Question 1

"You don't have any brothers or sisters, do you?" This is
A) a statement.
B) not a statement.

Accepted Answer

The answer of "You don't have any brothers or sisters,...

Question 2

"The death penalty is morally wrong." This is
A) a statement.
B) not a statement.

Accepted Answer

This is a statement because it expresses a clear opinion or claim that can be discussed or debated, even though it is subjective.

Question 3

"Chocolate ice cream is better than strawberry." This is
A) a statement.
B) not a statement.

Accepted Answer

It is a statement because it expresses an opinion that can be true or false.

Question 4

Identify the following as valid, invalid, strong, or weak: "If whales are fish, they are cold-blooded. Whales aren't cold-blooded. ∴ Whales are not fish."
A) valid
B) invalid
C) strong
D) weak

Accepted Answer

This argument is valid because it follows the logical form of modus tollens: If P, then Q. Not Q. Therefore, not P.

Question 5

Identify the following as valid, invalid, strong, or weak: "60 percent of Volvos ever made are still running. ∴ My father's Volvo still runs."
A) valid
B) invalid
C) strong
D) weak

Accepted Answer

The argument is strong because the premise provides a high probability (60%) that supports the conclusion, but it is not certain, so it is not valid.

Question 6

Identify the following as valid, invalid, strong, or weak: "Assuming Betty's flight leaves on time, she will arrive in Seattle at 6:00 p.m. Betty's flight did leave on time, so she will arrive in Seattle at 6:00 p.m."
A) valid
B) invalid
C) strong
D) weak

Accepted Answer

The argument is valid because if the premise that Betty's flight leaves on time is true, then the conclusion that she will arrive in Seattle at 6:00 p.m. logically follows.

Question 7

Identify the following as valid, invalid, strong, or weak: "Peter has been at bat two times per game in each of the last ten games. He struck out every time he was at bat! So, he'll probably strike out the next time he's at bat."
A) valid
B) invalid
C) strong
D) weak

Accepted Answer

The argument is strong because it is based on consistent past performance, suggesting a high likelihood of the same outcome occurring again. However, it is not valid because it is not logically certain that Peter will strike out next time.

Question 8

Identify the following as valid, invalid, strong, or weak: "We can take a vacation in the Bahamas only if we save enough money. We've saved enough money, so now we can take a vacation in the Bahamas!"
A) valid
B) invalid
C) strong
D) weak

Accepted Answer

The argument is invalid because it commits the fallacy of affirming the consequent. Saving enough money is a necessary condition for taking a vacation in the Bahamas, but it does not guarantee that the vacation will happen.

Question 9

All sentences are statements.

Accepted Answer

Not all sentences are statements; some sentences can be questions, commands, or exclamations, which do not assert anything that can be true or false.

Question 10

An argument is any set of statements.

Accepted Answer

The answer of An argument is any set of statements....

Question 11

Some arguments are false.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Some arguments are false....

Question 12

All

Accepted Answer

The statement "All." is incomplete and does not provide enough context or information to determine its truth value.

Question 13

Every argument intends to guarantee the truth of its conclusion.

Accepted Answer

Not every argument intends to guarantee the truth of its conclusion; some arguments aim to provide probable support rather than certainty.

Question 14

All valid arguments have

Accepted Answer

A valid argument is one where if the premises are true, the conclusion must also be true. The statement is incomplete and lacks context to determine its truth value.

Question 15

A premises.

Accepted Answer

The premises are the statements that are used to support the conclusion.

Question 16

Any argument with a

Accepted Answer

The statement is incomplete and lacks context, making it impossible to determine its truth value.

Question 17

Every argument with a valid form is valid.

Accepted Answer

A valid argument form means that if the premises are true, the conclusion must also be true, making the argument valid.

Question 18

The statement "If Archarcharch wins the Belmont Stakes, then Archarcharch will be a Triple Crown winner" is a disjunction.

Accepted Answer

A disjunction is a logical statement that uses "or" to connect two statements. The given statement is a conditional statement, not a disjunction, as it uses "if...then" to connect two statements.

Question 19

A conditional statement is the same thing as a hypothetical statement.

Accepted Answer

A conditional statement, often expressed in "if-then" form, is a type of hypothetical statement that proposes a condition and a result.

Question 20

When understood in the inclusive sense, "Either A or B" means "Either A or B (but not both)."

Accepted Answer

In the inclusive sense, "Either A or B" means "A or B or both," allowing for the possibility of both A and B being true.

Quiz 1: Basic Concepts

"You don't have any brothers or sisters, do you?" This is

"The death penalty is morally wrong." This is

"Chocolate ice cream is better than strawberry." This is

Identify the following as valid, invalid, strong, or weak: "If whales are fish, they are cold-blooded. Whales aren't cold-blooded. ∴ Whales are not fish."

Identify the following as valid, invalid, strong, or weak: "60 percent of Volvos ever made are still running. ∴ My father's Volvo still runs."

Identify the following as valid, invalid, strong, or weak: "Assuming Betty's flight leaves on time, she will arrive in Seattle at 6:00 p.m. Betty's flight did leave on time, so she will arrive in Seattle at 6:00 p.m."

Identify the following as valid, invalid, strong, or weak: "Peter has been at bat two times per game in each of the last ten games. He struck out every time he was at bat! So, he'll probably strike out the next time he's at bat."

Identify the following as valid, invalid, strong, or weak: "We can take a vacation in the Bahamas only if we save enough money. We've saved enough money, so now we can take a vacation in the Bahamas!"