week 9 knowledge check study guide

Score: / 27 28Week 9 Knowledge Check Study Guide

Concepts Mastery Questions

Accurately Identifying thePrinciple Issue 100% 1 2 27

Correctly IdentifyingExamples of Bias 100% 3

Identifying Vague orAmbiguous Writing 100% 4 5 6

Assessing Credibility 100% 7 8 9

Recognizing RhetoricalDevices 100% 10 11 12

Correctly IdentifyingFallacies 100% 13 14 15

Identifying Arguments 100% 16 17 18

Analyzing Premises andConclusions 67% 19 20 28

Correctly Identifying ValidArguments 100% 21 22 23

Recognizing the Use ofMoral Reasoning 100% 24 25 26

Concept: Accurately Identifying the Principle Issue

Mastery 100% Questions 1 2 27

1.

What is the term for a point being debated; or, in other words, a question that is raisedwhen assessing the truth or falsity of a statement?

A. Argument

B. Issue

Correct:The Correct Answer is: B.

An issue is the question raised. It is the basis for an argument.

C. Opinion

D. Reason

2.

Generally speaking, which of these statements best represents the relationship betweenissues and topics of conversation?

A. A topic of conversation often has several issues at stake.

B. An issue often has several topics of conversation at stake.

C. A topic never contains issues.

D. An issue is just a topic.

Correct:The Correct Answer is: A.

The topic up for discussion—for example the beauty of a sunset—may involveseveral issues, such as, "Is aesthetic appreciation worth developing?" or "Is it goodto spend time observing nature?".

27.

In which of the following are the two speakers addressing the same issue?

A. Big: Don’t worry about coming into the pool. It’s onlyeight feet. Little: That doesn’t make me feel any safer.You could drown in your bathtub.

B. First critic: I can’t believe Jay opened his reading withthat terrible poem. What a disaster! Second critic: Oh, itwasn’t so bad. He had his Italian suit on.

C. Owner: How could you slam the door like that? It’s notyour car. Rider: I know.


Both sides address the issue, although they have different standards of water safety.Both give arguments, even though brief, for their positions.

D. Pro: These new term limits will give us better-electedofficials. Well finally have a choice other than thecandidates the party machine trots out for us. Con: I don’tsee how it can be democratic for the people who passedthese term limits to restrict other voters’ choices.

Concept: Correctly Identifying Examples of Bias

Mastery 100% Questions 3

3.


Bias is what allows beliefs to color our perception of facts. Bias skewsunderstanding based on personal experiences.

What term would describe an inappropriate personal motive that casts doubts on one'sown observations, the firsthand observations reported by someone else, or the claims ofan expert?

A. Bias

B. Background information

C. Initial plausibility

D. Personal observation

Correct:The Correct Answer is: C.

"Late-night" may not have a precise definition, but it's clear enough to say that thereis no real vagueness in the statement.

Concept: Identifying Vague or Ambiguous Writing


4.

How would you assess the vagueness of the following statement? "Please do not makeany more late-night phone calls."

A. Vague in itself

B. Vague comparison

C. No vagueness


If the comparison refers to the total alcohol in one shot of whiskey with one wholebottle of beer, it may be true (but if that is what is meant, such details ought to beprovided). If other claims are implied, such as potential for abuse, or relative rates ofabsorption, the claim requires more information.

5.

How would you assess the vagueness of the following statement? "Whiskey is no worsefor you than beer."

A. Vague in itself

B. Vague comparison

C. No vagueness

6.


Given that a hammer is an object made to hit things with, "improperly" needs a moreprecise definition. Does it refer to propping up a car with the hammer? Or, is it“improper” if you try pounding nails into concrete walls?

How would you assess the vagueness of the following statement? "This warrantybecomes void if the owner uses the hammer improperly."

A. Vague in itself

B. Vague comparison

C. No vagueness

Concept: Assessing Credibility


7.

Which of the following statements regarding credibility is FALSE?

A. It is generally reasonable to accept an unsupported claimif it does not conflict with your own observations, yourbackground knowledge, or with other credible claims andif it comes from a credible source that you do not suspectof bias.

B. It is fair to say that some people, because of theirparticular training, are better than the average person atmaking reliable observations.

C. In general, the more knowledgeable a person is about agiven subject, the more reason there is to accept what theperson says about it.

D. In general, it is safe to assume that claims made by thenews media can be accepted as true without beingsuspicious.

Correct:The Correct Answer is: D.

Interested parties influence, and often manipulate, the news media. Advertisers,owners, and managers may pressure reporters to report in a biased way. Also,people in the news (like everyone) have personal biases and make mistakes.Therefore, reserving judgment, at least in controversial cases, is a prudent tacticwhen consuming news media.

8.

A claim’s "initial plausibility" is assessed by which of the following?

A. By assessing how well the claim fits with yourbackground information

B. By assessing your “gut reaction” to the claim

C. By assessing the credibility of the person making theclaim

D. By assessing the first one or two arguments that arepresented for the claim


Typically, the first response we have to a claim comes from evaluating it againstbeliefs and knowledge we already have (especially since the beliefs we've justifiedin the past fit into a whole "web of beliefs"). For a new claim to "fit" reasonably wellwith these provides initial plausibility.

9.

Does the following claim have any initial plausibility; and if not, what is the conflict?"Vomiting is your body’s way of getting rid of something harmful."

A. Some initial plausibility; conforms to our observationsand/or background information

B. Low initial plausibility; conforms to our values

C. No initial plausibility; conflicts with backgroundinformation


This claim has some initial plausibility from our personal observation andbackground—but it’s not a perfect fit because it may conflict with other backgroundinformation about causes of vomiting that work independently of the presence ofharmful substances in the stomach, such as motion sickness.

D. No initial plausibility; conflicts with both observationand background information

Concept: Recognizing Rhetorical Devices


10.

Read this statement: “We think the Chicago office may be the weakest producer in theentire company.” This statement is an example of which rhetorical device?


The words “may be” weasels the statement by weakening the claim.

A. Downplayer

B. Weaseler

C. Dysphemism

D. Euphemism

11.

Read this statement: "You can’t sleep with the covers over your head. All the medicaljournals will tell you that it is harmful." This statement is an example of which rhetoricaldevice?

A. Innuendo

Proof surrogate


Well, what do the medical journals say? Where are the references? Merely claimingthat medical journals support your point is worthless as a proof.

B.

C. Weaseler

D. Euphemism

12.

Read this statement: "Rather than raising taxes, we will fund this new program throughrevenue enhancements from the sale of beer and cigarettes." This statement could beconsidered a kind of which rhetorical device?

A. Rhetorical definition

B. Proof surrogate


The term "revenue enhancement" is being used to hide the fact that they are stilltalking about raising taxes.

C. Weaseler

D. Euphemism

Concept: Correctly Identifying Fallacies


13.

Which of the following terms refers to the fallacy otherwise known as an appeal to vanity?

A. Appeal to popularity

Common practice


Praising a person's admirable qualities and accomplishments is often superfluousand irrelevant to an argument. The reason people do it is often to manipulate thatperson's emotions so that the person will be more amenable to accepting theirconclusion.

B.

C. Apple polishing

D. Two wrongs make a right

14.

Which of the following terms is a rhetorical device which attacks the arguer instead of theargument?

A. Slippery slope


When analyzing an argument, the internal claim’s premises are fair game for attack.The qualities of the person making the argument are not fair game because theyaren't pertinent to the argument itself. Doing so is ad hominem.

B. Begging the question

C. False dilemma

D. Ad hominem

15.

Read the following statement: "Either join in political life or resign yourself to a lonely andmeaningless existence." This is an example of which rhetorical device?

A. False dilemma

B. Circumstantial ad hominem


There are, in fact, other choices for living a meaningful life with company other thanpolitics. This is a false dilemma.

C. Appeal to ignorance

D. Poisoning the well

Concept: Identifying Arguments


16.

Which of the following statements best differentiates a deductive argument from aninductive argument?

A.

An inductive argument sets out to guarantee the truth ofits conclusion based on the truth of its premises, while adeductive argument attempts to offer a probability that itsconclusion is true based on the truth of its premises.

B. A deductive argument sets out to guarantee the truth ofits conclusion based on the truth of its premises, while aninductive argument attempts to offer a probability that itsconclusion is true based on the truth of its premises.

C. A deductive argument has true premises, while aninductive argument’s premises only appear to be true.

D. A deductive argument is simply a very strong inductiveargument.


Deductive arguments either succeed or fail to prove their conclusions—they areblack or white, with no shades of gray. The link between the premises andconclusion is certain. Inductive arguments merely support their conclusions to somedegree. They are never black or white, but always shades of gray. The link betweenthe premises and the conclusion in inductive arguments is based on probability.

17.

What would you call a type of argument that is inductive and uses the properties of agroup to establish the property of another thing that resembles the members of thatgroup?

A. Anecdotal

B. Hasty

C. Generalized


Analogical arguments include premises that claim one or more items have a givenproperty and a conclusion that claims a similar item or items have the sameproperty.

D. Analogical

18.

What type of argument has a premise that describes the property of a sample and whoseconclusion extends that premise to a larger class containing that sample, or to an itemoutside the sample?

A. Inductive

B. Deductive

C. Rhetorical


An inductive argument infers that because the sample group has a given property, alarger group of that same category will have the same properties. The premises willsupport the conclusion such that if the premises are true, it is not likely theconclusion will be false.

D. Generalized

Concept: Analyzing Premises and Conclusions


19.

Which of the following words is a good example of a premise indicator?

A. Since

Incorrect:The Correct Answer is: A.

"Since" points to the claim or claims given as reasons for accepting the conclusion.

B. Therefore

C. For

D. Because

20.

An argument with true premises that provides absolute proof of the truth of the conclusionwould be called what?

A. A weak argument

B. A good argument

C. An invalid argument

Correct:The Correct Answer is: E.

Validity has to do with the structure, or "shape," of the argument. Truth has to do withwhat the argument is about. Even if every premise in the content of the argumentwere true, they wouldn't support the conclusion if they weren't in the right structure.For example, "All cats are mammals. All cats meow. Therefore, all mammals meow."is not a valid construction, so even though the premises are true, they do not supportthe conclusion. An argument has to be both valid and have all true premises toprovide absolute proof of the conclusion. It must be "sound."

D. A strong argument

E. A valid argument

28.

Which of the following words is a good example of a conclusion indicator?

A. Since


"Therefore" points to the claim the argument was constructed to prove.

B. Therefore

C. For

D. Because

Concept: Correctly Identifying Valid Arguments


21.

In most general terms, what word do we use for a deductive argument whose premises,while true, do not necessarily prove its conclusion?

Weak


There are only two places to check an argument: the form and the content. If thecontent has all true premises, then the form, or shape, of the argument must not be avalid one. If the form is valid, then at least one of the premises must be false for it tobe possible to yield a false conclusion.

A.

B. Good

C. Invalid

D. Strong

22.

Which of the following types of arguments are evaluated using the terms and valid invalid?


Validity pertains to the structure, or "shape," of the argument.

A. Inductive

B. Deductive

C. Rhetorical

23.

Which of the following types of arguments are evaluated using the terms and sound?unsound

A. Inductive

B. Deductive

C. Rhetorical


Soundness pertains to the content of the valid argument, what it is about.

Concept: Recognizing the Use of Moral Reasoning


24.

Which of the following do you think a justification for a law requiring motorcyclists to wearhelmets would most likely be based on?

A. Legal paternalism

B. The harm principle

C. Legal moralism

The offense principle


The idea of forcing people, with threat of punishment, to do what's in their own bestinterest is legal paternalism.

D.

25.

Which moral theory would probably justify the following question:"Should I commitadultery just this once, if no one will ever find out?"

A. Utilitarianism

B. Deontology

C. Absolutism

D. Virtue ethics


Simple utilitarianism, the correct answer, would probably not condemn this action(unless the person thought a secret act of adultery would have harmful effects). Dutytheory prohibits it: If you tried to universalize the principle, you'd be saying that thereshould be no such thing as marriage, which logically makes adultery impossible.Religious absolutism may appeal to a doctrine that prohibits adultery. Virtue theorydoes not especially lend itself to an answer.

26.

Which moral theory would probably justify the following statement:"Sure, we might benefitfrom expanding Highway 99. But seizing a person’s property against his or her wishes isjust wrong. Period."

A. Utilitarianism

B. Deontology


Deontology promotes doing what is right and does not support treating people as ameans to an end.

C. Religious absolutism

D. Virtue ethics

week 9 knowledge check study guide

Documents

correct answer

identifying arguments

theprinciple issue

topic of conversation

topics of conversation

vague comparisonc

following statement

passedthese term limits