CCTST Argument Assessment 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An argument form where the conclusion is already contained within one of the premises is called:
- Modus ponens
- Begging the question (circular reasoning) (Correct answer)
- Disjunctive syllogism
- Reductio ad absurdum
Correct answer: Begging the question (circular reasoning)
Circular reasoning (begging the question) occurs when an argument's conclusion is assumed in one of its premises, making it logically circular.
Question 2: Premise 1: If it rains, the ground gets wet. Premise 2: The ground is wet. Conclusion: Therefore, it rained. This argument commits which error?
- Denying the antecedent
- Affirming the consequent (Correct answer)
- Modus tollens
- Hasty generalization
Correct answer: Affirming the consequent
Affirming the consequent is the invalid form of reasoning where one concludes the antecedent (it rained) from the consequent (ground is wet), ignoring other possible causes.
Question 3: When assessing argument strength, 'counterexamples' are most useful for:
- Proving that a deductive argument is sound
- Showing that a universal generalization is false or a deductive argument is invalid (Correct answer)
- Increasing the probability of an inductive conclusion
- Identifying the main premise of an argument
Correct answer: Showing that a universal generalization is false or a deductive argument is invalid
A single counterexample can refute a universal claim or demonstrate that a deductive argument form is invalid.
Question 4: Which best distinguishes an 'explanation' from an 'argument'?
- An explanation uses logical connectives; an argument uses rhetorical language
- An argument tries to prove a conclusion is true; an explanation tries to show why something already accepted as true is the case (Correct answer)
- An argument is always deductive; an explanation is always inductive
- There is no meaningful difference between the two
Correct answer: An argument tries to prove a conclusion is true; an explanation tries to show why something already accepted as true is the case
Arguments provide reasons to accept a conclusion, while explanations account for why something known to be true occurred or is the case.
Question 5: A company's CEO says: 'Our new product must be safe because we have been making products for 50 years.' This is best classified as:
- Appeal to tradition (Correct answer)
- Hasty generalization
- Appeal to authority combined with a non sequitur
- Post hoc ergo propter hoc
Correct answer: Appeal to tradition
The appeal to tradition (or longevity) fallacy assumes that because something has existed for a long time it must be acceptable or safe.
Question 6: Which of the following is a necessary condition for an argument to be considered 'sound'?
- The argument must be persuasive to most people
- The argument must be deductively valid AND have all true premises (Correct answer)
- The premises must outnumber the counter-arguments
- The conclusion must be verifiable by empirical testing
Correct answer: The argument must be deductively valid AND have all true premises
Soundness requires both deductive validity (the conclusion follows necessarily from premises) and the truth of all premises.
Question 7: Someone argues: 'We cannot trust what Dr. Lee says about climate change because she once made an error in a 1998 paper.' This argument strategy attempts to:
- Refute the scientific evidence she cites
- Undermine the credibility of the source rather than engage with the evidence (Correct answer)
- Show that climate change data is unreliable
- Demonstrate that peer review is ineffective
Correct answer: Undermine the credibility of the source rather than engage with the evidence
This is a genetic fallacy or ad hominem — it attacks the messenger's past record rather than evaluating the actual evidence or argument presented.
CCTST Argument Assessment 3
An argument form where the conclusion is already contained within one of the premises is called: