Exam 1: Basic Concepts

Since Greenville is one mile from Central City, and Central City is one mile from Harristown, it follows necessarily that Greenville is two miles from Harristown.

Which of the following are all conclusion indicators?

On the inside surface of this gold ring some small print reads "14k." Therefore, the ring must be made of 14 caret gold.

The relationship between two measurable factors can be represented by a graph. If both values increase, they are considered to have a direct relationship. For example, the more you work, the more money you make. If one value increases while the other decreases, they have an inverse relationship. For example, the more you work on your golf swing, the lower your score will be. Scott Ryan, Earth Science

Graffiti written on the side of this wall says "Crips Rule." Thus, the mayor and city council must be members of the Crips.

Which of the following are all nonarguments?

Less than one percent of 38-year-old expectant mothers give birth to a Down syndrome baby. Therefore, since Pamela is a 38-year-old expectant mother, it is unlikely that she will give birth to a Down syndrome baby.

When our nation begins to use torture as a means to an end, we chip away at the values we profess to defend. Little by little and step by step, we coarsen our society. We cheapen ourselves until we become no different than those who commit acts of terror. At that point, what shall we make of ourselves? Joseph Neri, Letter to the Editor

Water is a highly reactive substance, quite different both physically and chemically from most other liquids. Indeed, life as we know it would be impossible if water did not have the properties it does. The first living systems presumably arose in the aqueous environment of shallow seas. It is therefore not surprising that the living organisms of the present are intimately adapted at the molecular level to the special properties of water. David Randall et al., Animal Physiology

If football is a rough sport, then football injuries abound. It is the case that football injuries abound. Thus, it follows that football is a rough sport.

Yuri Androvich is a blue-eyed Russian artist, and his paintings sell for over $10,000. Peter Roganov is also a blue-eyed Russian, and he just finished art school. Thus, his paintings should sell for over $10,000, too.

Today's edition of the New York Times ran a long article on the terrorist bombing in Israel. Therefore, probably the Los Angeles Times, which covers international news about as well as the New York Times, also has an article on that bombing.

Which of the following is a premise indicator?

Highway 37 cannot be the road to Brookfield. The road to Brookfield is a gravel road and Highway 37 is paved.

Which of the following sentences is a statement?

Which of the following are all nonarguments?

Which of the following is an argument?

Lydia loves Ryan, and Ryan loves anchovy pizza. Therefore, it follows necessarily that Lydia loves anchovy pizza.

An argument that proceeds from knowledge of an effect to a claim about a cause is:

Because the properties of life emerge from complex organization, scientists seeking to understand biological processes confront a dilemma. One horn of the dilemma is that we cannot fully explain a higher level of order without breaking it down into its parts, but this inevitably kills it. The other horn is the futility of trying to analyze something as complex as an organism or a cell without taking it apart. Neil A. Campbell and Jane B. Reece, Biology, 6^th edition