MIDTERM EXAM (50 POINTS; 1 POINT EACH)
Please do not write on this exam. Also, if you want to support any of your answers
with relevant premises, please do so on a separate sheet of paper, numbering your
answers.
For each of the following claims, decide whether it states a subjective or objective claim.
1. Meat grilled over hickory coals tastes better than meat grilled over mesquite.
A. Subjective
B. Objective
A. Subjective. Notice that the claim passes the “contradiction test,” i.e. someone with
an opposing viewpoint would not be wrong just because it contradicted the original
claim. There is no ‘fact of the matter’ about how something tastes.
2. The air in Cleveland smells better than it did five years ago.
A. Subjective
B. Objective
Subjective. The qualitative sensation of how something smells to someone is a private,
first-person, subjective experience.
3. Roger Ebert, the movie critic, gave Spike Lee’s latest movie a “thumbs up,” which is
the best rating he gives.
A. Subjective
B. Objective
Non-subjective. He either did or he didn’t.
Determine whether each of the following passages is (or contains) an argument.
4. Some of these guys who do Elvis Presley imitations actually pay more for their outfits
than Elvis paid for his! Anybody who would spend thousands just so he can spend a
few minutes not fooling anybody into thinking he’s Elvis is nuts.
A. Argument
B. No argument
No argument. No connection is made between the cost of the outfits and the
psychological deficiencies of Elvis impersonators.
5. It is obvious why some men have trouble understanding why women become upset
over pornography. Pornography depicts women as servants or slaves, and men cannot
conceive of themselves in this role.
A. Argument
B. No argument
Argument
6. I don’t care how well Thompson played last week. If he misses practice one more
time, he’s not going to play in the tournament, and that’s that.
A. Argument
B. No argument
No argument. The speaker is only making a firm claim, not supporting it with
reasons.
7. The president has the morals of an alley cat, his critics say. Shows you what they
know. He’ll still be reelected.
A. Argument
B. No argument
No argument
Determine the final conclusion of the following passages if they contain an argument.
8. A. “Your jacket looks a little tattered, there, Houston.
B. Time to get a new one, I’d say.”
C. No argument.
Argument. Conclusion: Time to get a new jacket.
3. A. “Here’s how you make chocolate milk.
B. Warm up a cup of milk in the microwave for two minutes, then add two
tablespoons of the chocolate.
C. Stir it up, then stick it back in the microwave for another 30 seconds. Then enjoy
it.”
D. No argument.
No argument
5. A. “Should I go to class today?
B. We’re probably just going over the test; I can afford to miss that.
C. Besides, I haven’t cut a single class all semester.
D. I guess it won’t hurt to stay home this once.”
E. No argument.
Argument. Conclusion: It won’t hurt to stay home this once.
8. A. “Can you believe it?
B. Tight-fitting polyester clothes are making a comeback.
C. They’ve even brought back bell-bottoms.
D. Next thing you know, the professors around here will be dragging out their
leisure suits.”
No argument
9. A. “You should stop doing that;
B. it’s hurting him.”
C. No argument.
Argument. Conclusion: You should stop doing that.
10. A. “People who drive SUVs with American flags flying from them are just pretending
to be patriots.
B. The real patriots are people who drive cars that get decent milage,
C. since that actually accomplishes something—it lessons our dependence on
foreign oil”
D. No argument
Argument. Conclusion: People who drive cars that get good milage are patriots.
For each of the following, indicate whether the definition given is by example, by
synonym, or analytical.
1. A loquacious person is a talkative one.
A. Example
B. Synonym
C. Analytical
By synonym
2. A deciduous tree is a hardwood tree that loses its leaves during the winter.
A. Example
B. Synonym
C. Analytical
Analytical
7. What I mean by setting a good example is not putting your feet on the table.
A. Example
B. Synonym
C. Analytical
By example
Determine whether these claims are too vague in the contexts that are stated or implied.
1. During his first news conference of the year, the president said today that his
administration was going to crack down even harder on international terrorism.
A. Too vague
B. Fine as it is
Too vague to be very informative; this speaks as much of an attitude as it does of
plans to combat terrorism.
4. Well, let’s see. To get to the Woodward Mall, go down this street a couple of blocks,
and turn right. Go through several stoplights, turn left, and go just a short way. You
can’t miss it.
A. Too vague
B. Fine as it is
Hopelessly vague
5. Your chances of winning the grand prize in the lottery by purchasing a single ticket
are approximately 1 in 16,000,000.
A. Too vague
B. Fine as it is
Precise enough
Assess each of the following claims as probably true, probably false, as requiring further
documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated.
Consider both the nature of the claim and the source.
1. “In the early 1800s, bears were a nuisance to settlers in upstate New York.”
—Smithsonian
A. Probably true B. Probably false C. Further Documentation D. Can’t be evaluated
Probably true
6. “In the near future look for floods in Britain which will culminate in the flooding of
Parliament.”
—A prediction made by Maitreya Swami, “The World Teacher,” in the News Release
of the Tara Center, N. Hollywood, Calif.
A. Probably true B. Probably false C. Further Documentation D. Can’t be evaluated
Probably false. We won’t get into the philosophical difficulties involved in attaching
truth values to future contingent events.
22. “[Atmospheric nuclear] tests do not seriously endanger either present or future
generations.”
—Edward Teller, physicist, one of the “fathers” of the atomic bomb, 1958
A. Probably true B. Probably false C. Further Documentation D. Can’t be evaluated
Requires further documentation. We’d expect this kind of claim, coming from such a
source, to be trustworthy. That it turned out to be false probably shows either that
Teller was biased or that there was not enough information on the effects of
atmospheric tests in 1958, or both.
State whether the following are true or false.
1. You should assume that the claims made by others are false unless you have some
specific reason to believe otherwise.
A. True
B. False
False
4. Fallible or not, our firsthand observations are still the best source of information we
have.
A. True
B. False
True
7. A surprising claim, one that seems to conflict with our background knowledge,
requires a more credible source than one that is not surprising in this way.
A. True
B. False
True
Identify which of the following passages have arguments.
1. Bamboo can grow up to four feet a day, but only after it is well established. This can
take from three to five years, depending on the type of bamboo.
A. Argument
B. No argument
No argument
2. The Burnhams have invited the performers home for a reception following the recital.
But it would be wise to let them know if you plan to attend, because space is limited.
A. Argument
B. No argument
Argument
7. Imagine yourself naked, without weapons, and running after a deer. If you were to
catch this deer how would you eat it? Humans are not equipped with the canine teeth
in order to eat meat without tools. A carnivore’s teeth are long and sharp, and its jaws
move up and down. Humans, by contrast, use their molars to crush and grind their
food. Have you ever noticed that so many Americans are overweight and unhealthy?
That’s because they eat meat.
—From a student paper
A. Argument
B. No argument
Argument; the conclusion is that meat isn’t an appropriate or healthy diet for
humans.
Identify which type of rhetorical device is being used.
10. “Early in the third phase of the Vietnam War the U.S. command recognized that the
term ‘search and destroy’ had unfortunately become associated with ‘aimless searches
in the jungle and the destruction of property.’ In April 1968 General Westmoreland
therefore directed that the use of the term be discontinued. Operations thereafter were
defined and discussed in basic military terms which described the type of operation,
for example, reconnaissance in force.”
—Lieutenant General John H. Hay, Jr., Vietnam Studies
A. Rhetorical comp. B. Loaded ? C. Downplayer D. Euphemism E. Proof surrogate
Euphemism
11. Robert may be a pretty good gardener, all right, but you’ll notice he lost nearly
everything to the bugs this year.
A. Rhetorical comp. B. Loaded ? C. Downplayer D. Euphemism E. Proof surrogate
Innuendo, downplayer (“but”)
12. “The Soviet regime [once] promulgated a law providing fines for motorists who alter
their lights or grills or otherwise make their cars distinguishable. A regime that makes
it a crime to personalize a car is apt to make it a crime to transmit a cultural heritage.”
—George Will
A. Rhetorical comp. B. Loaded ? C. Downplayer D. Euphemism E. Proof surrogate
A rhetorical comparison
15. “Within the context of total ignorance, you are absolutely correct.”
—Caption in a National Review cartoon
A. Rhetorical comp. B. Loaded ? C. Downplayer D. Euphemism E. Proof surrogate
The height of downplaying, as it were, although the remark is clearly designed more
to amuse than to persuade.
If the governor is so dedicated to civil rights, why is it that the black citizens of this state
are worse off now than when he took office?
A. Rhetorical comp. B. Loaded ? C. Downplayer D. Euphemism E. Proof surrogate
Loaded question
20. Chewing tobacco is not only messy, but also unhealthy (just check the latest
statistics).
A. Rhetorical comp. B. Loaded ? C. Downplayer D. Euphemism E. Proof surrogate
The parenthetical addition is a proof surrogate.
Chapters 5 & 6
3. “Listen, Higgins. I need your vote in the next department election or I may not get
elected chair. Remember, if I do get elected, it will be me who decides what hours
your classes meet next year.”
A. Circumstantial ad hominem B. Straw man C. Scare tactics D. Inconsistency ad
hominem E. Misplaced burden of proof
Scare tactics
4. “It really gripes me to see Bill Clinton talking about how cigarette smoking is a big
contributor to public health costs. You want to know how much you can trust him on
that subject? Well, even he himself admits to smoking cigars!”
A. Circumstantial ad hominem B. Straw man C. Scare tactics D. Inconsistency ad
hominem E. Misplaced burden of proof
Ad hominem (inconsistency)
5. “The administration’s proposal to declare hundreds of thousands of acres of federal
land as ‘roadless areas’ is a huge mistake, and I’m against it. The whole point of the
proposal—and it will succeed if the President gets his way—is to lock the American
people out of those areas.”
A. Circumstantial ad hominem B. Straw man C. Scare tactics D. Inconsistency ad
hominem E. Misplaced burden of proof
Straw man
7.
“Of course the Task Force on Crime is going to conclude that crime is on the way
up. If they conclude it’s on the way down, they’d have to disband the task force,
wouldn’t they?”
A. Circumstantial ad hominem B. Straw man C. Scare tactics D. Inconsistency ad
hominem E. Misplaced burden of proof
Ad hominem (circumstantial)
8.
“The police asked the neighbors on both sides of the Owens’s home whether they’d
ever seen either of them do any drugs. They all agreed they hadn’t, so it’s a pretty
safe bet they aren’t really drug users.”
A. Circumstantial ad hominem B. Straw man C. Scare tactics D. Inconsistency ad
hominem E. Misplaced burden of proof
Misplaced burden of proof
17.
No, I do NOT believe that a murderer ought to be allowed to live. No way!
Murderers have forfeited the right to live because anyone who murders another
person has lost that right.
A. Begging the question B. False dilemma C. Slippery slope D. Red herring E.
Perfectionist fallacy
Begging the question
18.
No, I do NOT believe that a murderer has a right to live, and here’s why. The
criminal justice system in this country has gotten completely out of control, what
with rapists, murderers, you name it—all getting off scot-free. It’s got to change!
Red herring
19.
No, I don’t believe we ought to reinstate the death penalty in this state. Doing it
isn’t going to prevent all crime, and you know it.
Perfectionist fallacy
20.
No, I don’t think I believe in “three strikes and you’re out” for convicted felons.
Next thing it will be two strikes, then one strike. Then we’ll be sticking people in
jail for life for misdemeanors. It’s not good policy.
Slippery slope
21.
You show me when a fetus wasn’t a person, just show me! Tell me exactly when it
is. When the baby is born? Well, why not just a day before that? Or the day before
that? Or the day before that? Where you gonna draw the line? You gotta say life
begins with conception.
A. Wishful thinking B. Line-drawing C. Two wrongs make a right D. Common practice
E. Poisoning the well
Line-drawing fallacy
25. Gays in the military? Either let ’em in, or keep out all minorities; take your
choice. I’m for letting them in. The alternative is ridiculous.
A. Ridicule B. Line-drawing C. Two wrongs make a right D. Common practice E.
Poisoning the well
False dilemma
26. Gays in the military? Are you familiar with the expression “OVER MY DEAD
BODY”?
A. Ridicule B. Line-drawing C. Two wrongs make a right D. Common practice E.
Poisoning the well
Ridicule
29. Gays in the military? Yes. There are no valid grounds for opposing the measure,
as can be seen in the fact that policies of nondiscrimination to gays are common
practice throughout Western democracies.
A. Ridicule B. Line-drawing C. Two wrongs make a right D. Common practice E.
Poisoning the well
Common practice
36. The next speaker is going to speak in favor of the idea. But she works for the gun
lobby. Don’t even bother listening to what she says.
A. Ridicule B. Line-drawing C. Two wrongs make a right D. Common practice E.
Poisoning the well
Poisoning the well
40. No, I don’t believe that Uncle Bob is really gone forever. He was like a father to
me, and I believe that someday, somehow or other, we’ll see one another again; I
don’t think I could go on if I didn’t believe that.
A. Wishful thinking B. Line-drawing C. Two wrongs make a right D. Common practice
E. Poisoning the well
Wishful thinking
44. I know it was not very nice to overcharge them like that for the room, but all’s fair
in love, war, and business, my dear. Besides, if the situation were reversed and we
were desperate for lodging, they would have bled us for all we’re worth.
A. Ridicule B. Line-drawing C. Two wrongs make a right D. Common practice E.
Poisoning the well
Two wrongs make a right