Question 1

In the statement "I haven't been to Disney World since I was a kid," the word since functions as a premise indicator.

Accepted Answer

In the statement, "since" is used to indicate a point in time from which something has not happened, not as a premise indicator.

Question 2

Although it is high time to deal with agriculture's contribution to water pollution, the damage is very uneven in scope and severity; it tends to occur where farming is extensive and fresh water resources are vulnerable. Thus, blanket regulations would be unwise. (David E. Ervin, "Shaping a Smarter Environmental Policy for Farming")
This passage is made up of a(n) _____ and a(n) _____.
A) nonargument; illustration
B) argument; conclusion: It tends to occur where farming is extensive and fresh water resources are vulnerable
C) argument; conclusion: Blanket regulations would be unwise
D) nonargument; explanation

Accepted Answer

The passage presents an argument leading to the conclusion that blanket regulations on agriculture to address water pollution would be unwise, based on the premise that the damage varies greatly depending on the extent of farming and the vulnerability of fresh water resources.

Question 3

The caller says, "Why would I go out in the cold and watch the Veteran's Day Parade when the media lets us watch it from our warm homes? Because they went out into worse than cold for you and me. They went out into war, death, fighting, guns, unspeakable conditions, and yes, while they were cold and wet a lot of times." (From a newspaper call-in column)
This passage is an example of a(n) _____.
A) report
B) explanation
C) conditional statement
D) unsupported assertion
E) argument

Accepted Answer

The passage presents a viewpoint and supports it with reasons, which is characteristic of an argument.

Question 4

The following example contains an argument: "My wife's towel is wet. Therefore, she must have already taken a shower this morning."

Accepted Answer

The statement presents a conclusion ("she must have already taken a shower this morning") based on a premise ("My wife's towel is wet"), which constitutes an argument.

Question 5

The following sentence is an argument: "Washington is nicknamed 'The Evergreen State' because it sounds better than 'The Incessant Nagging Drizzle State.'" (Dave Barry, Dave Barry's Only Travel Guide You'll Ever Need)

Accepted Answer

This sentence is a humorous statement rather than an argument, as it does not provide reasons or evidence to support a claim.

Question 6

"The polar ice caps are melting because of global warming." In this statement, the part "The polar ice caps are melting" is the _____.
A) antecedent
B) chain argument
C) consequent
D) explanans
E) explanandum

Accepted Answer

The part "The polar ice caps are melting" is the explanandum, which means it is the statement or phenomenon that is being explained. In this case, it is explained by the cause of global warming.

Question 7

Many arguments contain no indicator words at all.

Accepted Answer

Indicator words are helpful cues in identifying premises and conclusions in arguments, but not all arguments explicitly use them. Some arguments may rely on the context or the structure of the sentences to convey the logical relationship between statements.

Question 8

I worry that to promote science as all fun and larky and easy is to store up trouble for the future. Real science can be hard (well, challenging to give it a more positive spin) but, like classical literature or playing the violin, worth the struggle. If children are lured into science, or any other worthwhile occupation, by the promise of easy fun, what are they going to do when they finally have to confront the reality? (Richard Dawkins, Unweaving the Rainbow: Science, Delusion, and the Appetite for Wonder) This passage is made up of a(n) _____ and a(n) _____. A) nonargument; report B) nonargument; explanation C) argument; conclusion: By promoting science as all fun and larky and easy we may be storing up trouble for the future D) argument; conclusion: Real science can be hard, but is worth the struggle

Accepted Answer

The passage presents an argument leading to the conclusion that promoting science as solely fun and easy could lead to future problems, as it contrasts this with the reality that science, while challenging, is rewarding.

Question 9

The following sentence is an argument: "Experts in any field learn new things faster than novices do, because their rich, highly accessible background knowledge gives them a greater variety of means for capturing the new ideas." (E. D. Hirsch, Jr., The Schools We Deserve-And Why We Don't Have Them)

Accepted Answer

The answer of The following sentence is an argument: "Experts...

Question 10

About a century and a half ago, Matthew Arnold found in the withdrawing ocean tide a metaphor for the retreat of religious faith, and heard in the water's sound "the note of sadness." It would be wonderful to find in the laws of nature a plan prepared by a concerned creator in which human beings played some special role. I find sadness in doubting that we will. (Steven Weinberg, Dreams of a Final Theory) This passage is made up of a(n) _____ and a(n) _____. A) nonargument; explanation B) argument; conclusion: I find sadness in doubting that we will C) argument; conclusion: It would be wonderful to find in the laws of nature a plan prepared by a concerned creator in which human beings played some special role D) nonargument; unsupported assertion

Accepted Answer

The passage is a reflection or expression of sentiment (nonargument) followed by an expression of personal feeling or belief without providing evidence or reasoning to support it (unsupported assertion).

Question 11

The following sentence is an argument: "No money spent on a good book can ever be wasted: somehow, sometime, somewhere that book will be read, if not by you, then by your children or your friends." (Clifton Fadiman, The Lifetime Reading Plan)

Accepted Answer

The sentence presents a claim ("No money spent on a good book can ever be wasted") supported by reasoning ("somehow, sometime, somewhere that book will be read, if not by you, then by your children or your friends"), which constitutes an argument.

Question 12

Ought imperatives are statements.

Accepted Answer

Ought imperatives are a type of statement that expresses a moral obligation or duty.

Question 13

In part because of his scientific accomplishments, at least dimly grasped by the public; in part because of his courageous positions on social issues; and in part because of his benign personality, Einstein was admired and revered throughout the world. (Carl Sagan, Broca's Brain) This passage exemplifies a(n) _____. A) illustration B) explanation C) unsupported assertion D) argument E) report

Accepted Answer

The passage provides an explanation for why Einstein was admired and revered, detailing the reasons behind the public's admiration.

Question 14

A good deal of conduct that is ethically immoral is not criminal. For example, there are many situations where one has a moral duty to save another's life where it can be done with little danger or inconvenience or expense, but failure to take action to do so is not usually criminal. (Wayne R. LaFave and Austin W. Scott, Handbook on Criminal Law) This passage exemplifies a(n) _____. A) unsupported assertion B) illustration C) report D) argument E) conditional statement

Accepted Answer

The passage provides an example to explain the concept that not all ethically immoral conduct is considered criminal, making it an illustration.

Question 15

The following sentence is a statement: "Marijuana should be legalized."

Accepted Answer

The sentence expresses an opinion and does not make a claim about a fact.

Question 16

The minority population of the public schools is growing because the minority population of the United States is growing. (Arthea J. S. Reed and Verna E. Bergemann, In the Classroom: An Introduction to Education) This statement exemplifies a(n) _____. A) unsupported assertion B) report C) explanation D) conditional statement E) argument

Accepted Answer

This statement is an explanation because it provides a reason for why the minority population in public schools is increasing, directly linking it to the growth of the minority population in the United States as a whole.

Question 17

Medieval painting had presented life as an allegory; the Renaissance preferred realism. The Medieval painters posed their figures frontally, impersonally; the Renaissance developed psychological characterization and the art of portraiture. Medieval painting dealt in stereotypes; the Renaissance concerned itself with individuals. Space in medieval painting was organized in a succession of planes over which the eye traveled as over a series of episodes. The Renaissance created unified space and the simultaneous seeing of the whole. It discovered landscape, created the illusion of distance, and opened up endless vistas upon the physical loveliness of the world. (Joseph Machlis and Kristine Forney, The Enjoyment of Music: An Introduction to Perceptive Listening) This passage exemplifies a(n) _____. A) conditional statement B) argument C) unsupported assertion D) report E) illustration

Accepted Answer

The passage provides a factual comparison between Medieval and Renaissance painting styles, making it a report rather than arguing a point, illustrating a concept with examples, making a conditional statement, or presenting unsupported assertions.

Question 18

"Elizabeth II is the reigning queen of England." According to the _____, this statement is an explanation and not an argument.
A) common-knowledge test
B) author's intent test
C) principle of charity test
D) past-event test

Accepted Answer

The common-knowledge test states that if a statement is widely known and accepted as true, then it is not an argument. In this case, the statement "Elizabeth II is the reigning queen of England" is a well-known fact, so it is not an argument.

Question 19

"What time is it?" is an example of a statement.

Accepted Answer

"What time is it?" is an example of a question, not a statement.

Question 20

If it be true Christianity to dive with a passionate charity into the darkest recesses of misery and vice, to irrigate every quarter of the earth with the fertilizing stream of an almost boundless benevolence, and to include all the sections of humanity in the circle of an intense and efficacious sympathy; if it be true Christianity to destroy or weaken the barriers which had separated class from class and nation from nation, to free war from its harshest elements, and to make a consciousness of essential equality and of genuine fraternity dominate over all accidental differences; if it be, above all, true Christianity to cultivate a love of truth for its own sake, a spirit of candour and of tolerance towards those with whom we differ-if these be the marks of a true and healthy Christianity, then never since the days of the Apostles has it been so vigorous as at present. (W. E. H. Lecky, History of the Rise and Influence of the Spirit of Rationalism in Europe) This passage exemplifies a(n) _____. A) explanation B) report C) conditional statement D) argument E) unsupported assertion

Accepted Answer

The passage uses a series of "if...then" statements, which are characteristic of a conditional statement, to discuss the nature of true Christianity and its presence in contemporary society.

Quiz 2: Recognizing Arguments

In the statement "I haven't been to Disney World since I was a kid," the word since functions as a premise indicator.

The following example contains an argument: "My wife's towel is wet. Therefore, she must have already taken a shower this morning."

The following sentence is an argument: "Washington is nicknamed 'The Evergreen State' because it sounds better than 'The Incessant Nagging Drizzle State.'" (Dave Barry, Dave Barry's Only Travel Guide You'll Ever Need)

"The polar ice caps are melting because of global warming." In this statement, the part "The polar ice caps are melting" is the _____.

Many arguments contain no indicator words at all.

The following sentence is an argument: "Experts in any field learn new things faster than novices do, because their rich, highly accessible background knowledge gives them a greater variety of means for capturing the new ideas." (E. D. Hirsch, Jr., The Schools We Deserve-And Why We Don't Have Them)

The following sentence is an argument: "No money spent on a good book can ever be wasted: somehow, sometime, somewhere that book will be read, if not by you, then by your children or your friends." (Clifton Fadiman, The Lifetime Reading Plan)

Ought imperatives are statements.

The following sentence is a statement: "Marijuana should be legalized."

The minority population of the public schools is growing because the minority population of the United States is growing. (Arthea J. S. Reed and Verna E. Bergemann, In the Classroom: An Introduction to Education) This statement exemplifies a(n) _____.

"Elizabeth II is the reigning queen of England." According to the _____, this statement is an explanation and not an argument.

"What time is it?" is an example of a statement.