Question: For awhile, during the 1990s, it looked as though the loggerhead sea turtle might be making a comeback. But a new federal report suggests that loggerheads have begun to decline again. Their life-pattern makes them doubly vulnerable to humans. They lay their eggs on beaches, habitat vulnerable to development and disturbance, and they spend their long lives at sea, where they are often fouled in fishing nets.
Answer Options:
a. Argument; conclusion: But a new federal report … begun to decline again.
b. Nonargument.
c. Argument; conclusion: Their life-pattern … doubly vulnerable to humans.
d. Argument; conclusion: For awhile, during the 1990s … making a comeback.
e. Argument; conclusion: They lay their eggs … fouled in fishing nets.
Answer: c.
Question: After examining DNA evidence found at the crime scene, Dr. Jacobs, a highly qualified forensic biologist, says that Alex Foster could not have committed the crime. Therefore, we conclude that Foster is innocent.
Answer Options:
a. Inductive, weak.
b. Deductive, sound.
c. Deductive, invalid.
d. Deductive, valid.
e. Inductive, strong.
Answer: e.
Question: Some preachers are evangelists, so some preachers are TV personalities, since some evangelists are TV personalities.
Answer Options:
a. Inductive, weak.
b. Deductive, invalid.
c. Inductive, strong.
d. Deductive, sound.
e. Deductive, valid.
Answer: b.
Question: The poster on your neighbor’s lawn says “Vote Horton for Sheriff.” Therefore, it’s clear that Horton would make a great sheriff.
Answer Options:
a. Inductive, sound.
b. Inductive, strong.
c. Deductive, valid.
d. Inductive, weak.
e. Deductive, invalid.
Answer: d.
Question: After drinking a bottle of Black Diamond Special Brew, Clyde noticed a slightly bitter aftertaste. Lauren and Nicole noticed the same thing when they drank some Black Diamond a year earlier. We conclude that every bottle of Black Diamond Special Brew has a slightly bitter aftertaste.
Answer Options:
a. Inductive, weak.
b. Deductive, invalid.
c. Inductive, strong.
d. Deductive, valid.
e. Inductive, cogent.
Answer: c.
Question: Either Michelle Pfeiffer or Martha Stewart is a popular film star. But Michelle Pfeiffer is not a film star at all. Therefore, Martha Stewart is a popular film star.
Answer Options:
a. Deductive, valid.
b. Inductive, weak.
c. Deductive, cogent.
d. Deductive, invalid.
e. Inductive, strong.
Answer: a.
Question: Given that A and B are the diagonals of a parallelogram. It follows that A and B have the same length.
Answer Options:
a. Deductive, valid.
b. Inductive, strong.
c. Deductive, sound.
d. Inductive, weak.
e. Deductive, invalid.
Answer: e.
Question: Jim Searcy, a religious prophet who now lives in Cypress, claims that the Prince of Wales is the Antichrist. Therefore, we must conclude that the Prince of Wales is up to no good.
Answer Options:
a. Inductive, weak.
b. Deductive, invalid.
c. Deductive, sound.
d. Deductive, valid.
e. Inductive, strong.
Answer: a.
Question: If football is a rough sport, then football injuries abound. It is the case that football injuries abound. Thus, it follows that football is a rough sport.
Answer Options:
a. Inductive, strong.
b. Deductive, invalid.
c. Inductive, weak.
d. Deductive, valid.
e. Inductive, uncogent.
Answer: b.
Question: A divining rod is a magical device for detecting hidden water, metal, and gemstones. Your friend Roger is using his divining rod on the beach right now. Therefore, he’ll likely find some diamonds buried beneath the sand.
Answer Options:
a. Deductive, valid.
b. Inductive, strong.
c. Deductive, invalid.
d. Inductive, weak.
e. Deductive, unsound.
Answer: d.
Question: After smoking only a few cigarettes per day, Krista became addicted within two months. The same thing happened to Dave, Jean, and Marty. Therefore, since Dennis has been smoking a few cigarettes per day for the past two months, he’s probably addicted, too.
Answer Options:
a. Deductive, invalid.
b. Deductive, valid.
c. Inductive, weak.
d. Inductive, cogent.
e. Inductive, strong.
Answer: e. Inductive, strong.
Question: Natalie is a kleptomaniac. Therefore, she has a compulsion to steal things.
Answer Options:
a. Deductive, valid.
b. Inductive, weak.
c. Inductive, cogent.
d. Inductive, strong.
e. Deductive, invalid.
Answer: a. Deductive, valid.
Question: Lydia loves Ryan, and Ryan loves anchovy pizza. Therefore, it follows necessarily that Lydia loves anchovy pizza.
Answer Options:
a. Deductive, sound.
b. Inductive, weak.
c. Deductive, valid.
d. Deductive, invalid.
e. Inductive, strong.
Answer: c. Deductive, valid.
Question: After investing in the stock market, Pamela doubled her money in just two years, and Beth and Tiffany did the same thing. However, Greg, Ivan, and Marty all lost money on the stock market during the same time frame. The obvious conclusion is that women do better than men in the stock market.
Answer Options:
a. Inductive, strong.
b. Inductive, weak.
c. Deductive, invalid.
d. Deductive, unsound.
e. Deductive, valid.
Answer: b. Inductive, weak.
Question: Andrew is lighter than Carl, and Carl is heavier than Marty. Therefore, it follows necessarily that Andrew is lighter than Marty.
Answer Options:
a. Inductive, strong.
b. Deductive, valid.
c. Inductive, weak.
d. Deductive, invalid.
e. Deductive, sound.
Answer: d. Deductive, invalid.
Question: The arctic ice cap has been shrinking for several years as a result of global warming, and that trend is expected to continue. Therefore, since arctic polar bears depend on that ice for survival, the arctic polar bear population will shrink in the years ahead.
Answer Options:
a. Inductive, weak.
b. Deductive, invalid.
c. Inductive, strong.
d. Deductive, valid.
e. Inductive, uncogent.
Answer: a. Inductive, weak.
Question: If Ken Burns makes historical documentaries, then he enhances our knowledge of the past. Ken Burns does make historical documentaries. Therefore he enhances our knowledge of the past.
Answer Options:
a. Deductive, valid.
b. Inductive, weak.
c. Deductive, invalid.
d. Inductive, strong.
e. Deductive, cogent.
Answer: a. Deductive, valid.
Question: During the past 80 years, the number of Model T Fords on the highway has steadily fallen while the number of deaths from lung cancer has steadily risen. Thus, to reduce the number of deaths from lung cancer we should bring back the Model T Ford.
Answer Options:
a. Deductive, invalid.
b. Inductive, weak.
c. Deductive, valid.
d. Inductive, strong.
e. Inductive, cogent.
Answer: b. Inductive, weak.
Question: Which of the following are all nonarguments?
Answer Options:
a. Illustrations, predictions, warnings.
b. Expository passages, opinions, generalizations.
c. Syllogisms, predictions, expository passages.
d. Opinions, illustrations, causal inferences.
e. Conditional statements, explanations, statements of belief.
Answer: e. Conditional statements, explanations, statements of belief.
Question: Which of the following are all inductive arguments?
Answer Options:
a. Arguments from authority, arguments from analogy, causal inferences.
b. Causal inferences, hypothetical syllogisms, predictions.
c. Generalizations, arguments from authority, arguments from definition.
d. Hypothetical syllogisms, arguments from definition, disjunctive syllogisms.
e. Categorical syllogisms, arguments from authority, arguments based on signs.
Answer: a. Arguments from authority, arguments from analogy, causal inferences.
Question: Which of the following are all conclusion indicators?
Answer Options:
a. As a result, it follows that, given that.
b. Accordingly, because, as indicated by.
c. Given that, for, seeing that.
d. Hence, thus, so.
e. Thus, implies that, because.
Answer: d. Hence, thus, so.
Question: In the expression, “Carbon monoxide is poisonous because it prevents hemoglobin from supplying oxygen to the body,” the statement “Carbon monoxide is poisonous” is called the:
Answer Options:
a. Conclusion.
b. Explanandum.
c. Antecedent.
d. Explanans.
e. Consequent.
Answer: b. Explanandum.