Question 1

Evaluating arguments is part of analyzing arguments.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 2

An acceptable premise is always true.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 3

Consider the following argument: "The philosopher James Rachels lived in Birmingham, Alabama. Therefore, the philosopher James Rachels frequently traveled through Atlanta." This argument:

Accepted Answer

A)  Is sound but not valid because the premise does not give sufficient reason to accept the conclusion. 
B)  Is invalid because even if he lived in Birmingham, Rachels might not have traveled through Atlanta. 
C)  Is not cogent because the premise is irrelevant to the conclusion. 
D)  Is invalid because it does not provide enough reason to believe that Rachels really did live in Birmingham. 
A)  Is sound but not valid because the premise does not give sufficient reason to accept the conclusion. 
B)  Is invalid because even if he lived in Birmingham, Rachels might not have traveled through Atlanta. 
C)  Is not cogent because the premise is irrelevant to the conclusion. 
D)  Is invalid because it does not provide enough reason to believe that Rachels really did live in Birmingham. B

Question 4

An argument is valid if it is impossible for the premises to be true while the conclusion is false.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

The difference between a valid argument and a sound argument is that:

Accepted Answer

A)  If the premises of a sound argument are true, then the conclusion must be true. 
B)  The premises of a sound argument are true, whereas the premises of a valid argument are not true. 
C)  The premises of a sound argument are true, whereas the premises of a valid argument can be false. 
D)  The premises of a sound argument seem true, whereas the premises of a valid argument really are true. 
A)  If the premises of a sound argument are true, then the conclusion must be true. 
B)  The premises of a sound argument are true, whereas the premises of a valid argument are not true. 
C)  The premises of a sound argument are true, whereas the premises of a valid argument can be false. 
D)  The premises of a sound argument seem true, whereas the premises of a valid argument really are true.

Question 6

Consider the following argument: "Red pandas are a kind of bear because they are a kind of panda and all pandas are bears." The claim that "red pandas are a kind of bear" is:

Accepted Answer

A)  The argument's conclusion. 
B)  One of the argument's premises. 
C)  A subconclusion of the argument. 
D)  Background information. 
A)  The argument's conclusion. 
B)  One of the argument's premises. 
C)  A subconclusion of the argument. 
D)  Background information.

Question 7

If we can imagine a situation in which the premises of an argument are true but the conclusion of the argument is false, then:

Accepted Answer

A)  The argument is cogent. 
B)  The argument is not cogent. 
C)  The argument is valid. 
D)  The argument is invalid. 
A)  The argument is cogent. 
B)  The argument is not cogent. 
C)  The argument is valid. 
D)  The argument is invalid.

Question 8

A premise is:

Accepted Answer

A)  A claim in an argument that is meant to support that argument's conclusion. 
B)  A true claim that provides evidence for another claim. 
C)  A set of claims that is sufficient to support a particular conclusion. 
D)  A shared starting point for a debate or dispute between two people. 
A)  A claim in an argument that is meant to support that argument's conclusion. 
B)  A true claim that provides evidence for another claim. 
C)  A set of claims that is sufficient to support a particular conclusion. 
D)  A shared starting point for a debate or dispute between two people.

Question 9

An explanation aims to convince someone that a claim is true by helping them understand why it is true.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Consider the following argument: "The moon is made of cheese. In films of astronauts walking on the moon, they are clearly not walking on cheese. Therefore, the films were faked." One problem with this argument is:

Accepted Answer

A)  The first premise is not acceptable. 
B)  The premises are not relevant to the conclusion. 
C)  The argument commits the fallacy of wishful thinking. 
D)  The conclusion is not knowable by testimony. 
A)  The first premise is not acceptable. 
B)  The premises are not relevant to the conclusion. 
C)  The argument commits the fallacy of wishful thinking. 
D)  The conclusion is not knowable by testimony.

Question 11

A premise is acceptable on the basis of testimony if:

Accepted Answer

A)  You learn the premise from a trustworthy person who is in a position to know whether the premise is true. 
B)  You learn the premise from someone who is under oath to tell the truth, such as a witness in a courtroom. 
C)  More than one eyewitness confirms the truth of the premise. 
D)  Enough people have heard the premise and believe it to be true. 
A)  You learn the premise from a trustworthy person who is in a position to know whether the premise is true. 
B)  You learn the premise from someone who is under oath to tell the truth, such as a witness in a courtroom. 
C)  More than one eyewitness confirms the truth of the premise. 
D)  Enough people have heard the premise and believe it to be true.

Question 12

A premise that is common knowledge to one group of people may not be common knowledge to a different group of people.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT one of the ways that someone can have a good reason to believe a claim, as described in the discussion of premise acceptability in Chapter 1?

Accepted Answer

A)  By thinking about the meaning of the words in the claim. 
B)  Because the claim is common knowledge. 
C)  On the basis of a good argument. 
D)  By feeling extremely confident about the truth of the claim. 
A)  By thinking about the meaning of the words in the claim. 
B)  Because the claim is common knowledge. 
C)  On the basis of a good argument. 
D)  By feeling extremely confident about the truth of the claim.

Question 14

Some premises are acceptable because they are known to be true by definition.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

In your own words, explain the difference between argument analysis and argument evaluation.

Accepted Answer

Argument analysis involves examining the

Question 16

The word because is:

Accepted Answer

A)  Sometimes a premise indicator. 
B)  Always a conclusion indicator. 
C)  Always a premise indicator. 
D)  Sometimes a conclusion indicator. 
A)  Sometimes a premise indicator. 
B)  Always a conclusion indicator. 
C)  Always a premise indicator. 
D)  Sometimes a conclusion indicator.

Question 17

A claim can never be a premise and a conclusion in the same argument.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

An argument is invalid if the conclusion is false although the premises satisfy the acceptability, relevance, and sufficiency criteria.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

The three criteria for evaluating arguments are acceptability, relevance, and sufficiency.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

Give one example of an argument and one example of an explanation. Explain why the first example is an argument and the second is an explanation.

Accepted Answer

An example of an argument could be "Smok

Evaluating arguments is part of analyzing arguments.

An acceptable premise is always true.

Consider the following argument: "The philosopher James Rachels lived in Birmingham, Alabama. Therefore, the philosopher James Rachels frequently traveled through Atlanta." This argument:

An argument is valid if it is impossible for the premises to be true while the conclusion is false.

The difference between a valid argument and a sound argument is that:

Consider the following argument: "Red pandas are a kind of bear because they are a kind of panda and all pandas are bears." The claim that "red pandas are a kind of bear" is:

If we can imagine a situation in which the premises of an argument are true but the conclusion of the argument is false, then:

A premise is:

An explanation aims to convince someone that a claim is true by helping them understand why it is true.

Consider the following argument: "The moon is made of cheese. In films of astronauts walking on the moon, they are clearly not walking on cheese. Therefore, the films were faked." One problem with this argument is:

A premise is acceptable on the basis of testimony if:

A premise that is common knowledge to one group of people may not be common knowledge to a different group of people.

Which of the following is NOT one of the ways that someone can have a good reason to believe a claim, as described in the discussion of premise acceptability in Chapter 1?

Some premises are acceptable because they are known to be true by definition.

In your own words, explain the difference between argument analysis and argument evaluation.

The word because is:

A claim can never be a premise and a conclusion in the same argument.

An argument is invalid if the conclusion is false although the premises satisfy the acceptability, relevance, and sufficiency criteria.

The three criteria for evaluating arguments are acceptability, relevance, and sufficiency.

Give one example of an argument and one example of an explanation. Explain why the first example is an argument and the second is an explanation.

Moral Arguments

Reasoning With Obligations

Reasoning About Consequences

Reasoning With Virtues and Vices

Reasoning With Principles and Counterexamples

Reasoning With Analogies

Answering Moral Questions

Skepticism, Subjectivism, and Relativism

Religion and Moral Reasoning

Normative Theories, Part 1

Normative Theories, Part 2

Aristotle's Ethics: Exploring Virtue and Justice

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Exam 1: An Introduction to Arguments

Evaluating arguments is part of analyzing arguments.

An acceptable premise is always true.

Consider the following argument: "The philosopher James Rachels lived in Birmingham, Alabama. Therefore, the philosopher James Rachels frequently traveled through Atlanta." This argument:

An argument is valid if it is impossible for the premises to be true while the conclusion is false.

The difference between a valid argument and a sound argument is that:

Consider the following argument: "Red pandas are a kind of bear because they are a kind of panda and all pandas are bears." The claim that "red pandas are a kind of bear" is:

If we can imagine a situation in which the premises of an argument are true but the conclusion of the argument is false, then:

A premise is:

An explanation aims to convince someone that a claim is true by helping them understand why it is true.

Consider the following argument: "The moon is made of cheese. In films of astronauts walking on the moon, they are clearly not walking on cheese. Therefore, the films were faked." One problem with this argument is:

A premise is acceptable on the basis of testimony if:

A premise that is common knowledge to one group of people may not be common knowledge to a different group of people.

Which of the following is NOT one of the ways that someone can have a good reason to believe a claim, as described in the discussion of premise acceptability in Chapter 1?

Some premises are acceptable because they are known to be true by definition.

In your own words, explain the difference between argument analysis and argument evaluation.

The word because is:

A claim can never be a premise and a conclusion in the same argument.

An argument is invalid if the conclusion is false although the premises satisfy the acceptability, relevance, and sufficiency criteria.

The three criteria for evaluating arguments are acceptability, relevance, and sufficiency.

Give one example of an argument and one example of an explanation. Explain why the first example is an argument and the second is an explanation.

Moral Arguments

Reasoning With Obligations

Reasoning About Consequences

Reasoning With Virtues and Vices

Reasoning With Principles and Counterexamples

Reasoning With Analogies

Answering Moral Questions

Skepticism, Subjectivism, and Relativism

Religion and Moral Reasoning

Normative Theories, Part 1

Normative Theories, Part 2

Aristotle's Ethics: Exploring Virtue and Justice

Filters