Philosophy Quiz 20 Questions
1. Which of the following is a statement?
Multiple Choice
• “Close the door.”
• “Let’s have lunch.”
• “I’m not hungry.”
• “What did you say?”
2. As understood by logicians, an argument is
Multiple Choice
• 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
3. Chocolate ice cream is better than strawberry.” This is
Multiple Choice
• a statement.
• not a statement.
4. Inductive logic is concerned with methods of evaluating arguments for
Multiple Choice
• strength and weakness.
• cogency and uncogency.
• validity and invalidity.
soundness and unsoundness.
5. An argument form is
Multiple Choice
• a word or phrase that stands for a class.
• a pattern of reasoning.
• a statement that is used as a premise.
• a worksheet for identifying the premises and conclusion of an argument
6. “The death penalty is morally wrong.” This is
Multiple Choice
• a statement.
• not a statement.
7. The Principle of Charity requires that we
Multiple Choice
• put an ambiguous or unclear argument in the best possible light when rewriting it as a well-crafted argument.
• ignore mistakes in reasoning when we agree with an argument’s conclusion.
• not distort an argument’s meaning when rewriting it as a well-crafted one.
• correct any mistakes in reasoning in an argument we are analyzing.
8. A premise of an argument is
Multiple Choice
• a statement intended to provide support for another statement.
• an underlying assumption.
• the statement that is being affirmed on the basis of others.
• a word or phrase whose purpose is to persuade.
9. The main feature of a valid argument is
Multiple Choice
• it is possible for the conclusion to be true.
• it is not necessary that if the premises are true, then the conclusion is true.
• it is necessary that if the premises are true, then the conclusion is true.
• it is not possible for the conclusion to be false.
10. The Principle of Fairness requires that we
Multiple Choice
• consider an individual to be innocent until proven guilty.
• not eliminate anything—including repetitions, assurances, and so on—when rewriting an argument as a well-crafted one.
• place the burden of proof on the person whose view is contrary to the majority opinion.
• be loyal to the original argument and not distort its meaning when rewriting it as a well-crafted argument.
11. “My brother has a cat named Sully.” This is
Multiple Choice
• a statement.
• not a statement.
12. The statement “Pat is a mother only if Pat is a woman” is a stylistic variant of which type of statement?
Multiple Choice
• disjunction
• conditional
• negation
• conjunction
13. A term is
Multiple Choice
• 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.
14. Identify the following as valid, invalid, strong, or weak: “Assuming Betty’s flight leaves on time, she will arrive in Seattle at 6:00 p.m. Betty’s flight did leave on time, so she will arrive in Seattle at 6:00 p.m.”
Multiple Choice
• valid
• invalid
• strong
• weak
15. “Pigs can fly.” This is
Multiple Choice
• a statement.
• not a statement.
16. Identify the following as valid, invalid, strong, or weak: “All men are mortal. Socrates is mortal. ? Socrates is a man.”
Multiple Choice
• valid
• invalid
• strong
• weak
17. “You don’t have any brothers or sisters, do you?” This is
Multiple Choice
• a statement.
• not a statement.
18. Which of the following is an example of a report?
Multiple Choice
• A mammal is a warm-blooded animal that nurses its young. So, for example, whales, cats and humans are mammals but turtles, birds, and insects are not.
• If Germany had invented the atomic bomb first, they would have won World War II.
• 73 percent of all Americans are opposed to the death penalty.
• Skunks get hit by cars more than other animals because they tend to stand their ground rather than flee.
19. If an argument is strong, then
Multiple Choice
• 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.
20.The argument form “If A then B; Not B; So, not A” is called
Multiple Choice
• modus tollens.
• constructive dilemma.
• hypothetical syllogism.
• modus ponens.
