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| 1 | |
How likely is it that Ms. Green recycles, given that most professors are eco-conscious and Ms. Green is a professor? |
| | A) | very likely. |
| | B) | not very likely. |
| | C) | We don't have the information necessary to answer that question. |
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| 2 | |
Which of the following syllogisms is stronger? |
| | A) | Copper conducts electricity.
This is a piece of copper.
This piece of copper will conduct electricity. |
| | B) | Sixteen out of twenty people in this room are first-borns.
Shelly is in the room.
Shelly is a first-born. |
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| 3 | |
Is the followings statement true, or false? An inductive generalization moves from something we know about the target class to a claim about the sample. |
| | A) | true |
| | B) | false |
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| 4 | |
Is it correct or incorrect to state that the following shows the structure of an inductive syllogism?
Most Xs are Ys.
This is an X.
Therefore this X is a Y. |
| | A) | correct |
| | B) | incorrect |
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| 5 | |
Which of the following best describes when a random sample should be used in an inductive generalization? |
| | A) | A random sample should be used whenever the target class is heterogeneous. |
| | B) | A random sample should only be used as a last resort, since it is less reliable than a non-random sample. |
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| 6 | |
Which of the following best illustrates why we generally reject anecdotal evidence? |
| | A) | Though credible, an anecdote is only one experience and as such is statistically irrelevant. |
| | B) | Since it is based on personal experience, it introduces bias. |
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| 7 | |
Is the following statement true, or false? It is fair to say the same criteria used to evaluate inductive generalizations can also be used to evaluate analogies. |
| | A) | true |
| | B) | false |
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| 8 | |
Which of the following best differentiates a deductive argument from an inductive argument? |
| | A) | An inductive argument sets out to guarantee the truth of its conclusion based on the truth of its premises, while a deductive argument attempts to offer a probability that its conclusion is true based on the truth of its premises. |
| | B) | A deductive argument sets out to guarantee the truth of its conclusion based on the truth of its premises, while an inductive argument attempts to offer a probability that its conclusion is true based on the truth of its premises. |
| | C) | A deductive argument has true premises, while an inductive argument's premises only appear to be true. |
| | D) | A deductive argument is simply a very strong inductive argument. |
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| 9 | |
A biased sample is best described by which of the following? |
| | A) | It is a sample arrived at by someone who is biased against someone or something. |
| | B) | It is a sample that has been tampered with in some way. |
| | C) | It is a sample that does not accurately represent its class. |
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| 10 | |
Which of the following sentences concerning the concept margin of error is most accurate? |
| | A) | The smaller the sample size the smaller the margin of error. |
| | B) | The larger the sample size the smaller the margin of error. |
| | C) | The sample size is not directly related to the margin of error. |
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| 11 | |
A hasty generalization is |
| | A) | a generalization made too quickly and without thinking about all the intricacies. |
| | B) | a generalization that is made with a sample that is biased. |
| | C) | a generalization that is made with a sample that is too small. |
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| 12 | |
Which of the following best characterizes the difference between an inductive generalization and an analogy? |
| | A) | While an inductive generalization is an inductive argument, an analogy is a deductive argument. |
| | B) | In an inductive generalization, we generalize from a sample of a class or population to the entire class or population, while in an analogy we generalize from a sample of a class or population to another member of the class or population. |
| | C) | In an analogy, we generalize from a sample of a class or population to the entire class or population, while in an inductive generalization we generalize from a sample of a class or population to another member of the class or population. |
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| 13 | |
An appeal to anecdotal evidence is a form of which of these fallacies? |
| | A) | a biased sample |
| | B) | a causal fallacy |
| | C) | an ad hominem |
| | D) | a hasty generalization |
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| 14 | |
Which of the following best describes why a biased generalization is a fallacy? |
| | A) | Its sample is not representative of the target population. |
| | B) | Its sample is both too small and not representative of the target population. |
| | C) | It has too small a sample size to be meaningful. |
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| 15 | |
What is the relative strength of the argument in the following statement? "I'm scared to let Susan see me in this sweater. A couple of my other friends told me it makes me look like a child, and she's at least as critical as they are." |
| | A) | relatively weak |
| | B) | relatively strong |
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| 16 | |
What is the relative strength of the argument in the following statement? "We approached women in malls, college campuses, office buildings, and airports, until we had interviewed a thousand. Sixty-two percent told us they don't feel disadvantaged by being women. Even accounting for the error margin, that gives a clear majority who feel this way." |
| | A) | relatively weak |
| | B) | relatively strong |
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| 17 | |
What is the relative strength of the argument in the following statement? "You have to speak Sanskrit before you can say you know it. Would you believe someone who claimed to know Spanish or Russian and never spoke it? Sanskrit is a language just as they are." |
| | A) | relatively weak |
| | B) | relatively strong |
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| 18 | |
What is the relative strength of the argument in the following statement? "A watch could not assemble itself, because it's too complex. The universe is at least as complex as a watch. So the universe could not have assembled itself either." |
| | A) | relatively weak |
| | B) | relatively strong |
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| 19 | |
What is the relative strength of the argument in the following statement? "Senator Torriano walked down the street in Detroit asking people what they consider the most pressing issue in America. The first two said, 'high taxes.' When the third also complained about taxes, the Senator knew how to vote." |
| | A) | relatively weak |
| | B) | relatively strong |
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| 20 | |
What is the relative strength of the argument in the following statement? "A large proportion of people who read like to read something religious. Every day on the subway I count how many people are reading in my car; and a little over half of them have a Bible open in front of them, or the Koran, or some other religious publication." |
| | A) | relatively weak |
| | B) | relatively strong |
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| 21 | |
What is the relative strength of the argument in the following statement? "I'm painting our rooms green. When you go out into a field your eyes feel relaxed; that shows your eyes will feel relaxed in a green room, too." |
| | A) | relatively weak |
| | B) | relatively strong |
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| 22 | |
What is the relative strength of the argument in the following statement? "Since the mid-1960s, most nominations to the Supreme Court have been clearly ideological, and the Senate approved or rejected them on ideological grounds. The President has to make a new nomination now, so we're probably in for a fight." |
| | A) | relatively weak |
| | B) | relatively strong |
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| 23 | |
What is the relative strength of the argument in the following statement? Overheard: "Sparrows have little heads and they're not very smart. Dolphins and elephants have big heads, and so do people, and they're smart. So pigeons must be smarter than sparrows." |
| | A) | relatively weak |
| | B) | relatively strong |
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| 24 | |
What is the relative strength of the argument in the following statement? "Baseball is drama. You see new people each time in a new conflict; you never know what they'll do or how it will turn out; there's suspense." |
| | A) | relatively weak |
| | B) | relatively strong |
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| 25 | |
What is the relative strength of the argument in the following statement? "New evidence that Americans want drastic reform of Social Security: A random telephone poll of 250 people asked, 'Are you in favor of preserving Social Security from economic collapse through a reduction of benefits?' Fifty-four percent said yes." |
| | A) | relatively weak |
| | B) | relatively strong |
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| 26 | |
What is the relative strength of the argument in the following statement? "How can you say that people act out of self-interest? Didn't you read the story about the airplane that skidded off the runway into the ocean? One man kept passing the life preservers to other people so they would live instead of him." |
| | A) | relatively weak |
| | B) | relatively strong |
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