Exam 1: Basic Concepts

If growth can no longer be counted on to provide for all the major wants, private and public, of a society, or to sustain all the peripheral members of a society at a level that keeps a lid on mutinous outbreaks, especially in congested urban centers, then some specification of a nation's most serious needs-its social priorities-and some direction as to how goods are to be allocated among society's members are needed. Neil W. Chamberlain, Social Strategy and Corporate Structure

Figure A is a right triangle, and two of its sides have a length of 1 foot. Therefore, its third side is greater than 1 foot in length.

According to a widely respected poll, 60% of the voters in Pennsylvania support Amelia Kerrigan for Governor. Therefore, Kerrigan will probably win, since the election is only two days away.

No drug cartels are legal operations, so no legal operations are enterprises that engage in smuggling, because all drug cartels are enterprises that engage in smuggling.

Developing accounting information in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles is called financial accounting, because this information is designed to summarize the financial position and operating results of a business entity. Financial accounting concepts apply to all types and sizes of business organizations. These concepts are useful to decision makers in both business and government in evaluating a wide range of economic issues. Walter B. Meigs and Robert F. Meigs, Accounting, 6^th ed.

Sugar never spoils or gets moldy because it has an extremely low moisture content. This low moisture content dehydrates and kills microorganisms that might cause mold, and it impedes chemical changes that could cause spoilage.

Good intentions aside, there are compelling reasons to avoid water fluoridation. Hydrofluosilic acid, the industrial waste product used in municipal water systems, is contaminated with arsenic, lead, and other heavy metals. There are significant increases in lead levels in children who drink fluoridated water. A 2015 Harvard study found a fivefold to sevenfold increase in bone cancer in exposed young men. Sadly, the youngest children are the most susceptible. David S. Banks, Letter to the Editor

An argument whose conclusion rests on the definition of a word used in the premises is:

We are immersed in life. We breathe it in, we walk on it, we touch it. Each footstep on a fertile lawn or forest mat will send tremors to trillions of bacteria, millions of algae, fungi, and protozoa, and hundreds of insects and worms. The skin on our bodies, when viewed microscopically, is a teeming matrix of tiny caverns filled with bacteria, viruses, and mites. So dense are the unseen life forms on our bodies that they form an almost complete shell about each of us. Gary S. Moore, Living with the Earth, 3^rd ed.

The National Questioner (known for its sensationalist journalism) reports that a young boy in Oklahoma has spoken with Martians. Thus, we must draw the conclusion that Martians do indeed exist.

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

Which of the following is a necessary condition for starting a campfire?

Maria is a hypochondriac. Therefore, she always worries about her health.

Scientists have recently shown that heaps of intact DNA from the extinct wooly mammoth are retrievable from the animals' fur. A great deal of that fur is readily available in natural history museums. Such amounts of DNA make it possible to piece together the entire mammoth genome. Hence, we can expect to see mammoth clones in the not too distant future.

Which of the following is a necessary condition for being a cat?

Which of the following are all nonarguments?

Harry just bought a brand new car. Harry must have won the lottery.

The annual snowfall in Buffalo, New York, has been over 40 inches every year for the past 20 years. Therefore, probably the snowfall in Buffalo will be over 40 inches next year.

Marx saw all societies as composed of two basic parts: the foundation and the superstructure. The foundation of any society, according to this theory, is material. It consists of the economic system. The superstructure is composed of all nonmaterial institutions in the society, and each is arranged in a way that suits the ruling class. Included in the superstructure are values, ideology, government, education, law, religion, and art. Leon P. Baradat, Political Ideologies

If beauty pageants are abolished, then our sense of values will improve. Beauty pageants will not be abolished. Therefore, our sense of values will not improve.