Question 1

Consider the following argument: "George Washington was a man. Thomas Jefferson was a man. Abraham Lincoln was a man. Teddy Roosevelt was a man. John F. Kennedy was a man. Barack Obama is a man. Therefore, all U.S. Presidents have been men." One problem with this argument is:
A) Some of the premises are unacceptable because no living person ever saw Washington, Jefferson, or Lincoln for themselves.
B) The premises are not relevant enough to the conclusion.
C) The premises are not sufficient to support the conclusion.
D) The argument lacks an adequate subconclusion.

Accepted Answer

The premises list examples of male U.S. Presidents but do not account for the possibility of female presidents, thus not sufficiently supporting the conclusion that all U.S. Presidents have been men.

Question 2

Consider the following argument: "The SS Central America, a steamship carrying almost 600 passengers and 21 tons of gold from the California gold rush, sank off the Carolina coast in 1492. The oil tanker Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground in 1992, spilling tens of millions of gallons of oil in Alaska. Therefore, the Exxon Valdez spill was the largest oil spill in history." Which of the following is NOT a problem for this argument?
A) At least one of the premises would be unacceptable to the average person.
B) At least one of the premises is irrelevant to the conclusion.
C) The premises are not sufficient to support the conclusion.
D) At least one of the premises is invalid.

Accepted Answer

Explanation: The argument's premises are not invalid; they are factual statements. The problem lies in their relevance and sufficiency to support the conclusion.

Question 3

A fallacy is:
A) An argument that superficially appears to be a good argument but actually violates at least one of the three criteria for argument evaluation.
B) An argument that fails to satisfy any of the three criteria for argument evaluation.
C) A cogent argument that is neither valid nor sound.
D) A valid argument that is not cogent.

Accepted Answer

A fallacy is an argument that seems valid but violates one or more criteria for evaluating arguments, such as relevance, sufficiency, or acceptability.

Question 4

Someone commits the fallacy of wishful thinking when he or she:
A) Argues that a claim is true because it can't be proven false.
B) Argues that a claim is true on the grounds that it would be good if it were true.
C) Insists on taking a positive attitude even when the evidence doesn't justify it.
D) Insists on thinking that an argument is cogent when it is not.

Accepted Answer

Wishful thinking is when someone believes a claim is true because they desire it to be true, rather than based on evidence or logic.

Question 5

If we can imagine a situation in which the premises of an argument are true but the conclusion of the argument is false, then:
A) The argument is cogent.
B) The argument is not cogent.
C) The argument is valid.
D) The argument is invalid.

Accepted Answer

The answer of If we can imagine a situation in...

Question 6

The difference between a valid argument and a sound argument is that:
A) If the premises of a sound argument are true, then the conclusion must be true.
B) The premises of a sound argument are true, whereas the premises of a valid argument are not true.
C) The premises of a sound argument are true, whereas the premises of a valid argument can be false.
D) The premises of a sound argument seem true, whereas the premises of a valid argument really are true.

Accepted Answer

A valid argument means the conclusion logically follows from the premises, regardless of their truth. A sound argument is valid and has all true premises.

Question 7

Which of the following is true?
A) All valid arguments are sound.
B) All sound arguments are valid.
C) All cogent arguments are sound.
D) All sound arguments are cogent.

Accepted Answer

A sound argument is one that is both valid and has true premises.

Question 8

Consider the following argument: "The philosopher James Rachels lived in Birmingham, Alabama. Therefore, the philosopher James Rachels frequently traveled through Atlanta." This argument:
A) Is sound but not valid because the premise does not give sufficient reason to accept the conclusion.
B) Is invalid because even if he lived in Birmingham, Rachels might not have traveled through Atlanta.
C) Is not cogent because the premise is irrelevant to the conclusion.
D) Is invalid because it does not provide enough reason to believe that Rachels really did live in Birmingham.

Accepted Answer

The argument is invalid because living in Birmingham does not necessarily mean Rachels traveled through Atlanta; the premise does not logically lead to the conclusion.

Question 9

Consider the following argument: "Donald Trump was born in Russia. If a person is born in Russia, then that person is not eligible to be president of the United States. Therefore, Donald Trump is not eligible to be president of the United States." This argument:
A) Is invalid because it is possible for someone to be born in Russia but still be eligible to be president of the United States.
B) Is valid but unsound because it is false that Donald Trump was born in Russia.
C) Is valid but unsound because not everyone knows the rules about who is eligible to be president of the United States.
D) Is invalid but sound because although some people might not know where Donald Trump was born, the premises are still true.

Accepted Answer

The argument is valid because if the premises were true, the conclusion would logically follow. However, it is unsound because the premise that Donald Trump was born in Russia is false.

Question 10

An argument is a set of claims, one of which is supposed to follow logically from the other(s).

Accepted Answer

An argument consists of premises intended to support a conclusion, where the conclusion is supposed to logically follow from the premises.

Question 11

A "claim" is any statement that can be

Accepted Answer

A claim is a statement that can be true or false.

Question 12

An argument always contains at least two premises.

Accepted Answer

An argument can have just one premise and a conclusion.

Question 13

An argument is often, but not always, used to convince someone that something is true.

Accepted Answer

An argument, in a logical or rhetorical sense, is a series of statements typically used to persuade someone of something or to present reasons for accepting a conclusion.

Question 14

An explanation aims to convince someone that a claim is true by helping them understand why it is true.

Accepted Answer

The answer of An explanation aims to convince someone that...

Question 15

Whether something is an argument or explanation depends only on the claims used and not on the intentions of the person stating those claims.

Accepted Answer

Whether something is considered an argument or an explanation often depends on the intentions of the person stating those claims. An argument is typically intended to persuade or convince someone of a particular point, while an explanation is intended to clarify or provide understanding about something.

Question 16

Argument analysis is the process of identifying the parts of an argument and figuring out how they relate to one another.

Accepted Answer

Argument analysis involves breaking down an argument into its constituent parts, such as premises and conclusion, and understanding how these parts work together to support the argument's overall claim.

Question 17

All arguments include at least one premise indicator or conclusion indicator.

Accepted Answer

Not all arguments explicitly include premise or conclusion indicators. Some arguments may imply their premises or conclusions without using specific indicator words.

Question 18

Many words that are used as premise indicators are also used for other purposes.

Accepted Answer

Words that serve as premise indicators in arguments (such as "because," "since," and "given that") can also be used in various other contexts not related to indicating premises, such as explaining reasons in non-argumentative sentences or introducing clauses.

Question 19

Some arguments have multiple premises that provide independent reasons to believe the conclusion.

Accepted Answer

Arguments can have multiple premises that each independently support the conclusion, offering separate lines of reasoning for why the conclusion should be accepted.

Question 20

A claim can never be a premise and a conclusion in the same argument.

Accepted Answer

A claim can serve both as a premise and a conclusion in an argument, especially in complex or nested arguments where an intermediate conclusion (supported by initial premises) becomes a premise for a further conclusion.

Quiz 1: An Introduction to Arguments

Consider the following argument: "George Washington was a man. Thomas Jefferson was a man. Abraham Lincoln was a man. Teddy Roosevelt was a man. John F. Kennedy was a man. Barack Obama is a man. Therefore, all U.S. Presidents have been men." One problem with this argument is:

A fallacy is:

Someone commits the fallacy of wishful thinking when he or she:

If we can imagine a situation in which the premises of an argument are true but the conclusion of the argument is false, then:

The difference between a valid argument and a sound argument is that:

Which of the following is true?

Consider the following argument: "The philosopher James Rachels lived in Birmingham, Alabama. Therefore, the philosopher James Rachels frequently traveled through Atlanta." This argument:

Consider the following argument: "Donald Trump was born in Russia. If a person is born in Russia, then that person is not eligible to be president of the United States. Therefore, Donald Trump is not eligible to be president of the United States." This argument: