PHI 120 EXAM 1
You definitely should vote for the candidate I am endorsing. If you don't, you will suffer dire consequences.
Appeal to fear or force
Since no one has completely proved that ghosts don't exist, it follows that they must exist.
Appeal to ignorance
She's the best candidate for the job. I know this, because no one is better qualified.
Begging the question
Every time the barometer drops below a certain point, it rains. Then, when it goes back up, the rain stops. The barometer must have the power to start and stop rain.
Post hoc fallacy
Is the following argument inductive or deductive?If you can ride a motorcycle, you can ride a moped. Mike knows how to ride a motorcycle, so he'll be able to ride this moped.
deductive
Is the following argument inductive or deductive?If you wear a fake FUBU shirt, you are not cool. Ern wore a fake FUBU shirt, so Ern is not cool.
deductive
an argument incorporating the claim that it is impossible for the conclusion to be false given that the premises are true is:
deductive
an argument in which it is impossible for the conclusion to be false given that the premises are true is:
deductive, valid
A division fallacy is an ambiguity that arises when a poorly constructed statement muddles the intended meaning.
false
A fallacy of division requires that the premises act independently to support the conclusion.
false
A fallacy of misleading precision is a generalization created on the basis of a few instances.
false
A hasty generalization occurs when a conclusion follows from the premises only by coincidence.
false
A red herring fallacy is a mistake that occurs when a biased sample (non-representative) is used.
false
A red herring fallacy occurs when someone's written or spoken words are taken out of context.
false
A slippery slope fallacy appeals to people who are unqualified in a particular scientific discipline.
false
A threat of harmful consequences (physical or otherwise) used to force acceptance of a course of action that would otherwise be unacceptable is an ad hominem fallacy.
false
An appeal to fear or force fallacy occurs when a biased sample is used to construct an argument.
false
An appeal to ignorance fallacy is the specific emotional response of pity to create an argument.
false
Appeal to an unqualified authority occurs when the meaning of an argument is misunderstood.
false
Arguments can be true or false:
false
Begging the question occurs when an argument uses pity to beg someone to accept the conclusion.
false
Fallacies of false cause arise from dubious statistics that appear to be relevant.
false
Fallacies of unwarranted assumption rely on the opinions of people who have no expertise, training, or knowledge relevant to the issue at hand.
false
In an appeal to the people fallacy a claim is rejected or judged to be false based on alleged character flaws of the person making the claim.
false
In order for something to be considered a premise, it must have a premise indicator
false
In the fallacy of biased sample an argument assumes the truth of some unproved or questionable claim.
false
In the fallacy of composition the premises act together to support the conclusion
false
Inductive arguments can be true or false:
false
Inductive arguments can be valid or invalid:
false
Statements can be valid or invalid:
false
The fallacy of false dichotomy occurs when it is assumed that there is only one possible way for a conclusion to be false.
false
The fallacy of missing the point claims that a statement is true only if there is direct confirming evidence to support it.
false
The fallacy of rigid application of a generalization uses a representative sample as support for a statistical claim about an entire population.
false
The straw man fallacy occurs when an argument has at least one false premise.
false
a deductive argument with all false premises and a true conclusion is always valid
false
all unsound arguments are invalid:
false
in order for a passage to count as an argument, all of the reasons it gives must be true
false
weak arguments can be cogent:
false
Is the following argument inductive or deductive? Every time I have gone to Moe's I've really liked the food. Since you and I are so much alike, you're sure to like the food at Moe's too.
inductive
Is the following argument inductive or deductive?The killer was known to have worn steel toed work boots while committing each of the murders. The suspect we have in custody has a pair of steel toed work boots. The pattern on the bottom of the suspect's boots matches the pattern found at three of the crime scenes. The suspect's fitbit shows that during two of the three times when we know murders took place he had an elevated heart rate, and during the third he was not wearing the fitbit at all. The suspect we have in custody is definitely the killer.
inductive
Is the following argument inductive or deductive?We should increase taxes on helium. Helium is not a renewable resource. When we run out of helium we will have no way to obtain more. Helium is important for use in scientific research. Increasing taxes on the sale of helium is likely to reduce its use for trivial applications like birthday baloons.
inductive
an argument incorporating the claim that it is improbable that the conclusion be false given that the premises are true is:
inductive
Does the following passage contain an argument?"If people don't want to stand for the national anthem, they should leave the country"
no
Does the following passage contain an argument?"Jimmy Carter won the presidential election of 1976. He was a peanut farmer from Georgia. He served as president from January 1977 until January 1981."
no
If you start out by drinking only one beer, then pretty soon you will not be satisfied unless you drink two. Then you will need three, and so on. Eventually, you will become an alcoholic.
slippery slope
An inductive argument can be:
strong, weak, cogent, uncogent
A formal fallacy is a logical error that occurs in the form or structure of an argument and is restricted to deductive arguments.
true
A post hoc fallacy always involves a long-term pattern of results.
true
An informal fallacy is a mistake in reasoning that occurs in ordinary language and is different from an error in the form or structure of arguments.
true
Equivocation is the intentional or unintentional use of different meanings of words or phrases in an argument.
true
Fallacies of unwarranted assumption are arguments that assume the truth of some unproved or questionable claim.
true
Groups of statements can be arguments or nonarguments:
true
In order for a passage to be an argument, it is not necessary that the premises present actual evidence or true reasons, nor that the premises actually support the conclusion, but the premises must at least claim to support the conclusion
true
Inductive arguments can be strong or weak:
true
The ad hominem abusive fallacy is distinguished by an attack on alleged character flaws of a person instead of the person's argument.
true
The fallacy of poisoning the well occurs when a person is attacked before she has a chance to present her case.
true
in general, a passage contains an argument if it purports to prove something
true
it is possible to have a valid deductive argument with a false conclusion
true
not all passages contain arguments
true
strong arguments can be uncogent:
true
valid arguments can be unsound:
true
which of the following defines a deductive argument?
"an argument incorporating the claim that it is *impossible* for the conclusion to be false given that the premises are true"
which of the following defines an inductive argument?
"an argument incorporating the claim that it is *improbable* that the conclusion be false given that the premises are true"
Peyton Manning eats oatmeal; so, it must be good for you, especially if you are a football player.
Appeal to an unqualified authority
which of the following are necessary for a passage to be considered an argument? (1) At least one of the statements must claim to present evidence or reasons (2) there must be a claim that the alleged evidence supports or implies something (3) at least one premise must be true (4) all premises must be true(5) the conclusion must be true
1 and 2
1 All fires need oxygen. 2 There is no oxygen in that room. So, 3 there is no fire in that room.
1,2 - 3
1 Every insect has six legs. 2 What's crawling on me is an insect. So 3 what's crawling on me has six legs.
1,2 - 3
1 Michelle spent 1/3 of her yearly income on her car. 2 Jerzy spent 1/2 of his yearly income on his car. Therefore, 3 Jerzy spent more money on his car than Michelle.
1,2 - 3
1 The exam's range of A scores is 90-100. 2 I got a 98 on the exam. It follows necessarily that 3 I got an A on the exam.
1,2 - 3
If 1 you have your car on a regular maintenance checkup program, and if 2 you drive carefully, it follows that 3 you should have your car for a long time.
1,2 - 3
Since 1 watching television distracts your mind, and since 2 distractions reduce your ability to focus, we can conclude that 3 watching television while studying negatively affects your ability to learn.
1,2 - 3
1 Income tax revenues help pay for many important social programs, and 2 without that money someof the programs would have to be eliminated. 3 If this happens, many adults and children will sufferneedlessly. That is why 4 everyone, individuals and corporations, should not cheat on their income taxes.
1,2 - 3 -4
1 Stealing someone's personal property is illegal. 2 Stealing someone's intellectual property is illegal. So, 3 you should respect all kinds of property. 4 This respect will lead to a more civil society.
1,2 - 3- 4
1 Book A has more than 200 pages. 2 Book B has more than 500 pages. Therefore, 3 book B has more pages than book A.
1,2 -3
1 A recent TV program had experts arguing that there was no conspiracy behind the assassination ofPresident Kennedy. 2 Another program had experts arguing that there was no conspiracy behind theassassination of Robert Kennedy. 3 A third program had experts arguing that there was no conspiracybehind the assassination of Martin Luther King. This should prove to everyone that 4 there is aconspiracy to make us believe that conspiracies don't exist.
1,2,3 - 4
1 Good study habits are required for success in college. 2 It is also important that you get enough sleep every night. 3 Also, try to participate in class discussion as much as possible. 4 Doing these things will make college life more enjoyable.
1,2,3 - 4
1 Our cars have the highest resale value on the market. 2 Customer loyalty is at an all-time high. 3 I can give you a good deal on a new car today. 4 You should really buy one of our cars.
1,2,3 - 4
1 Poetry is language at its best. 2 To read poetry out loud is to speak at the highest level. 3 Hearing poetry is capturing sound in its most soothing form. Thus, 4 an appreciation of poetry is one of humans' highest achievements.
1,2,3 - 4
1 Sugar is bad for your teeth. 2 Candy is bad for your teeth. 3 Soft drinks are bad for your teeth. 4 Getting a punch in the mouth is bad for your teeth. So, 5 you should not do any of those things.
1,2,3,4 - 5
1 She doesn't eat pork, 2 chicken, 3 beef, 4 mutton, 5 veal, 6 venison, 7 turkey, or 8 fish. 9 It follows that she must be a vegetarian.
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 - 9
1 Anyone over 21 years of age can legally play the slot machines in Las Vegas. So, 2 Sam can legally play the slot machines in Las Vegas, because 3 Sam is 33 years old.
1,3 - 2
1 More and more people throughout the world will soon buy electronic items, because 2 the cost of electronic items, such as televisions, computers, and cell phones, goes down every year, and 3 the quality of the electronic products goes up every year.
2,3 - 1
1 We are going to have a recession. 2 For 100 years, anytime the stock market has lost at least 20% of its value from its highest point in any fiscal year, there has been a recession. 3 The current stock market has lost 22% of its value during the last
2,3 - 1
1 Z is a metal. This follows from the fact that 2 all elements with atomic weights greater than 64 are metals, and 3 Z is an element with an atomic weight of 79.
2,3 -1
1 You will become intellectually interesting if you do all of the following: 2 Go to a museum at leastonce a month; 3 read a book a week; 4 visit a library at least once every 2 weeks; 5 read more than onenewspaper; 6 watch TV programs that make you think; and 7 write letters to friends.
2,3,4,5,6,7 - 1
He said that you should give everyone the benefit of the doubt. But don't believe him. After all, he was fired from his last job.
Ad hominem circumstantial
My sister thinks that I'm mean. Therefore, she thinks that I'm about average.
Equivocation
Given the following syllogism, which set of substitutions correctly proves the syllogism to be invalid using the counter-example method? All P are M All S are M All S are P
S= pretzels, P=potato chips, M=snacks
Given the following syllogism, which set of substitutions correctly proves the syllogism to be invalid using the counter-example method? No P are M All M are S No S are P
S=building, S=Starbucks, M=houses
Given the following syllogism, which set of substitutions correctly proves the syllogism to be invalid using the counter-example method? All M are P Some M are not S Some S are not P
S=video game consoles, P=electric devices, M=laptop computers
The ad hominem circumstantial fallacy occurs when someone's argument is rejected based on the circumstances of the person's life.
True
Tu quoque is an appeal to force.
True
You tell me to wear a seat belt when I drive because it will protect me in case I get in an accident. I never saw you wear one when you drive, so why should I wear one?
Tu quoque
A deductive argument can be:
Valid, invalid, sound, unsound
What is the definition of a valid deductive argument?
an argument in which it is impossible for the conclusion to be flase given that the premises are true
What is the definition of a weak inductive argument?
an argument in which the conclusion does not follow probably from the premises even though it is claimed to
Seventy percent of a sample of registered Democrats in this state said that they will vote for the Democratic nominee for Senate. So, I predict that the Democratic nominee will definitely get around seventy percent of the total vote this fall.
biased sample
Does the following passage contain an argument?"The only reason the Soviet Union ever landed on the moon was because of the strong cooperative relationship between the US and the Soviet Union during the 1990's, when the first moon landing occurred. It must then be the case that if we ever hope to finally eradicate the aliens that live on the moon, the United States must work together with the Soviet Union"
yes
Does the following passage contain an argument?"The only reason the US ever landed on the moon was a desire to do better than the Soviet Union, so it is reasonable to say that the moon landing was the greatest accomplishment of the Soviet Union"
yes
Does the following passage contain an argument?"when there is a full moon, vampires can't go outside at night, so we should blow up the moon with a nuclear missile so that vampires are finally able to work the night shift at 7-11."
yes