Exam 1: Basic Concepts

The significance of meat eating for future human evolution was enormous. Not only did it provide a secure source of high quality protein, but as an accidental by product, it made possible the development of larger brains. The nutritive demands of nerve tissue are high-higher in fact than the demands of the other types of tissue in the human body. One can meet these demands on a vegetarian diet, but the overall nutritive value of a given amount of such food is less than that of the same amount of meat. William A. Haviland, Cultural Anthropology, 5th ed.

A mineral is a naturally occurring inorganic solid. It possesses a definite chemical structure, which gives it a unique set of physical properties. When the term mineral is used by geologists, only those substances that fulfill these precise conditions are considered minerals. Consequently, synthetic diamonds, although chemically the same as natural diamonds, are not considered minerals. Frederick K. Lutgens, et al., Foundations of Earth Science, 6^th ed.

Any argument in which the conclusion actually follows with strict necessity from the premises is:

Most of the students attending Shoreline Prep have extremely wealthy parents. Since Madeline is a student at Shoreline, it is likely that her parents are wealthy.

Which of the following sentences is not a statement?

A week ago we invited Charlie to a party, and within two hours he became drunk and obnoxious. The same thing happened when Theresa invited him three weeks ago. Therefore, it would not be a good idea for Daisy to invite him to next week's party, because the same thing will probably happen again.

The world economy is controlled by multinational corporations. The majority of them are based in the United States. Their power in the underdeveloped nations perpetuates the dependency of many Third World nations on the United States. Multinationals add to the tensions in Third World countries through arms sales and intervention in the domestic affairs of host countries. D. Stanley Eitzen and Maxine Baca Zinn, Social Problems, 9^th edition

Water is abundant over most of the earth's surface, and within the temperature range usually encountered there, it is liquid. Water also is a powerful solvent. Consequently, water is an excellent medium for the chemical processes of living systems. It is hard to imagine life having any other basis than water. Robert E. Ricklefs, The Economy of Nature, 5^th ed.

After having a part time job for more than a year, I have gotten used to the fact that the government takes money from me every two weeks to put toward Social Security. It isn't fair that I should pay for some old person's rent in Florida. Despite my dislike of the right wing, I find the idea of privatizing appealing. I would much rather keep that money to invest in mutual funds, stocks or my college education. Andy Irwin, Letter to the Editor

Geology can be divided into two major time-related disciplines: physical geology and historical geology. Physical geology is the study of the materials the planet is composed of and the present day processes that operate on the surface and within the earth's deeper layers. Historical geology is the study of the earth's 4.6 billion year history, its formation, development, and evolution. Historical geologists strive to create a time-line of events that have occurred since the earth's formation. Alan D. Sills, Earth Science the Easy Way

In an explanation, the statement that describes the event to be explained is called the:

The bumper sticker says "Vote for Frank Jordan for Sheriff." The obvious conclusion is that Jordan is the best man for the job.

An argument that applies a scientific law to a specific case is usually:

Whistleblowing is a morally ambiguous activity on a complex concatenation of grounds: It necessarily involves a betrayal of trust on behalf of a public interest which itself is on some occasions morally ambiguous. It indicts otherwise morally competent individuals and organizations concerned with being perceived as legitimate. Sometimes it arouses public opinion, a frequently contaminated process. Natalie Dandekar, "Can Whistleblowing Be Fully Legitimated?"

Every individual is capable of injuring or killing himself. This potentiality is a fundamental expression of human freedom. Self-destructive behavior may be regarded as sinful and penalized by means of informal sanctions. But it should not be regarded as a crime or (mental) disease, justifying or warranting the use of the police powers of the state for its control. Therefore, it is absurd to deprive an adult of a drug (or of anything else) because he might use it to kill himself. Thomas Szasz, "The Ethics of Addiction".

The earliest models of the solar system employed what Aristotle, and Plato before him, had taught was the perfect form: the circle. The simplest possible arrangement-uniform motion around a circle having Earth as its center-provided a fairly good approximation to the orbits of the Sun and the Moon. But it could not account for the observed variations in planetary brightness or their retrograde motion. Thus, a more complex model was needed to describe the motion of the planets. Eric Chaison and Steve McMillan, Astronomy Today, 3^rd ed.

Which of the following are all inductive arguments?

We believe that our company must develop and produce outstanding products that will perform a great service or fill a need for our customers. We believe that our business must be run at an adequate profit. We believe that the services and products we offer must be better than those offered by our competitors. We believe that our business must provide stability of employment and job security for all those who depend on our company for their livelihood. Robert D. Hay, et al, "Introduction to Social Responsibility"

An argument whose conclusion rests on a similarity between two things is:

If carbon dioxide levels have been rising for years, the polar ice caps are melting, the frequency and intensity of hurricanes is increasing, and the acidity of sea water is rising, then climate change is for real, it's not just a delusion of leftist thinking, and the nations of the world must unite to address the threat.