Philosophy 148 Take Home #1
NAME__________________
1. A belief is worth accepting if…
a. It is consistent with our needs
b. It has not been proven wrong
c. It is accepted by our peers
d. We have good reasons to accept it
2. An assertion that something is or is not the case is known as a(n)…
a. Predicate
b. Premise
c. Argument
d. Claim
3. Statements backed by good reasons are…
a. To be believed with certainty
b. Worthy of strong acceptance
c. Beyond doubt
d. Deserving of weak acceptance
4. A group of statements in which some of them (the premises) are intended to support
another of them (the conclusion) is known as a(n)…
a. Chain argument
b. Claim
c. Argument
d. Reason
5. Words that frequently accompany arguments and signal that a premise or conclusion is
present are known as…
a. Indicator words
b. Premises
c. Indicator verbs
d. Argument components
6. The function of an explanation is to try to…
a. Prove that a statement is true
b. Show why or how something is the way it is
c. Show that something is the case
d. Show that a statement is in dispute
7. Critical thinking concerns…
a. Determining the cause of our beliefs
b. Pinpointing the psychological basis of our beliefs
c. Determining the quality of our beliefs
d. Assessing the practical impact of our beliefs
8. A claim is…
a. A question or exclamation
b. An affirmation of prior beliefs
c. An assertion that something is or is not the case
d. An assertion that is neither true nor false
9. The statements (reasons) given in support of another statement are called…
a. An argument
b. The conclusion
c. The premises
d. The complement
10. In most extended argumentative passages. . .
a. Premises and conclusions make up a large portion of the total wordage.
b. Premises and conclusions make up only a small portion of the total wordage.
c. Premises and conclusions are usually clearly labeled.
d. Premises and conclusions are equal in number.
11. Critical thinking helps us defend against…
a. The need to think
b. Practical considerations
c. Error, manipulation, and prejudice
d. Understanding and learning
12. A premise is…
a. An unwarranted conclusion
b. A question
c. An argument
d. A statement
13. Statements should be believed when…
a. Most other people believe them
b. They are backed by good reasons
c. They are vague
d. They are supported by strong feelings
14. These two statements—“The Wall Street Journal says that people should invest
heavily in stocks. Therefore, investing in stocks is a smart move.”—constitute. . .
a. No argument
b. An explanation
c. An argument
d. Two conclusions
15. An explanation tells us…
a. Why or how something is the case
b. That something is the case
c. That a claim should be accepted
d. Why an argument should be believed
16. This sentence—“Going to war in Iraq was a mistake”—is an example of…
a. An argument
b. An argument with an implied premise
c. A premise back by reasons
d. A statement
17. This sentence—“Don’t believe anything the president says”—is…
a. A statement
b. Not a statement
c. An argument
d. An explanation
18. Why is it important to critically examine your beliefs?
19. How does an explanation differ from an argument?
20. What is the difference between sentences that do and do not express statements?
21. Category 1 obstacles to critical thinking are those that come into play because of …
a. Logical considerations
b. Physical impediments
c. Psychological factors
d. Deductive concerns
22. We push our self-interested thinking too far when we…
a. Use inductive reasoning
b. Reject claims after examining them
c. Accept claims for no good reason
d. Think for ourselves
23. Philosopher Bertrand Russell claimed that the passionate holding of an opinion is a
sure sign of…
a. Critical thinking
b. Careful evaluation of evidence
c. A lack of reasons to support the opinion
d. A deference to the opinions of others
24. A common flaw in reasoning is the failure to consider evidence or arguments that…
a. Do not support preferred claims or positions
b. Support preferred evidence or arguments
c. Are familiar or predictable
d. We have held previously
25. Drawing conclusions about people based on their group affiliation without sufficient
reasons is known as…
a. Appeal to common practice
b. Appeal to tradition
c. Peer pressure
d. Stereotyping
26. Normative Subjective relativism is the idea that …
a. Truth is relative to societies
b. Truth depends on what someone believes
c. There is a way the world is
d. Some objective truths are about our subjective states
27. Self-interest alone…
a. Cannot establish the truth of a claim
b. Cannot be controlled
c. Cannot affect our thinking
d. Cannot affect our motivations and desires
28. According to normative social relativism, the beliefs of a society…
a. Cannot be true
b. Cannot be false
c. Cannot be mistaken
d. Can be mistaken
29. For critical thinkers, the best way to deal with group pressure is to. . .
a. Proportion your belief to the strength of reasons
b. Proportion your belief to the strength of group influence
c. Reject claims endorsed by groups
d. Accept only claims endorsed by preferred groups
30. Seeming to see distinct images in vague visual stimuli is a form of…
a. Hypnogogic imagery
b. Pareidolia
c. Paranoia
d. Relativism
31. Research shows that memories…
a. Are highly reliable
b. Are unalterable
c. Are not exact copies of past events
d. Are reliable among eyewitnesses
32. The best way to ensure that we get the whole story about a topic in the news is to…
a. Read a variety of newspapers, newsmagazines, opinion journals, and websites
b. Read only material that supports our point of view
c. Ignore news reports that conflict with our political views
d. Seek out only evidence that we find reassuring
33. Prejudice is …
a. A belief or opinion that most people disagree with
b. A judgment or opinion that no one agrees with
c. A judgment or opinion based on insufficient reasons
d. A traditional belief
34. Normative Social relativism implies that…
a. Societies are often wrong
b. Societies are intolerant
c. Societies benefit from critical thinking
d. Societies are infallible
35. Normative Subjective relativism …
a. Promotes tolerance
b. Is self-defeating
c. Cannot be criticized
d. Is objective
36. A guideline that can help you escape self-interested thinking is…
a. Watch out when things get personal
b. Tell people what they want to hear
c. Be alert to ways that critical thinking can be undermined
d. Ensure that nothing has been left out
37. A set of fundamental ideas that helps us make sense of a wide range of important
issues in life is known as a(n)…
a. Prejudice
b. Duty
c. Inference
d. Worldview
38. How might a critical thinker counteract the phenomenon of selective attention?
39. How does the notion that we each create our own reality involve a logical
contradiction?
40. According to the text, what influence might face-saving have on your thinking?
41. A deductive argument is intended to provide…
a. Probable support for its conclusion
b. Persuasive support for its conclusion
c. Logically conclusive support for its conclusion
d. Tentative support for its conclusion
42. A deductive argument that succeeds in providing logically conclusive support is said
to be…
a. Strong
b. Probabilistic
c. Invalid
d. Valid
43. An inductive argument that succeeds in providing probable support for its conclusion
is said to be…
a. Strong
b. Valid
c. Invalid
d. Weak
44. A valid argument that has true premises is said to be…
a. Strong
b. Sound
c. Cogent
d. Probable
45. A valid argument cannot have…
a. True premises and a false conclusion
b. False premises and a false conclusion
c. False premises and a true conclusion
d. True premises and a true conclusion
46. The first step in uncovering implicit premises is to search for a credible premise that
would make the argument …
a. Strong
b. Complete
c. Valid
d. Plausible
47. The argument pattern known as modus ponens is …
a. Invalid
b. Strong
c. Valid
d. Weak
48. Modus ponens has this argument pattern…
a. If p, then q. q. Therefore, p.
b. If p, then q. If q, then r. Therefore, if p, then r.
c. Either p or q. Not p. Therefore, q.
d. If p, then q. p. Therefore, q.
49. The invalid argument form known as affirming the consequent has this pattern:
a. If p, then q. Not p. Therefore, not q.
b. Either p or q. Not p. Therefore, q.
c. If p, then q. p. Therefore, q.
d. If p, then q. q. Therefore, p.
50. The invalid argument form known as denying the antecedent has this pattern:
a. If p, then q. p. Therefore, q.
b. If p, then q. q. Therefore, p.
c. If p, then q. Not p. Therefore, not q.
d. If p, then q. If q, then r. Therefore, if p, then r.
51. This classic argument—“All men are mortal. Socrates is a man. Therefore, Socrates is
mortal”—is…
a. Inductively strong
b. Deductively cogent
c. Deductively invalid
d. Deductively valid
52. An argument with this form—“If p, then q. If q, then r. Therefore, if p, then r”—is
known as…
a. Modus tollens
b. Hypothetical syllogism
c. Modus ponens
d. Disjunctive syllogism
53. An argument with this form—“Either p or q. Not p. Therefore, q”—is known as…
a. Disjunctive syllogism
b. Hypothetical syllogism
c. Modus tollens
d. Dual syllogism
54. This argument—“If Buffalo is the capital of New York, then Buffalo is in New York.
Buffalo is in New York. Therefore, Buffalo is the capital of New York”—is an example
of. . .
a. Denying the antecedent
b. Disjunctive syllogism
c. Affirming the antecedent
d. Affirming the consequent
55. This argument—“If Einstein invented the steam engine, then he’s a great scientist.
Einstein did not invent the steam engine. Therefore, he is not a great scientist”—is an
example of. . .
a. Affirming the consequent
b. Affirming the antecedent
c. Denying the antecedent
d. Denying the consequent
56. This argument—“If there is a tax cut this year, the deficit will rise. There has already
been a tax cut. The deficit is sure to rise”—is…
a. Sound
b. Valid
c. Invalid
d. Weak
57. This argument—“If you’re eighteen, you’re eligible to vote. But you’re only
seventeen. You’re not eligible to vote”—is…
a. Invalid
b. Strong
c. Valid
d. Weak
58. What is the difference between a deductive argument’s truth and its validity? How are
these two related?
59. Diagram: (1) Most atheists are liberals, and (2) George is an atheist. Therefore, (3)
George is probably a liberal. (4) Therefore, George is probably in favor of increased
welfare benefits (5) because most liberals are in favor of increased welfare benefits.
60. Diagram: Conclusion: (1) [The] position is certainly untenable. Premises: (2) The
first thing that must occur to anyone studying normative moral subjectivism [the view
that the rightness or wrongness of an action depends on the beliefs of an individual or
group] seriously is that the view allows the possibility that an action can be both right and
not right, or wrong and not wrong, etc. (3) This possibility exists because, as we have
seen, the subjectivist claims that the moral character of an action is determined by
individual subjective states; and these states can vary from person to person, even when
directed toward the same action on the same occasion. (4) Hence one and the same action
can evidently be determined to havesimultaneouslyradically different moral
characters…