The 2004 Olympic games were held in either Athens or Salt Lake City. But they were not held in Athens. Therefore, they were held in Salt Lake City.
A) Inductive, valid.
B) Deductive, invalid.
C) Deductive, valid.
D) Inductive, strong.
E) Deductive, cogent.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This argument follows the deductive pattern of modus tollens, in which the first premise sets up a conditional statement ("The 2004 Olympic games were held in either Athens or Salt Lake City"), the second premise denies the consequent ("But they were not held in Athens"), and the conclusion logically follows that the antecedent must be true ("Therefore, they were held in Salt Lake City"). This argument is also valid because the premises guarantee the truth of the conclusion.

The 2004 Olympic Games Were Held in Either Athens or Salt