Part A -
1. An argument is composed of a series of claims, some of which are used to defend a further claim, normally with the intent of convincing the listener or reader of the acceptability of that claim.
a. True
b. False
2. If you already know the conclusion is true or acceptable, then there is no reason to consider the premises that are put forward in its defence.
a. True
b. False
3. A sentence can contain a whole argument.
a. True
b. False
4. "Shows that" Is an indicator expression that comes before the conclusion in an argument.
a. True
b. False
5. Premises are used to supply evidence or reasons for a conclusion.
a. True
b. False
6. Justifying a belief generally requires giving reasons to show that that belief is true or rationally acceptable.
a. True
b. False
7. In the argument: "The Internet is a useful tool because you can find almost anything on it", the statement "You can find almost anything on it" is the conclusion.
a. True
b. False
8. In the passage "We should ban cigarettes in public places. After all, cigarette smoke is the leading preventable cause of death", the claims that cigarette smoke is the leading preventable cause of death is a premise.
a. True
b. False
9. Opinions are unsupported beliefs and must always be rejected.
a. True
b. False
Part B -
1. The broader the scope of the conclusion, the stronger the argument.
a. True
b. False
2. You should always qualify your statements when you wish to commit yourself to their truth.
a. True
b. False
3. If you were to delete a convergent premise from a cogent argument, the conclusion would no longer follow from the remaining premises.
a. True
b. False
4. Generally when you have a greater number of relevant convergent premises, you will have a stronger argument.
a. True
b. False
5. When we compare the statement "All bankers are wealthy" with the statement "Most bankers are wealthy" we see that the scope of the second statement is narrower than that of the first.
a. True
b. False
6. The claim 'Canada is smaller than most countries in the world' does not express a statement with commitment, because it is false.
a. True
b. False
7. The argument: "Winnipeg is cold in the winter. It's unbearably hot in the summer. And it has lots of bugs such as mosquitoes and canker worms. Thus, I don't think Winnipeg is a great place to live." contains linked premises.
a. True
b. False
8. ln the passage: "I like dogs because dogs are friendly and I know dogs are friendly because I've never met a mean one," there is a sub-argument.
a. True
b. False
9. Every possible gap in a person's argument should be filled in with a missing premise or conclusion.
a. True
b. False
10. The following argument contains linked premises: 'He is either a capitalist or a socialist, and I know he is not a socialist. Therefore he is a capitalist.'
a. True
b. False
Part C -
1. True or false, the following passage is an argument:
People normally believe what others tell them unless there is reason to be suspicious. This reliance on other people is called depending on testimony.
a. True
b. False
2. True of false, the following passage presents an argument:
The sun was setting on the hillside when he left. The air had a peculiar smoky aroma, the leaves were beginning to fall, and he sensed all around him the faintly melancholy atmosphere that comes when summer and summer romances are about to end.
a. True
b. False
3. True or false, the following passage presents an argument:
To know any claim with certainty, you have to know you are awake. To know you are awake, you have to prove you are awake. Nobody can prove that he is awake. Therefore, no one can know any claim with certainty.
a. True
b. False
4. True or false, the following passage presents an argument:
If a diet does not work, then that is a problem. But if a diet does work, there is still a problem, because the diet will have altered the dieter's metabolism. An altered metabolism as a result of dieting means a person will need less food. Needing less food, the person will gain weight more easily. Therefore, dieting to lose weight is futile.
a. True
b. False
5. True or false, the following passage presents an argument:
Jane was a better tennis player than Peter.
a. True
b. False
6. True or false, the following passage presents an argument:
"A computer then calculates the patient's bone density. Readings are compared to those of a standard for people of the same age, sex and body type."
a. True
b. False
7. True or false, the following passage presents an argument:
Every loyal citizen must demonstrate his loyalty to the state by taking an oath. To be credible, that oath must be sworn on a religious text. No atheist can swear an oath on a religious text. So we can see that no atheist can demonstrate his loyalty to the state.
a. True
b. False
8. True or false, the following passage presents an argument:
Mathematics is not the queen of the sciences, because it is not a science at all.
a. True
b. False
9. True or false, the following passage presents an argument:
"The reaction of many people when they first hear a description of the psychopathic personality is that they have known a few people who fit the bill - fellow workers, classmates, acquaintances, bosses, even perhaps, unfortunately a spouse."
a. True
b. False
10. True or false, the following passage presents an argument:
"If all goes well, the reactor and the steam generators in a nuclear power plant of the pressurized-water variety maintain a stable, businesslike relationship such as might obtain between two complementary monopolies. The reactor can be thought of as selling heat to the steam generators."
a. True
b. False
11. True or false, the following passage presents an argument:
"You not only need to control it (toxic radioactive substances) from the public, you also need to keep it away from the workers. Because the dose that federal regulations allow workers to get is sufficient to create a genetic hazard to the whole human species. You see, these workers are allowed to procreate, and if you damage their geners by radiation, and they intermarry with the rest of the population, for genetic purposes it's just the same as if you irradiate the population directly."
a. True
b. False
12. True or false, the following passage presents an argument:
"If you want to be successful in business on a long-term basis, you must match your operational expertise with an ethical code of conduct practiced in every phase of your business."
a. True
b. False
13. True or false, the following passage presents an argument:
"Like our ancestors of a thousand years ago, we still war and pray and worry about who our children will marry. We still laugh at bad jokes and loud farts and scary noises that turn out to be nothing. We flirt and steal and mourn our dead. Nothing there has changed. But when you look at today's science and technology-how the solar system is put together, the wonders of refrigeration, antibiotics, the theory of evolution, liver transplants, the structure of the atom, nylon, television-we are very different. Our powers are different. Our global consciousness is different. Our wealth, both intellectual and material, is different."
a. True
b. False
14. True or false, the following passage presents an argument:
"I shall pass through this world but once. If, therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do, let me do it now; let me not defer it or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."
a. True
b. False
15. True or false, the following passage presents an argument:
"Never cease loving a person and never give up hope for him, for even the prodigal son who had fallen most low could still be saved, the bitterest enemy and also he who was your friend could again be your friend; love that has grown cold can kindle again." - Soren Kierkegaard
a. True
b. False
16. True or false, the following passage presents an argument:
"Knowledge is happiness, because to have broad deep knowledge is to know true ends from false and lofy things from low."
a. True
b. False
17. True or false, the following passage presents an argument:
"On March 15, 2004, France's Jacques signed a law banning large symbols of religious affiliation in public schools. The law is based on a report of the French Stasi Commission, set up to reflect on the application of laicicite, or secularism. Officially, the law is on the grounds that 'ostentatious' displays of religious affiliation violate the secular nature of the public school system, as France is a secular society. Only large, visible religious symbols such as Muslim head scarves, Sikh turbans and Jewish yarmulkes are banned, while small Christian crosses are deemed acceptable, as are small Stars of David. It is widely acknowledged that the primary focus of the law is the Muslim headscarf called the hijab."
a. True
b. False
18. True or false, the following passage presents an argument:
"Soldiers who wish to be a hero/Are practically zero/But those who wish to be civilians/Gosh, they run into the millions."
a. True
b. False
19. True or false, the following passage presents an argument:
"Every morning we wake up. How do we do it? What is happening when awareness dawns? Why do we need to be conscious? Where are we when we sleep or when we die?"
a. True
b. False