefore, Jack won't play."

A) three
B) six
C) five
D) four

Question 27

Which of the following is a goal of an argument summary?

A) to provide a synopsis of the argument made by the arguer and accurately restate the main points in one's own words
B) to rebut the arguer's premises
C) to avoid restating the main points of the arguer
D) to strengthen the position of the arguer by conducting a detailed analysis of the premises and the conclusion of the argument

Question 28

In standardizing arguments, we should _____.

A) fill in all missing premises and conclusions
B) fill in any key missing premises and conclusions, those that are important in understanding and evaluating the central argument
C) fill in missing conclusions but not missing premises
D) avoid filling missing premises and conclusions

Question 29

When diagramming an argument, one should indicate independent premises by drawing arrows directly from the premises to the conclusions they are claimed to support.

Question 30

In argument diagramming, independent premises should be indicated by placing a plus sign (+) between the two independent premises.

Question 31

In the following argument, there are _____ premises (including subconclusions) that should be diagrammed: "The 49ers will make the playoffs only if the Cowboys win. If the 49ers make the playoffs, then they will play the Redskins. If the Redskins win, they will be in the Super Bowl. But the Cowboys won't win. Their top two quarterbacks are hurt, and their defense has been decimated by injuries. Therefore, the 49ers will not make the playoffs."

A) six
B) seven
C) nine
D) five

Question 32

In the following argument, there are _____ premises (including subconclusions) that should be diagrammed: "Either you will eat an apple at lunch tomorrow, or you will not. If you will eat an apple at lunch tomorrow, then nothing you do between now and then will stop you from having that apple at lunch. If you will not eat an apple at lunch tomorrow, then any effort you make between now and then to eat such an apple will be, literally, fruitless. Therefore, you do not have two equally available options to eat or not to eat the apple. Thus, you are not really free concerning whether you will or will not eat an apple at lunch time tomorrow." (Tom Morris, Philosophy for Dummies, 1999 [slightly adapted])

A) four
B) six
C) five
D) None of the answers are correct

Question 33

Irrelevant statements should not be included in argument diagrams.