Doing Philosophy An Introduction Through Thought Experiments, Schick - Exam Preparation Test Bank (Downloadable Doc)

Ch01
Student: ___________________________________________________________________________

1. It is logically possible for an triangle to not have three interior angles.
True False
2. Is it logically possible for a brick to float in the air.
True False
3. Is it logically possible for pigs to fly.
True False
4. Is it logically possible to live to be 900 years old.
True False
5. Theories cannot be tested in isolation.
True False
6. Positive instances cannot conclusively confirm a theory.
True False
7. Philosophical theories cannot be tested.
True False
8. Philosophical problems are unsolvable because there are no right and wrong answers in philosophy.
True False
9. A thought experiment can be criticized if a variable other than the one under investigation could have
produced the result.
True False
10. Thought experiments are used in science as well as in philosophy.
True False
11. Something is logically impossible if and only if it violates the law of
A. noncontradiction
B. nature
C. God
D. eternity
E. infinity
12. Which of the following statements is a test implication for the theory that "all birds can fly"?
A. If all birds can fly, then penguins can fly.
B. Helicopters should be considered birds.
C. Penguins are not birds.
D. Penguins are birds or they can fly.
E. No insects are birds.
F. none of these
13. We can reject a thought experiment on the grounds that its
A. assumptions are unreasonable.
B. results are unfavorable.
C. situations are physically impossible.
D. outcome produces too much agreement.
E. none of these

,14. Tooley's Cat thought experiment argues against
A. the potentiality principle.
B. none of these
C. the possibility of animals being persons.
D. animal experimentation.
15. In Greek, "Philosophy" means love of
A. God.
B. mystery.
C. wisdom.
D. debate.
E. virtue.
16. Philosophical problems arise from the realization that some our most fundamental beliefs __ each
other.
A. reinforce
B. are disconnected from
C. are inconsistent with
D. provide explanations for
E. are derivable from
17. Thought experiments transform our intuitive understanding into a theoretical one by
A. produce results that yield wide-spread agreement
B. identifying the conditions for applying a concept
C. always contradicting common sense
D. none of these
18. Thomson's Diseased Musician thought experiment shows that
A. the question of whether the fetus is a person is irrelevant to the abortion controversy.
B. to be an agent, one must be in good health.
C. your mental capacity determines if you are a human or not.
D. society values practical professions over the arts.
E. the health care system does not treat all patients equally.
19. One of the motives for doing philosophy is to
A. lead a good life
B. withdraw yourself from the world
C. recognize that faith is the only guide to life
D. show that science cannot make successful predictions
E. none of these
20. Philosophical questions are
A. unavoidable.
B. unnecessary.
C. faith-inspired.
D. empirical.
E. superfluous.
21. "Entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity." is called
A. Occam's razor
B. law of noncontradiction
C. natural theology
D. heuristic principle
E. none of these

,22. Warren's Moral Space Travler thought experiment shows that
A. it's possible for a nonhuman to be a person.
B. humans have a higher moral status than persons.
C. you need a soul in order to be a human.
D. humans cannot be agents.
23. Philosophical theories try to explain how it is __ possible for a concept to apply.
A. logically
B. causally
C. socially
D. politically
E. psychologically
24. Scientific theories try to explain how it is __ possible for an event to take place.
A. logically
B. causally
C. socially
D. politically
E. psychologically
25. Which of the following is not one of the criteria of adequacy for an Inference to the Best Explanation?

A. Consistency
B. Complexity
C. Scope
D. Conservatism
E. Fruitfulness
26. In ethics, a being with full moral status is called
A. an agent.
B. a person.
C. a human.
D. a soul.
E. a citizen.
27. Not all conceivable situations (e.g., time travel) are logically possible because they may
A. contain hidden contradictions.
B. violate the laws of nature.
C. contradict the teachings of the world's great religions.
D. violate human rights.
E. none of these
28. Philosophical inquiry attempts to eliminate __ from our belief system.
A. God
B. evil
C. coherence
D. inconsistencies
E. truth
29. If two of our beliefs contradict one another, then we know
A. nothing.
B. that both are true.
C. that both are false.
D. that at least one of them is false.

, 30. The study of reality.
A. metaphysics
B. epistemology
C. axiology
D. logic
E. none of these
31. The study of knowledge.
A. metaphysics
B. epistemology
C. axiology
D. logic
E. none of these
32. The study of value.
A. metaphysics
B. epistemology
C. axiology
D. logic
E. none of these
33. The study of reasoning.
A. metaphysics
B. epistemology
C. axiology
D. logic
E. none of these
34. Causal possiblity is a __ for logical possibility.
A. necessary condition
B. sufficient condition
35. Being a cat is a __ for being a mammal.
A. necessary condition
B. sufficient condition
36. Being a reptile is a __ for being a lizard.
A. necessary condition
B. sufficient condition
37. Being a widow is a __ for being female.
A. necessary condition
B. sufficient condition
38. 80% of all engineers are male. Terry is an engineer. Therefore, Terry is male.
This argument form is
A. invalid.
B. modus ponens.
C. modus tollens.
D. hypothetical syllogism.
E. disjunctive syllogism.
F. enumerative induction.
G. analogical induction.