A CONCISE INTRODUCTION TO LOGIC
COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION TEST
COMPLETE QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS
●● 1.1 Basic Concepts
What is an Argument?
Answer: An argument, in its most basic form, is a group of statements,
one or more of which (the premises) are claimed to provide support for,
or reasons to believe, one of the others (the conclusion).
●● 1.1 Basic Concepts
What is a statement?
Answer: First of all, an argument is a group of statements. A statement is
a sen- tence that is either true or false—in other words, typically a
declarative sentence or a sentence component that could stand as a
declarative sentence.
●● 1.1 Basic Concepts
What is a Truth Value?
,Answer: Truth and falsity are called the two possible truth values of a
statement. Thus, the truth value of the first two statements is true, the
truth value of the second two is false, and the truth value of the last
statement, as well as that of its components, is true.
●● 1.1 Basic Concepts
What are not statements?
Answer: Unlike statements, many sentences cannot be said to be either
true or false. Questions, proposals, suggestions, commands, and
exclamations usually cannot, and so are not usually classified as
statements. The following sentences are not statements:
Where is Khartoum? question
Let's go to a movie tonight. proposal
I suggest you get contact lenses. suggestion
Turn off the TV right now. command
Fantastic! exclamation
●● 1.1 Basic Concepts
What is a premise and conclusion?
Answer: The premises are the statements that set forth the reasons or
evidence, and the conclusion is the statement that the evidence is
claimed to support or imply.
,●● 1.1 Basic Concepts
What are some Conclusion Indicators?
Answer: Some typical conclusion indicators are: therefore,wherefore
,thus ,consequently ,we may infer,
accordingly, we may conclude, it must be that, for this reason, so, entails
that, hence, it follows that, implies that, as a result
●● 1.1 Basic Concepts
What are some premise indicators?
Answer: Some typical premise indicators are: since, as indicated by,
because, for, in that, may be inferred from, as, given that, seeing that, for
the reason that, in as much as, owing to
●● 1.1 Basic Concepts
What must one do when there are no indicator words?
Answer: Some arguments contain no indicators. With these, the
reader/listener must ask such questions as: What single statement is
claimed (implicitly) to follow from the others? What is the arguer trying
to prove? What is the main point in the passage? The answers to these
questions should point to the conclusion.
, ●● 1.2 Recognizing Arguments
What are two conditions must be fulfilled for a passage to purport to
prove something?
Answer: 1. At least one of the statements must claim to present evidence
or reasons.
2. There must be a claim that the alleged evidence supports or implies
something—
that is, a claim that something follows from the alleged evidence or
reasons.
●● 1.2 Recognizing Arguments
What is a factual claim?
Answer:
●● 1.2 Recognizing Arguments
What is an inferential claim?
Answer: The inferential claim is simply the claim that the passage
expresses a certain kind of reasoning process—that something supports
or implies something or that something follows from something.
COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION TEST
COMPLETE QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS
●● 1.1 Basic Concepts
What is an Argument?
Answer: An argument, in its most basic form, is a group of statements,
one or more of which (the premises) are claimed to provide support for,
or reasons to believe, one of the others (the conclusion).
●● 1.1 Basic Concepts
What is a statement?
Answer: First of all, an argument is a group of statements. A statement is
a sen- tence that is either true or false—in other words, typically a
declarative sentence or a sentence component that could stand as a
declarative sentence.
●● 1.1 Basic Concepts
What is a Truth Value?
,Answer: Truth and falsity are called the two possible truth values of a
statement. Thus, the truth value of the first two statements is true, the
truth value of the second two is false, and the truth value of the last
statement, as well as that of its components, is true.
●● 1.1 Basic Concepts
What are not statements?
Answer: Unlike statements, many sentences cannot be said to be either
true or false. Questions, proposals, suggestions, commands, and
exclamations usually cannot, and so are not usually classified as
statements. The following sentences are not statements:
Where is Khartoum? question
Let's go to a movie tonight. proposal
I suggest you get contact lenses. suggestion
Turn off the TV right now. command
Fantastic! exclamation
●● 1.1 Basic Concepts
What is a premise and conclusion?
Answer: The premises are the statements that set forth the reasons or
evidence, and the conclusion is the statement that the evidence is
claimed to support or imply.
,●● 1.1 Basic Concepts
What are some Conclusion Indicators?
Answer: Some typical conclusion indicators are: therefore,wherefore
,thus ,consequently ,we may infer,
accordingly, we may conclude, it must be that, for this reason, so, entails
that, hence, it follows that, implies that, as a result
●● 1.1 Basic Concepts
What are some premise indicators?
Answer: Some typical premise indicators are: since, as indicated by,
because, for, in that, may be inferred from, as, given that, seeing that, for
the reason that, in as much as, owing to
●● 1.1 Basic Concepts
What must one do when there are no indicator words?
Answer: Some arguments contain no indicators. With these, the
reader/listener must ask such questions as: What single statement is
claimed (implicitly) to follow from the others? What is the arguer trying
to prove? What is the main point in the passage? The answers to these
questions should point to the conclusion.
, ●● 1.2 Recognizing Arguments
What are two conditions must be fulfilled for a passage to purport to
prove something?
Answer: 1. At least one of the statements must claim to present evidence
or reasons.
2. There must be a claim that the alleged evidence supports or implies
something—
that is, a claim that something follows from the alleged evidence or
reasons.
●● 1.2 Recognizing Arguments
What is a factual claim?
Answer:
●● 1.2 Recognizing Arguments
What is an inferential claim?
Answer: The inferential claim is simply the claim that the passage
expresses a certain kind of reasoning process—that something supports
or implies something or that something follows from something.
