unit 1 math logic practice exam

You'll like the sun. You'll like the beach. You'll like the people. You'll like Jamaica.

You'll like Jamaica.

1Cats can think circles around dogs! 2My cat regularly used to close and lock the door to my neighbor's doghouse, trapping their sleeping Doberman inside. 3 Try telling a cat what to do, or putting a leash on him—he'll glare at you and say, "I don't think so. You should have gotten a dog."

2 3 1

1New cars lose a large percentage of their value as soon as you drive them off the lot. Consequently, 2you're wasting lots of money if you ever want to re-sell the vehicle. In addition, 3it's really expensive to get insurance for a brand new car. 4You shouldn't buy a new car.

1 2 3 4

1.Democrats refuse to allow any entitlement cuts. 2Republicans can't be moved from their insistence on tax cuts. 3Since the two parties, therefore, cannot find any middle ground on fundamental fiscal questions, 4 there is little hope that Congress will avoid another budgetary crisis.

1 and 2 3 4

1It appears that animals may be able to predict earthquakes. Prior to a major quake in China, 2hundreds of snakes suddenly appeared from hibernation and froze to death in the snow, 3fish were seen leaping from rivers and lakes, and 4 cows and horses refused to enter barns. 5Also, prior to a quake in Fremont, California, a flood of callers reported strange behavior from their pets and domestic animals.

2 3 4 5 1

All men are Mortal Socrates is a man /;;Socrates is mortal 1. Valid but sound 2. Invalid but sound 3. Valid but unSound 4. Invalivd but Unsound 5. none

3. Valid but unSound

An argument with false premises and a false conclusion is 1.Valid 2.invalid 3.Sound 4.Unsound 5.impossible to evaluate without more information

4.unsound

1The University should fire my logic teacher, Professor Scheisskopf. 2Any teacher who is abusive toward his students and who openly advocates extreme political views ought to be fired. 3When students don't answer questions correctly in class, Professor Scheisskopf yells at them in German and calls them demeaning names. 4And the guy is constantly talking about how great the Nazis were! 5Practically every time politics comes up in class, he says that things would be much better if we had someone like Hitler in charge.

5 3 . 2 . 4 1

22. Rush Limbaugh: Didn't Tom Cruise make a stock-car movie in which he destroyed thirty-five cars, burned thousands of gallons of gasoline, and wasted dozens of tires? If I were given the opportunity, I'd say to Tom Cruise, "Tom, most people don't own thirty-five cars in their life, and you just trashed thirty-five cars for a movie. Now you're telling other people not to pollute the planet? Shut up, sir." (a) Circumstantial ad hominem (b) Loaded Question (c) Hasty Generalization (d) Appeal to Inappropriate Authority (e) Equivocation

A

We must go to war in Vietnam. If we don't prevent that country from coming under communist control, Laos and Cambodia will soon follow. From there, Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia.... Soon all of Asia will be communist, with the rest of the world not far behind. (a) Slippery Slope (b) Straw Man (c) Division (d) Accident (e) Equivocation

a

The use of marijuana should be legal because it's an act that brings pleasure to people's lives.

acts that brings pleasure to people's lives should be legal

Consider the following inductive argument: James has long hair and lots of tattoos. James drives a bitchin' muscle car. James owns a Guns 'n Roses concert T-shirt. James plays electric guitar._______ /∴ James is probably a fan of hard rock music. Write down one bit of new information that would weaken the inductive argument. (Don't just contradict one of the premises.) (3 pts.)

answers may vairy

Free, independent, and unconstrained media—newspapers, radio, and television— are essential for a democracy. They are the critical link between the people and their government. They provide information and analysis about policy issues, and they also sensitize policymakers to public opinion—which enables them to respond to the needs and desires of the population. Finally, the media play a critical role in reporting and evaluating the decisions of government. [Context: speech by a journalist recently imprisoned for refusing to reveal sources]

argument: free madiea are essential for a democracy

31. People keep talking about how Professor Scheisskopf should be fired for abusing students and preaching Nazi-ism. But what his detractors don't acknowledge is that he has an extensive publication record and takes care of his elderly mother. (a) Straw Man (b) Red Herring (c) Accident (d) Circumstantial ad hominem (e) Argument from Ignorance

b

Donald Trump and his Republican allies in Congress apparently think this country ought to get rid of all immigrants, completely do away with social insurance programs like Medicare and Social Security, and return America to the times when African Americans and other minorities were openly discriminated against. Well I think those are terrible ideas, and I think most Americans agree with me. (a) Appeal to Force (b) Straw Man (c) Argument from Ignorance (d) Accent (e) Composition

b

. Go back to sitting on the couch! Ever since you switched places to the recliner at halftime, the Packers haven't scored a single touchdown. We need to turn things around in this game. (a) Begging the Question (b) Composition (c) Post hoc (d) Straw Man (e) Manipulative Framing

c

. I don't know how any American can oppose the USA PATRIOT Act. (a) Red Herring (b) Straw Man (c) Manipulative Framing (d) Accident (e) Division

c

Beer is delicious. So are Brussels sprouts. Also: gummy worms, cheddar cheese, mint chocolate chip ice cream. I could make a delicious smoothie with all that! (a) Straw Man (b) Appeal to Emotion (c) Composition (d) Accident (e) Red Herring

c

McDonald's: Billions and billions served. (a) Accident (b) Accent (c) Appeal to Emotion (d) Division (e) Straw Man

c

People criticizing the Catholic Church for the sex abuse scandals need to ask themselves a question: do they want to be on God's side, or the side of the devil, who seeks to undermine the Holy Church? (a) Equivocation (b) Accent (c) False Choice (d) Begging the Question (e) Hasty Generalization

c

Steve Bannon thinks that Western Judeo-Christian nations are in conflict with the Islamic Middle East—that we're engaged in some sort of struggle of civilizations. You know who else thought that? The Catholic Church in the Middle Ages. That kind of thinking led to horrors: the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition. (a) Composition (b) Equivocation (c) Abusive ad hominem (d) Post hoc (e) Appeal to Force

c

26. Not everybody can be famous, because it's impossible for each person to be widely known and recognized. (a) Post hoc (b) Straw Man (c) False Choice (d) Begging the Question (e) Circumstantial ad hominem

d

Brains are made of neurons. If the brain were the source of human cognition, then neurons would be able to think. But they can't. So the brain is not the source of human cognition. (a) Red Herring (b) Begging the Question (c) Circumstantial ad hominem (d) Division (e) Equivocation

d

Don't buy a Chevy; they're unreliable. My first car was a Chevy Cavalier, and it broke down, leaving me stranded in Eau Claire. (a) Accident (b) Equivocation (c) Post hoc (d) Hasty Generalization (e) Division

d

In 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy produced a list of 81 names of people working in the State Department whom he claimed were Communists. When pressed to support his allegations about one particular person on the list, he said, "there is nothing in the files to disprove his Communist connections." (a) Circumstantial ad hominem (b) Division (c) Appeal to Force (d) Red Herring (e) Argument from Ignorance

e

The Trump administration may be the worst in history. He's surrounded himself with racist, xenophobic, neo-Nazi propagandists, traffickers in conspiracy theories, radical right-wing anti-worker billionaires, wacko free-market utopian libertarians, and fascist thugs. (a) Slippery Slope (b) Composition (c) Begging the Question (d) Equivocation (e) Abusive ad hominem

e

No business concern wants to sell on credit to a customer who will prove unable or unwilling to pay his or her account. Consequently, most business organizations include a credit department which must reach a decision on the credit worthiness of each prospective customer. [Context: pamphlet "How to Run a Business"]

explanation: why buisnesses have credit departments

It is usually easy to decide whether or not something is alive. This is because living things share many common attributes, such as the capacity to extract energy from nutrients to drive their various functions, the power to actively respond to changes in their environment, and the ability to grow, to differentiate, and to reproduce. [Context: introductory biology class lecture]

explanation: why its easy to decide whether or not something is alive.

Since private property helps people define themselves, since it frees people from mundane cares of daily subsistence, and since it is finite, no individual should accumulate so much property that others are prevented from accumulating the necessities of life

no individual should accumulate so much property that others are prevented from accumulating the necessities

Parents who feel guilty for the little time they can spend with their children "pick up" after them—so the children don't learn to face the consequences of their own choices and actions. Parents who allow their children to fail are showing them greater love and respect.

parents shouldnt "pick up" after their kids

Demonstrate that the following argument is invalid; note its form at right. (5 pts.) Some people are Republicans. Some Republicans are conservatives.______ /∴ Some people are conservatives. Some As are Bs. Some Bs are Cs. /∴ Some As are Cs.

say how its invalid

Only an idiot or a liar could have made the claims in Senator Blankenblank's speech yesterday. He's not an idiot: he went to Oxford. I think he's a liar.

senator B is a liar

The mainstream news media are biased against conservatives. ABC and CBS are always running stories showing Republican politicians in a negative light. The New York Times and Washington Post are explicitly in favor of Democratic policies; and NBC has a whole cable network dedicated to savaging the right.

the mainstream media are biased against conservatives

When you watch too much television, you get fat. Don't watch more than 6 hours of TV per week. Besides making you fat, too much TV makes you dumb. Also, it's bad for your kids.

you shouldnt watch more than 6 hours of TV per week.