Exam 1: Accounting As a Tool for Management

Which of the following involves unconsciously assigning a probability to a type of event on the basis of how often one thinks of events of that type?

"With genetically different animals, there's always the possibility that the results of experiments are due to variations among animals rather than to whatever is being tested. Genetically identical research animals would therefore be a boon to research because scientists could be more confident of their research results." Which of the following best states the primary issue discussed in the passage?

Identify each speaker that gives an argument for his or her position in the following passage. Student A: My family is very conservative. I don't think they'd like it if they found out that I was sharing an apartment with two males. Student B: But sooner or later you have to start living your own life.

Determine whether the following passage contains an argument and, if it does, identify that argument's final conclusion. "The P/E ratio is the number of dollars of stock you have to buy to get one dollar of profit. Any stock with a ratio greater than 15:1 is overpriced. That's why it's not a good idea to invest in stocks right now. P/E ratios are way too high."

Which of the following is an objective claim?

Determine whether the following passage contains an argument; if it does, identify the main issue. "And he went from there, and entered their synagogue. And behold, there was a man with a withered hand. And they asked him, 'Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath?' so that they might accuse him. He said to them, 'What man of you, if he has one sheep, and it falls into a pit on the sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath.'" -Matthew 12:9-12

Determine whether the following passage contains an argument; if it does, identify the main issue. "Those who accept evolution contend that creation is not scientific; but can it be fairly said that the theory of evolution itself is truly scientific?" -Life-How Did It Get Here? By Evolution or by Creation?

Which of the following is a subjective claim?

The quality of a discussion often depends on how closely the parties attend to the same issue. For the passage below, determine whether the speakers are clearly disputing the same issue, or whether somebody is missing the point. A: Look, it's just good business sense to foreclose on a piece of property when the mortgage defaults. We can't sit around here and carry these loans month after month. B: The people who owe on these properties are out of work because of the recession, not because of any fault of their own. If we foreclose on them, many will be financially ruined and may never be able to afford a home of their own again.

Which of the following is a subjective claim?

A belief cannot be expressed in a declarative sentence.

The quality of a discussion often depends on how closely the parties attend to the same issue. For the passage below, determine whether the speakers are clearly disputing the same issue, or whether somebody is missing the point. A: A woman in Tennessee was charged with a felony for not warning rescuers that her fiancé, who had suffered a heart attack, had tested positive for AIDS. That's a good law, since people ought to know when they're stepping into a dangerous situation to help somebody else. B: Well, I don't think it's such a good law, because the likelihood of catching AIDS from somebody while trying to resuscitate them is very, very small.

Determine whether the following passage contains an argument and, if it does, identify that argument's final conclusion. "People who drive SUVs with American flags flying from them are just pretending to be patriots. The real patriots are people who drive cars that get decent mileage, since that actually accomplishes something-it lessons our dependence on foreign oil."

The quality of a discussion often depends on how closely the parties attend to the same issue. For the passage below, determine whether the speakers are clearly disputing the same issue, or whether somebody is missing the point. A: Most cases of date rape happen when the couple has been drinking. That's another good reason for getting booze off the campus. B: Yes, well, most of the cases of date rape happen because the girl is encouraging the guy and he just goes with it.

Determine whether the following passage contains an argument and, if it does, identify that argument's final conclusion. "You've got every reason to add another telephone line, despite the cost. The way it is now, you tie up your phone for hours while you're on your computer. If people need to reach you in an emergency, they can't do it."

Identify the main point or issue in the following passage, and decide whether the rest of the passage offers reasons for the main point (such as, whether the passage contains an argument), whether it illustrates (provides examples for) the main point, whether it explains the point, is irrelevant to the point, and so on. "Ruben Salazar couldn't possibly have been the victim of a conscious, high-level cop conspiracy to get rid of him by staging an 'accidental death.' The incredible tale of half-mad stupidity and dangerous incompetence on every level of the law enforcement establishment was perhaps the most valuable thing to come out of the inquest. Nobody who heard that testimony could believe that the Los Angeles County sheriff's department is capable of pulling off a delicate job like killing a newsman on purpose." -Hunter S. Thompson, The Great Shark Hunt

Determine whether the following passage is (or contains) an argument. Some would prefer to say that every human being is both a body and a mind. Bodies are in space and subject to the mechanical laws that govern all other bodies in space. But minds are not in space, nor are their operations subject to mechanical laws. Bodily processes and states can be inspected by external observers, but the workings of one mind are not witnessable by other observers. And so a person lives through two collateral histories; but the actual transactions between the episodes of the private history and those of the public history remain mysterious, since by definition they can belong to neither series. -Adapted from Gilbert Ryle, The Concept of Mind

Determine whether the following passage is (or contains) an argument. "If American business is to regain an advantageous position in the international marketplace, it must recreate a climate of flexibility and entrepreneurship. Unfortunately, the trend is to seek personal success not through entrepreneurship but through professionalism, as a continued climb in the number of advanced degrees in business and law confirms. If this tendency to seek personal security and prestige by joining the ranks of the professionally comfortable continues, the real winners will be America's overseas competitors." -Irving Greenberg

Determine whether the following passage contains an argument; if it does, identify the main issue. It's wise to let states deny AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) benefits to unmarried kids under eighteen who live away from their parents. This would discourage thousands of these kids from having children of their own in order to get state-subsidized apartments.

Determine whether the following passage is (or contains) an argument. Will a beverage begin to cool more quickly in the freezer or in the regular part of the refrigerator? Well, of course it'll cool faster in the freezer! There are lots of people who don't understand anything at all about physics and who think things may begin to cool faster in the fridge. But they're sadly mistaken.