A Logical Argument Always Includes

Question: What does a logical argument always include?
Choose the correct answer below.
A.
At least one premise and one fallacy. An argument uses a set of facts or assumptions, called premises, to support a fallacy.
B.
At least one premise and one conclusion. An argument uses a set of facts or assumptions, called conclusions, to support a premise.
C.
At least one premise and one conclusion. An argument uses a set of facts or assumptions, called premises, to support a conclusion.
D.
At least one fallacy and one conclusion. An argument uses a set of facts or assumptions, called fallacies, to support a conclusion.
E.
At least one fallacy and one conclusion. An argument uses a set of facts or assumptions, called conclusions, to support a fallacy.
F.
At least one premise and one fallacy. An argument uses a set of facts or assumptions, called fallacies, to support a premise.
Answer: Correct Answer:
C.
At least one premise and one conclusion. An argument uses a set of facts or assumptions, called premises, to support a conclusion.
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Question: Which of the following could not qualify as a logical argument? Explain your reasoning.
Choose the correct answer below.
A.
A series of statements in which the conclusion comes before the premises. In a logical argument, the premises need to come before the conclusion.
B.
A list of premises that do not lead to a conclusion. A logical argument needs to have a conclusion.
C.
A list of premises that do not lead to a conclusion. A logical argument cannot have more than one premise.
D.
A series of statements that generate heated debate. If the statements lead to a heated debate, then the people who are debating are not thinking logically.
E.
A series of statements that generate heated debate. If the statements lead to a heated debate, then the statements are not a logical argument.
F.
A series of statements in which the conclusion comes before the premises. When the conclusion comes before the premises, the argument is actually a fallacy.
Answer: Correct Answer:
B.
A list of premises that do not lead to a conclusion. A logical argument needs to have a conclusion.
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Question: Choose the best answer to complete the following sentence. Explain your reasoning.
When does the fallacy of appeal to ignorance occur?
Choose the correct answer below.
A.
A conclusion p is disregarded because the person who stated it is ignorant. If the person stating conclusion p is ignorant, then their argument cannot be logical and must be a fallacy.
B.
The fact that a statement p is true is taken to imply that the opposite of p must be true. This fallacy comes from the assumption that the person reading the statement p is not ignorant about logic, and knows that the opposite of p must be false.
C.
A conclusion p is disregarded because the person who stated it is ignorant. Anything stated by a person who is ignorant must be a fallacy.
D.
The fact that we cannot prove a statement p to be true is taken to imply that p is false. A lack of proof that a statement is true does not mean that the statement is false.
E.
The fact that we cannot prove a statement p to be true is taken to imply that p is false. A lack of proof that a statement is true implies that the statement is false.
F.
The fact that a statement p is true is taken to imply that the opposite of p must be true. This fallacy comes from the assumption that the person reading the statement p is ignorant about logic, and doesn't know that the opposite of p must be false.
Answer: Correct Answer:
D.
The fact that we cannot prove a statement p to be true is taken to imply that p is false. A lack of proof that a statement is true does not mean that the statement is false.
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Question: Consider the argument "I don't support the President's tax plan because I don't trust his motives." What is this argument an example of? Explain your reasoning.
Choose the correct answer below.
A.
This is an argument that uses the fallacy of personal attack. Even if the premise "I don't trust the President's motives" is true, it is irrelevant to the tax plan and attacks the President personally.
B.
This is an argument that uses the fallacy of personal attack. Even if the premise "I don't support the President's tax plan" is true, it is irrelevant to the President's motives and attacks the President personally.
C.
This is an argument that uses the fallacy of appeal to emotion. The premise "I don't trust his motives" is supposed to evoke an emotional response to distract from the issue.
D.
This is an argument that uses the fallacy of appeal to emotion. The premise "I don't trust the President's motives" is supposed to evoke an emotional response to persuade the listener to accept the conclusion as true.
E.

F.

Answer: Correct Answer:
A.
This is an argument that uses the fallacy of personal attack. Even if the premise "I don't trust the President's motives" is true, it is irrelevant to the tax plan and attacks the President personally.
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Question: Suppose that the fact that an event A occurs before event B is used to conclude that A caused B. What is this an example of? Explain your reasoning.
Choose the correct answer below.
A.

B.
Hasty generalization. The assumption is that because A came before B a few times, A must cause B. This is not necessarily the case.
C.

D.
Hasty generalization. The assumption is that because A came before B a few times, A must be caused by B. This is not necessarily the case.
E.
An argument that uses the fallacy of false cause. The fact that one event came before another event is not evidence that the first event is caused by the second event.
F.
An argument that uses the fallacy of false cause. The fact that one event came before another event is not evidence that the first event caused the second event.
Answer: Correct Answer:
F.
An argument that uses the fallacy of false cause. The fact that one event came before another event is not evidence that the first event caused the second event.
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