Question 1

The rules of logic can be used to win any argument.

Accepted Answer

The rules of logic help structure arguments and ensure they are coherent and valid, but winning an argument often depends on factors beyond logic, such as emotional appeal, the audience's biases, and the presentation of the argument.

Question 2

In many real world settings, people switch between deductive and inductive reasoning.

Accepted Answer

People often use both deductive and inductive reasoning in various situations, depending on the context and the nature of the information available to them. Deductive reasoning involves drawing specific conclusions from general principles, while inductive reasoning involves generalizing from specific instances.

Question 3

Asking if Tiffany is taller than Kari is pragmatically the same as asking if Kari is shorter than Tiffany.

Accepted Answer

False

Question 4

According to the formal rules of logic, content should be important when deciding if an "if, then" reasoning problem is valid.

Accepted Answer

In formal logic, the validity of an "if, then" reasoning problem (a conditional statement) is determined by its structure, not by the content of the statement. Validity is about whether the conclusion logically follows from the premises, regardless of the actual content.

Question 5

If a prosecutor is able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime occurred at a time when the defendant does not have an alibi, we can conclude that the defendant is guilty.

Accepted Answer

Proving that a crime occurred when the defendant lacks an alibi does not automatically establish guilt; the prosecution must also prove that the defendant committed the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.

Question 6

The statement that "some politicians favor gun control" means the same thing as "some politicians do not favor gun control."

Accepted Answer

The statement "some politicians favor gun control" indicates that a portion of politicians support measures to regulate or control the sale and use of firearms. This does not inherently mean the same as "some politicians do not favor gun control," which would indicate a portion of politicians oppose such measures. The two statements highlight different subsets of politicians based on their stance on gun control.

Question 7

Truth and validity mean the same thing.

Accepted Answer

Truth refers to the correspondence between a statement and reality or facts, while validity pertains to the logical structure of an argument, where the conclusion logically follows from the premises.

Question 8

If we believe "if guns are outlawed, then only outlaws will have guns," then it would be logical to believe that "if guns are not outlawed, then people other than outlaws will have guns."

Accepted Answer

The answer of If we believe "if guns are outlawed,...

Question 9

When people test their personal beliefs about the world, they tend to seek information that supports their beliefs instead of information that runs counter to their beliefs.

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is known as confirmation bias, where individuals favor information that confirms their preexisting beliefs or hypotheses, often leading to skewed research and analysis.

Question 10

A good way to change attitudes is to present many statements, followed by evaluations of the statements so that a conclusion is implied.

Accepted Answer

This method, known as the "inference-based approach," suggests that presenting statements followed by evaluations can lead people to infer and adopt the implied conclusion, effectively changing attitudes.

Question 11

An inferential belief that is derived from other statements is called
A) a premise.
B) a logic statement.
C) a conclusion.
D) a reason.

Accepted Answer

A conclusion is an inferential belief that is derived from one or more statements (premises) through the process of reasoning.

Question 12

Answer the questions about this "if, then" statement. If she gets a job, she will be successful. She is not successful. Therefore, she did not get a job. The second premise in the above "if, then" statement
A) affirms the antecedent.
B) affirms the consequent.
C) denies the antecedent.
D) denies the consequent.

Accepted Answer

The second premise denies the consequent ("she will be successful") by stating "She is not successful."

Question 13

Answer the questions about this "if, then" statement. If she gets a job, she will be successful. She is not successful. Therefore, she did not get a job. The conclusion in the above "if, then" statement is
A) valid.
B) invalid.

Accepted Answer

The conclusion is valid because it follows the logical form of "modus tollens." If the conditional statement "If P, then Q" is true, and Q is false, then P must also be false. In this case, "If she gets a job (P), then she will be successful (Q)." Since she is not successful (not Q), it logically follows that she did not get a job (not P).

Question 14

Answer the questions about this "if, then" statement. If he is divorced, then he is her boyfriend. He is not divorced. Therefore, he is not her boyfriend. The second premise in the above "if, then" statement
A) affirms the antecedent.
B) affirms the consequent.
C) denies the antecedent.
D) denies the consequent.

Accepted Answer

The second premise "He is not divorced" directly contradicts the condition set by the "if" part of the statement, which is the antecedent. Therefore, it denies the antecedent.

Question 15

Answer the questions about this "if, then" statement. If he is divorced, then he is her boyfriend. He is not divorced. Therefore, he is not her boyfriend. The conclusion in the above "if, then" statement is
A) valid.
B) invalid.

Accepted Answer

The conclusion is invalid because it commits the logical fallacy of denying the antecedent. The statement "If he is divorced, then he is her boyfriend" does not imply that if he is not divorced, he cannot be her boyfriend.

Question 16

A premise or conclusion that is particular negative in mood can be represented by
A) only one circle diagram.
B) two circle diagrams.
C) three circle diagrams.
D) four circle diagrams.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A premise or conclusion that is particular...

Question 17

A premise or conclusion that is particular affirmative in mood can be represented by
A) only one circle diagram.
B) two circle diagrams.
C) three circle diagrams.
D) four circle diagrams.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A premise or conclusion that is particular...

Question 18

Answer the questions about this categorical syllogism. Some men are handsome. All handsome people are conceited. Some men are conceited. The first premise represents which type of relationship?
A) universal affirmative
B) universal negative
C) particular affirmative
D) particular negative

Accepted Answer

The first premise, "Some men are handsome," indicates a particular affirmative relationship because it asserts that at least one member of the subject class (men) is also a member of the predicate class (handsome) without claiming this is true for all members.

Question 19

Answer the questions about this categorical syllogism. Some men are handsome. All handsome people are conceited. Some men are conceited. The second premise represents which type of relationship?
A) universal affirmative
B) universal negative
C) particular affirmative
D) particular negative

Accepted Answer

The second premise "All handsome people are conceited" is a universal affirmative statement because it asserts that all members of one category (handsome people) are included in another category (conceited people).

Question 20

Answer the questions about this categorical syllogism. Some men are handsome. All handsome people are conceited. Some men are conceited. The "A" term in the above categorical syllogism is
A) distributed.
B) undistributed.

Accepted Answer

The "A" term (men) is undistributed because the statement "Some men are handsome" does not refer to all men, only to some.

Quiz 4: Reasoning: Drawing Deductively Valid Conclusions

The rules of logic can be used to win any argument.

In many real world settings, people switch between deductive and inductive reasoning.

Asking if Tiffany is taller than Kari is pragmatically the same as asking if Kari is shorter than Tiffany.

According to the formal rules of logic, content should be important when deciding if an "if, then" reasoning problem is valid.

If a prosecutor is able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime occurred at a time when the defendant does not have an alibi, we can conclude that the defendant is guilty.

The statement that "some politicians favor gun control" means the same thing as "some politicians do not favor gun control."

Truth and validity mean the same thing.

If we believe "if guns are outlawed, then only outlaws will have guns," then it would be logical to believe that "if guns are not outlawed, then people other than outlaws will have guns."

When people test their personal beliefs about the world, they tend to seek information that supports their beliefs instead of information that runs counter to their beliefs.

A good way to change attitudes is to present many statements, followed by evaluations of the statements so that a conclusion is implied.

An inferential belief that is derived from other statements is called

Answer the questions about this "if, then" statement. If she gets a job, she will be successful. She is not successful. Therefore, she did not get a job. The second premise in the above "if, then" statement

Answer the questions about this "if, then" statement. If she gets a job, she will be successful. She is not successful. Therefore, she did not get a job. The conclusion in the above "if, then" statement is

Answer the questions about this "if, then" statement. If he is divorced, then he is her boyfriend. He is not divorced. Therefore, he is not her boyfriend. The second premise in the above "if, then" statement

Answer the questions about this "if, then" statement. If he is divorced, then he is her boyfriend. He is not divorced. Therefore, he is not her boyfriend. The conclusion in the above "if, then" statement is

A premise or conclusion that is particular negative in mood can be represented by

A premise or conclusion that is particular affirmative in mood can be represented by

Answer the questions about this categorical syllogism. Some men are handsome. All handsome people are conceited. Some men are conceited. The first premise represents which type of relationship?

Answer the questions about this categorical syllogism. Some men are handsome. All handsome people are conceited. Some men are conceited. The second premise represents which type of relationship?

Answer the questions about this categorical syllogism. Some men are handsome. All handsome people are conceited. Some men are conceited. The "A" term in the above categorical syllogism is