Major premise: If a country's electoral rules are permissive, then votes should be translated into seats in a fairly proportional manner.
Minor premise: In the most recent election, votes were not translated into seats in a proportional manner.
Conclusion: Therefore, the country's electoral rules are not permissive.
What form (what type of categorical syllogism) does this argument take?
A) affirming the antecedent
B) denying the antecedent
C) affirming the consequent
D) denying the consequent

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This argument is an example of denying the consequent, which follows the logical form: If P, then Q. Not Q, therefore not P. The argument concludes that the electoral rules are not permissive (not P) because the votes were not translated into seats in a proportional manner (not Q).

Major Premise: If a Country's Electoral Rules Are Permissive, Then