D265 - WGU - Critical Thinking - Reason and Evidence Review Questions and Answers

PROPOSITIONSAre statements that can be true or false NON-PROPOSITONSAre sentences that are not statements about matters of fact or fiction. They do not make a claim that can be true or false. SIMPLE PROPOSITIONSHave no internal logic structure, meaning whether they are true or false does not depend on whether a part of them is true or false. They are simply true or false on their own. (Example: Harry Potter wears glasses. The sky is blue.) COMPLEX PROPOSITIONSHave internal logic structure, meaning they are composed of simple propositions. Whether they are true or false depends on whether their parts are true or false. (Example: The sky is blue, but it does not look blue to me right now. The cat ate the food, but he did not like it. The GDP of Canada is either $3 trillion or $12 trillion.) Words used to identify Independent PropositionsAND, OR, EITHER, BUT, IF, THEN. CONCLUSION INDICATORSTHEREFORE, SO, IT FOLLOWS THAT, HENCE, THUS, ENTAILS THAT, WE MAY CONCLUDE THAT, IMPLIES THAT, WHEREFORE, AND AS A RESULT. PREMISE INDICATORSBECAUSE, FOR, GIVEN THAT, AS, SINCE, AS INDICATED BY. DEDUCTIVE ARGUMENTSArguments where the premises guarantee or necessitate the conclusion. -mathematical arguments, logical arguments, arguments from definition. INDUCTION ARGUMENTSArguments where the premises make the conclusion probable. -analogies, authority, causal inferences, extrapolations, etc. INFERENCE TO THE BEST EXPLANATION OR ABDUCTIONArguments where the best available explanation is chosen as the correct explanation. FORMAL FALLACYConcerns the structure of an argument