Question 1

Chris is a master of confronting people with whom he disagrees. One of his favorite techniques is to pick the weakest of his opponent's reasons and then to refute it. He thinks that by doing that he has shown that his opponent's claims are mistaken. By using this tactic Chris is actually engaging in __________.

Accepted Answer

Chris is using the straw man fallacy by deliberately misrepresenting his opponent's argument as weaker than it actually is and then refuting that misrepresentation rather than engaging with the actual argument.

Question 2

When Chris learned that his friend, who is also a manager, like Chris, has been sentenced to prison for stealing from their employer, Chris told his friend, "Everyone who is in prison can still be free, for true freedom is the knowledge of one's situation. The more one knows about one's self, the more one is truly free." By making this argument Chris is actually engaging in __________.

Accepted Answer

Chris's argument relies on redefining the concept of freedom from its conventional understanding (being physically unconfined) to a philosophical or psychological state (self-awareness). This shift in definition can be seen as a form of equivocation, which falls under the category of playing with words fallacy.

Question 3

The second presupposition of the practice of argument making is the hypothetical that __________.

Accepted Answer

The second presupposition of argument making is that the speaker's reason, if true, should logically support the speaker's claim. This is foundational to constructing a coherent and persuasive argument.

Question 4

Which of the following statements about argument making is true?

Accepted Answer

Making arguments pro and con can aid group decision making by encouraging critical thinking, exploring different perspectives, and identifying potential flaws or strengths in proposals. It does not necessarily have to be aggressive or confrontational, nor does it require expertise in the topic. Truth-seeking can also occur through argumentation as it allows for the examination of evidence and logic.

Question 5

Chris wants to correctly apply the four tests to evaluate an argument. First Chris checks the facts and learns that the premises are all true. The next step is to __________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Chris wants to correctly apply the four...

Question 6

Consider the negative evaluative adjectives: "Unworthy, Poor, Unacceptable, Unsound, Fallacious, Illogical, Incomplete, Unreasonable, Bad, and Circular." The adjectives in that list typically apply to which of the following?

Accepted Answer

These adjectives are commonly used to evaluate the quality of arguments, indicating issues with their structure, logic, or coherence.

Question 7

Consider the positive evaluative adjectives: "Well-Documented, Strongly Supported, Well-Argued, Certain, True, Reasonable, Plausible, and Probable." The adjectives in that list typically best apply to which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The adjectives in the list describe the likelihood or strength of a claim or conclusion, indicating that they are well-supported, reasonable, or probable. They do not necessarily describe the premises or individual reasons within an argument, nor do they describe the person making the argument. Therefore, the best choice is C, claims/conclusions.

Question 8

Chris, a master at office gossip and innuendo, says, "We know we have a corporate spy someplace in the organization, probably on the management team itself. There is no evidence that it is Audrey. In fact, she's too clean, if you know what I mean. Somebody should fire Audrey; she's got to be the spy." By making this argument Chris is actually engaging in __________.

Accepted Answer

Chris is using the lack of evidence against Audrey as a reason to suspect her, which is an example of an appeal to ignorance fallacy. This fallacy occurs when it's argued that a proposition is true simply because it has not been proven false or vice versa.

Question 9

"When we were discussing thermodynamics the other day, Dave didn't say anything. That must mean he doesn't know anything about the topic." What would be the most useful question to debunk this claim?

Accepted Answer

There could be various reasons why Dave remained quiet during the discussion. Perhaps he was already familiar with the topic and chose not to speak or he was still processing the information. Asking this question would help avoid making assumptions and jumping to conclusions about Dave's knowledge on the topic. The other options are not relevant to the situation and do not help in debunking the claim.

Question 10

Logicians call an argument with true premises that has also passed the Test of Logical Strength a __________.

Accepted Answer

A sound argument is one that not only has true premises but also passes the Test of Logical Strength, meaning that the conclusion logically follows from the premises. A relevant argument is one where the premises are related to the conclusion, but it may not necessarily be true or logically strong. A worthy or persuasive argument may be convincing but does not necessarily have to be true or logically strong.

Question 11

Chris makes this argument to himself: "Everybody I know has at least one tattoo, most of my friends have three or four, but I have only one. So, it's about time that I get another tattoo." By making this argument Chris is actually engaging in __________.

Accepted Answer

Chris is using the bandwagon fallacy, which argues that something is true or correct because everyone else is doing it. Just because his friends have multiple tattoos, it doesn't mean that he should get another one. It's important to make decisions based on individual preferences and not just follow the behavior of others.

Question 12

Is the following argument sound? "Not every argument is of equal quality. Therefore, at least one argument is better than at least one other argument."

Accepted Answer

The argument is logically valid because it follows the form of modus ponens, where the premise implies the conclusion. Additionally, the premise is true and not circular, which makes the argument sound.

Question 13

Chris gives you two reasons to support an implausible claim. One reason turns out to be irrelevant. As a strong critical thinker, what should you do?

Accepted Answer

As a strong critical thinker, it is important to test the validity of the second reason that Chris provided, since the first reason was irrelevant. The other options are not appropriate - making up another reason is not valid, dismissing the second reason without testing it is premature, stopping trust in Chris for one mistake is not fair, and taking the claim on faith without adequate evidence is not rational.

Question 14

The practice of argument making rests in part on the presumption upon which so much of human discourse depends, namely that __________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The practice of argument making rests in...

Question 15

Is the following argument worthy of acceptance? "In a perfect world, the government should investigate whether any laws were broken relating to the treatment of wartime detainees. But this is not a perfect world. So, it would be a mistake for the government to engage in such an investigation.

Accepted Answer

The argument commits the fallacy of irrelevant reason. The conclusion does not follow from the premise that the world is not perfect. Therefore, the argument is not worthy of acceptance.

Question 16

In the context of the argument making, there is no point to giving reasons __________.

Accepted Answer

The purpose of giving reasons in an argument is to provide evidence for the claim being made. If the listener is not going to consider these reasons, then there is no point in presenting them.

Question 17

It happens that a conclusion might be true independent of whether the premises are true or whether the premises logically support that conclusion; because this is so the practice of argument making also presume that __________.

Accepted Answer

The practice of argument making presumes that the truth of the reason (premise) is relevant to establishing the truth of the claim (conclusion). This means that even if a conclusion might be true independent of the premises or logical support, the validity of the argument depends on the truth and relevance of the premises to the conclusion. Therefore, option D is the best choice. Options A, B, and C are not relevant to the premise and conclusion relationship in an argument.

Question 18

Consider the positive evaluative adjectives: "Sensible, Well-Educated, Informed, Truth-Seeking, Open-Minded, Persuasive, and Confident." The adjectives in that list typically best apply to which of the following?

Accepted Answer

These adjectives describe qualities of individuals who make arguments rather than the components of arguments themselves (such as premises, reasons, claims/conclusions, or the arguments as a whole). They reflect the character and approach of the people engaged in argumentation.

Question 19

Argument making in real world situations is essentially a one-way street. The reason is used to establish the acceptability of the claim. This practice presumes that the speaker is not then __________.

Accepted Answer

In real-world argumentation, the reason is used to support the claim, not the other way around. If the claim were used as a basis for the reason, it would undermine the logical structure of the argument.

Question 20

Consider the negative evaluative adjectives: "False, Improbable, Self-Contradictory, Fanciful, Fabricated, Vague, Ambiguous, Nonsensical, and Unknowable." The adjectives in that list typically best apply to which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Consider the negative evaluative adjectives: "False, Improbable,...

Quiz 7: Evaluate Arguments: Four Basic Tests