Multiple Choice Questions

Chapter 01 - Basic Concepts

The Power of Logic 5th Edition Howard-Snyder Test Bank

Chapter 01 Basic Concepts

Multiple Choice Questions

• Logic is the study of
• the way people reason.
• methods for evaluating arguments.
• techniques for winning arguments.
• ways to represent English statements in symbols.

Subject area: Chapter 1, Basic Concepts

• As understood by logicians, an argument is
• a set of statements, one of which is supported by the others.
• a verbal dispute between two or more people.
• a major contributing factor to the high rate of divorce in the United States.
• a sentence that is either true or false.

Subject area: Chapter 1, Basic Concepts

• The primary purpose(s) of argument is(are)
• to persuade others to share our views.
• to discover the truth about something.
• to intimidate one's opponent.
• both to persuade others to share our views, and to discover the truth about something.

Subject area: Chapter 1, Basic Concepts 1 / 4

Chapter 01 - Basic Concepts

• A sound argument is one that is valid and
• has a true conclusion.
• has at least one true premise.
• has all true premises.
• is accepted by most people.

Subject area: 1.1 Validity and Soundness

• A term is
• a 15-week semester of college.
• a word or phrase that stands for a class.
• a length of time in public office.
• a pattern of reasoning.

Subject area: 1.2 and 1.3 Forms, Validity, and Counterexamples

• A counterexample to an argument form is a substitution instance whose
• premises and conclusion are well-known truths.
• premises are well-known falsehoods.
• premises are well-known truths and conclusion a well-known falsehood.
• conclusion is a well-known falsehood.

Subject area: 1.2 and 1.3 Forms, Validity, and Counterexamples

• The statement "Pat is a mother only if Pat is a woman" is a stylistic variant of which type of

statement?

• disjunction
• conditional
• negation
• conjunction

Subject area: 1.3 Some "Famous Forms" 2 / 4

Chapter 01 - Basic Concepts

• Which of the following argument forms is not valid?
• modus tollens
• hypothetical syllogism
• affirming the consequent
• disjunctive syllogism

Subject area: 1.3 Some "Famous Forms"

9. The fallacy of affirming the consequent has the following form:

• If A, then B; Not A; So, not B.
• If A, then B; Not B; So, not A.
• If A, then B; A; So, B.
• If A, then B; B; So, A.

Subject area: 1.3 Some "Famous Forms"

10. A disjunctive syllogism has the following form:

• Either A or B; Not A; So, B.
• If A, then C; If B, then D; Either A or B; So, either C or D.
• If A, then B; If B, then C; So, if A, then C.
• Either A or B; A; So, not B.

Subject area: 1.3 Some "Famous Forms"

• If an argument is strong, then
• its premises are all true.
• it is improbable (but possible) that the conclusion is false on the assumption that the

premises are true.

• it is impossible for the conclusion to be false on the assumption that the premises are true.
• the conclusion is true.

Subject area: 1.4 Strength and Cogency 3 / 4

Chapter 01 - Basic Concepts

• Inductive logic is concerned with methods of evaluating arguments for
• strength and weakness.
• cogency and uncogency.
• validity and invalidity.
• soundness and unsoundness.

Subject area: 1.4 Strength and Cogency

• "Davy Crockett was executed by Santa Ana." This is
• a statement.
• not a statement.

Subject area: Recognizing statements

• "The moon is made of bleu cheese." This is
• a statement.
• not a statement.

Subject area: Recognizing statements

• "Will Jean will the election?" This is
• a statement.
• not a statement.

Subject area: Recognizing statements

• "Let's go home now." This is
• a statement.
• not a statement.

Subject area: Recognizing statements

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