Exam 1: Basic Concepts

Use a counterexample to show that the following argument is invalid. (Remember, it is usually best to use terms-or statements-whose interrelations are well known.) "Some people who are serious about politics are people who do not vote. All suicide bombers are people who are serious about politics. Therefore, some suicide bombers are people who do not vote."

All cogent arguments are strong.

An argument form is

Commands are not statements.

If the following argument is an instance of one of the "famous" argument forms, name the form and indicate whether the form is valid or invalid; if the argument is NOT an instance of one of the "famous" forms, simply write "unnamed form." If Theresa buys the first-edition Greg Baer novel, then she will have Mr. Baer autograph it on Monday. If Theresa buys the first-edition Orson Scott Card novel, then she will have Mr. Card autograph it on Tuesday. Since she's either going to buy the first-edition Greg Baer novel or she's going to buy the first-edition Orson Scott Card novel, she'll either have Mr. Baer autograph his novel on Monday or she'll have Mr. Card autograph his novel on Tuesday.

"Don't go in the water." This is

"Buttercup is a yellow parakeet." This is

"Are we there yet?" This is

Use a counterexample to show that the following argument is invalid. (Remember, it is usually best to use terms-or statements-whose interrelations are well known.) "Some people who endanger the social order are not mean-spirited people. All intolerant people are people who endanger the social order. Hence, some intolerant people are not mean-spirited people."

Identify the following as valid, invalid, strong, or weak: "If whales are fish, they are cold-blooded. Whales aren't cold-blooded. ∴ Whales are not fish."

"The death penalty is morally wrong." This is

The statement "If Archarcharch wins the Belmont Stakes, then Archarcharch will be a Triple Crown winner" is a disjunction.

The statements comprising an "either-or" sentence are called disjuncts.

A cogent argument

The primary purpose(s) of argument is(are)

A statement is either .

A substitution instance of an argument form may be valid even if the argument form itself is invalid.

Which of the following is a substitution instance of the argument form "All A are B; No B are C; So, no A are C"?

If the following argument is an instance of one of the "famous" argument forms, name the form and indicate whether the form is valid or invalid; if the argument is NOT an instance of one of the "famous" forms, simply write "unnamed form." If either Gertrude or Herbert won, then both Jane and Kenneth lost. Since I know that either Gertrude or Herbert won, it must follow that both Jane and Kenneth lost.

Strong arguments with all