Practice Midterm Exam W2023 PDF

# Practice Midterm Exam ## Welcome to the practice midterm exam! ## Instructions and Information - This practice exam is optional and does not factor into your course grade. - You may complete it on your own or together with others. - You may complete it as many times as you like. The midterm e...

# Practice Midterm Exam ## Welcome to the practice midterm exam! ## Instructions and Information - This practice exam is optional and does not factor into your course grade. - You may complete it on your own or together with others. - You may complete it as many times as you like. The midterm exam will be similar to this practice exam in format, sections, number of questions per section, and overall level of difficulty. - Like the midterm exam, this exam is linear, which means once you've submitted an answer to a question, you cannot return to that question. - Please double check your answers before moving on. - You have two hours to complete the exam. - If you have accommodations for extra time for the midterm exam, you should have the same accommodations on this practice exam. - If your accommodations on this practice midterm exam appear to be incorrect, please let us know. - After you submit the exam, you can view your results. ## Part 1: Arguments and their Properties ### 1 Consider the following argument: - (P1) If you went to Italy, then you ate gelato. - (P2) You didn't eat gelato. - (C) Therefore, you didn't go to Italy. What argument form does this argument exemplify? - A. modus ponens - B. **modus tollens** - C. denying the antecedent - D. affirming the consequent ### 2 Does the following text contain an argument? You cannot use a self-reported absence for the midterm exam. The reason is that a self-reported absence can only be used for course components worth less than 30% of one's final grade for that course, and the midterm exam is worth more than 30%. - A. No - B. **Yes** ### 3 Fill in the blank: All arguments whose conclusions are tautologies are _____. - A. valid - B. invalid - C. sound - D. **inductively strong** ### 4 Fill in the blank: An argument that _____ must be sound. (Select all correct answers.) - **A. has true premises and a true conclusion** - **B. is valid and has a true premise** - C. has inconsistent premises and a true conclusion - D. has a conclusion that is also one of its premises and all true premises - **E. has true premises and a conclusion that is necessarily true** ### 5 Consider the following argument: I have two dogs. My two dogs are not dogs but rather cats. Therefore, I have three cats. Fill in the blank: This argument is _____. - A. valid and sound - B. valid and unsound - C. **invalid and unsound** - D. invalid and sound ### 6 Consider the following argument: If abortion is common in Canada, then it is not morally wrong. Abortion is common in Canada. Therefore, it is not morally wrong. What argument form does this argument exemplify? - A. **modus ponens** - B. modus tollens - C. affirming the consequent - D. denying the antecedent ### 7 What is the form of the following argument? Where's Frances? Either they're at the ice rink or they're at the ski slopes. They're not at the ice rink. So I suppose they must be at the ski slopes. - A. modus ponens - B. modus tollens - **C. hypothetical syllogism** - D. disjunctive syllogism - E. dilemma - F. reductio ### 8 What is the form of the following argument? If you don't eat your breakfast, then you will starve. You didn't starve. Therefore, you didn't not eat your breakfast. - A. modus ponens - B. modus tollens - C. hypothetical syllogism - D. disjunctive syllogism - E. dilemma - **F. reductio ad absurdum** ### 9 Is this a valid argument form? A or B. Not-A. If B, then C. Therefore, D. - A. Yes - **B. No** ### 10 Is this a valid argument form? All Fs are Gs. No Gs are Hs. o is an F. Therefore, o is not an H. - **A. Yes** - B. No ### 11 The following argument has an implicit premise. What is it? (P1) Getting a dog is good for your health. (C) You should get a dog. - A. Dogs are not bad for your health. - **B. Dogs are good for your health.** - C. You should do things that are good for your health. - D. Dogs are better than avocados. ### 12 Fill in the blank: According to the intuitive notion of a good argument, having true premises is _____ for being a good argument. - **A. necessary but not sufficient** - B. sufficient but not necessary - C. necessary and sufficient - D. neither necessary nor sufficient ### 13 Consider the following argument: Every living thing owns a cell phone. The computer you are now working on is a living thing. Therefore, it owns a cell phone. Which of the following are true of this argument? - **A. It is valid.** - **B. It is sound.** - **C. It is inductively strong.** - D. It is a good argument. - **E. It has at least one false premise.** ### 14 Consider the following argument: (P1) Customers Medicine Mart is the only place in town that sells rapid COVID tests. (P2) Sylvia wants to buy a rapid COVID test. (C) Therefore, Sylvia will go to Customers Medicine Mart. Which of the below premises would most decrease the inductive strength of the argument? - A. Sylvia thinks the customer service at Customers Medicine Mart is fine. - B. Sylvia also wants to buy one of Customers Medicine Mart's store-brand chocolate bars. - **C. Sylvia just found out that Customers Medicine Mart is sold out of COVID tests.** - D. Sylvia just found out that Customers Medicine Mart is having a big sale on COVID tests. - E. Sylvia's best friend works at Customers Medicine Mart. ### 15 Consider this argument: Fred got a C- on his midterm for his philosophy course. This is not surprising, since he usually gets C-range grades in his courses. Once in a while, however, he gets a B- and once, a few semesters ago, he even got a B. I think it's very likely that Fred will get at least a B+ in his philosophy course. Fill in the blank: This argument is _____. (Select all correct answers.) - **A. inductive** - **B. deductive** - **C. valid** - D. invalid - **E. inductively strong** ### 16 What kind of argument is this? Nasrin loves to ski. Skiing conditions are perfect today, and I know she has a day off work. So she's probably skiing right now. - **A. inductive** - B. deductive ### 17 Consider the following argument: (P1) Arianna drinks more than 2 alcoholic beverages every day. (P2) Drinking more than two alcoholic beverages every day is associated with increased risk in various kinds of cancer. (C) Arianna will get cancer. Is it possible to add a premise to this argument that would make it valid? - **A. Yes** - B. No ### 18 Consider the following argument: All fish make great pets. Great white sharks do not make great pets. Therefore, great white sharks are not fish. Fill in the blank: This argument is _____. - A. valid and sound - B. valid and unsound - C. invalid and sound - **D. invalid and unsound** ### 19 This argument has an implicit conclusion. What is it? Eating more salad will help lower your blood pressure. What's more, it will help you get more vitamins. - **A. You should aim to lower your blood pressure.** - B. You should aim to get more vitamins. - C. You have high blood pressure. - D. You should eat more salad. ### 20 Does the following text contain an argument? I've always wanted a dog. My parents never wanted me to have one, though. Yesterday, I moved into my own place. The first thing I did was go to the animal shelter and pick out my new best friend! I chose a small fluffy dog. Small dogs are better because they can't make as much of a mess around the house. - **A. Yes** - B. No ### 21 Does the following text contain an argument? Brother is six foot tall. Sister is almost seven foot tall. Mom and Dad are around six and a half foot tall. So, as you can see, we have a tall family! - A. Yes - **B. No** ### 22 This text contains an argument. What is the argument's main conclusion? School closures are only one of many ways to slow down the spread of COVID. School closures hurt children. When schools close, children feel disconnected from their peers. Their learning suffers, too. Since school closures are so harmful and there are other ways to slow the spread of COVID, we should turn to these other ways first. - A. School closures are only one of many ways to slow down the spread of COVID. - B. School closures hurt children. - C. School closures are harmful. - **D. We should turn to ways of slowing the spread of COVID other than school closures before we turn to school closures.** ### 23 This text contains a multi-layered argument. Jaclyn really needs to go to the hospital. Her oxygen is really low, so she needs to be put on oxygen therapy. Also, she probably has a very bad infection, so she might need intravenous antibiotics. Which of the following are premises in this argument? (Select all correct answers.) - **A. Jaclyn really needs to go to the hospital.** - **B. Jaclyn's oxygen is really low.** - **C. Jaclyn needs to be put on oxygen therapy.** - **D. Jacyln probably has a very bad infection.** - **E. Jaclyn might need intravenous antibiotics.** ### 24 Is the following claim true or false? Critical thinking is theoretical knowledge of a set of rules for correct reasoning. - **True** - False ### 25 Which of the following are statements? - **A. The cat is on the mat.** - B. Come here now! - C. Why didn't you come here now? - D. There is no chance that I will go to your party. - **E. I love pizza.** - F. Cat. - G. Yay! ### 26 Suppose an argument has a true conclusion. What follows from this information? - A. The argument is valid but may or may not be sound. - **B. The argument is valid and sound.** - C. The argument is inductively strong. - D. none of the above ### 27 Consider the following argument text, paying attention to the words in bold. Hiya Unrotten is a meal delivery service that sends you weekly meal kits. **Each** meal kit contains all the ingredients you'll need to make one meal. **You** should give it a try! **For one**, you can avoid visiting the grocery store as often. **This is because** you'll have food delivered to your door for several meals a week. Also, you'll learn to cook new meals. **That's because** the meals you'll receive are likely to be ones you've never tried before. **Finally**, perhaps surprisingly, you'll find yourself wasting less food. **The reason why** is you'll only receive the quantities of ingredients you'll need. When you shop at the grocery store, you don't always get precisely the quantities of ingredients you'll need. **So** there you have it! Which of the bolded words or phrases serve as premise indicators in this text? - **A. each** - **B. you should** - **C. for one** - **D. this is because** - **E. also** - **F. that's because** - **G. finally** - **H. the reason why** - **I. so** ### 28 Consider the following argument: Freya has not decided on a major. But she likes thinking about arguments. And she likes thinking about deep, philosophical questions, like why something exists rather than nothing or whether our minds are just our brains. It sounds like she would enjoy majoring in philosophy. So, she should! Suppose you want to put this argument in standard form. What is the best way of the options below to express the main conclusion? - A. Freya would enjoy majoring in philosophy. - **B. Freya should major in philosophy.** - C. So, she should. - D. Freya likes thinking about arguments. ### 29 Consider again the argument from the previous question: Freya has not decided on a major. But she likes thinking about arguments. And she likes thinking about deep, philosophical questions, like why something exists rather than nothing or whether our minds are just our brains. It sounds like she would enjoy majoring in philosophy. So, she should! What is an implicit premise in this argument? - A. Freya has no other option than to major in philosophy. - **B. What you enjoy is a major factor determining what you should major in.** - C. Freya always follows her heart in whatever she does. - D. Deep, philosophical questions are important. ### 30 Which of the following arguments are valid? - **A. If Spikey is a groundhog, she is a mammal. Spikey is not a groundhog. So, she is not a mammal.** - B. If Spikey is a groundhog, she is a mammal. Spikey is a mammal. So, she is a groundhog. - C. If Spikey is a groundhog, she is a mammal. Spikey is not a mammal. So, she is not a groundhog. - D. If Spikey is a groundhog, she is a mammal. Spikey is not a groundhog. So, she is a mammal. - **E. If Spikey is not a groundhog, then she is not a mammal. Spikey is not a groundhog. So, she is not a mammal.** ### 31 Athanasia wants to live forever. Elpida tells her: "You can't avoid death. After all, no one has avoided death so far." Fill in the blank: Elpida's argument is _____. (Select all correct answers.) - **A. valid** - **B. inductively strong** - **C. sound** - D. none of the above ### 32 Suppose an argument is sound. What do we know for sure given this information? - **A. The argument is valid.** - **B. The argument's premises are true.** - **C. The argument's conclusion is true.** - **D. The argument has premises that are relevant to its conclusion.** - **E. The argument is inductively strong.** - F. The argument is not inductively strong. ### 33 Suppose an argument is invalid. What do we know for sure given this information? - A. The argument's conclusion is false. - B. The argument's premises are false. - C. The argument has at least one false premise. - **D. The argument has at least one invalidating counterexample.** - **E. It is logically possible for the premises to be true while the conclusion is false.** ### 34 Consider the following text: Yesterday, I tried InstantBasket, a grocery shopping service. Everything was really expensive, and I felt that my tip was inadequate for all the work the shopper did. But I couldn't afford to tip more, so now I feel awful. All in all, it was a terrible service. For these reasons and more, InstantBasket is terrible. Does this text contain an argument? - **A. Yes** - B. No ### 35 Suppose Argument A is inductively strong. Argument B is exactly the same as Argument A except that one premise has been removed (i.e., Argument B lacks one of Argument A's premises). What do we know for sure about Argument B? - A. Argument B is inductively stronger than Argument A. - **B. Argument B is inductively weaker than Argument A.** - C. Argument B and Argument A have the same inductive strength. - D. none of the above ### 36 Consider the following argument: I should not go study at the café. Last time I studied there it was too loud for me to focus. Every time I go to the café, I see my friends, we start talking, and I get no studying done. What is the conclusion of the argument? - **A. I should not go study at the café.** - B. Last time I studied at the café, it was too loud for me to focus. - C. Every time I go to the café, I see my friends, we start talking, and I get no studying done. - D. The café is a bad place for anyone to study. - E. If I go to the café, I will be distracted. ## Part 2: Necessary and Sufficient Conditions, Possibility and Necessity ### 1 Fill in the blank: Being divisible by 10 without remainder is _____ for being the number 20. - A. a necessary but not a sufficient condition - B. a sufficient but not a necessary condition - **C. both a necessary and a sufficient condition** - D. neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition ### 2 Which of the following conditions are necessary but not sufficient for being a cat? - **A. being a mammal** - B. not being a plant - C. being a grey cat - D. being a donkey ### 3 A grolar bear is a hybrid mix of a polar bear and a grizzly bear. [Image of a grolar bear] Which of the following are true? - A. Being a grolar bear is necessary and sufficient for being the a hybrid mix of a polar bear and a grizzly bear. - **B. Being a grolar bear is sufficient for having an ancestor that is a grizzly bear.** - C. Being an offspring of a polar bear is necessary but not sufficient for being the offspring of a grizzly bear. - **D. Being the offspring of a grizzly bear is sufficient for being a grizzly bear.** - **E. Being the descendent of a polar bear is necessary for being a grolar bear.** ### 4 Fill in the blank: Having a laptop is _____ for having internet access. - **A. necessary but not sufficient** - B. sufficient but not necessary - C. both necessary and sufficient - D. neither necessary nor sufficient ### 5 Nintendo Switch is a video game console, and Ring Fit is a video game that is available for Nintendo Switch but not for other video game consoles. Fill in the blank: Having access to a Nintendo Switch is _____ for playing Ring Fit. - **A. necessary but not sufficient** - B. sufficient but not necessary - C. both necessary and sufficient - D. neither necessary nor sufficient ### 6 Oceans are bodies of water of a sufficiently large size. Fill in the blank: Being a body of water is _____ for being an ocean. - **A. necessary but not sufficient** - B. sufficient but not necessary - C. both necessary and sufficient - D. neither necessary nor sufficient ### 7 By definition, precipitation is snow, rain, sleet, and any other form of water falling from clouds in the sky. Is the following statement true or false? It is logically possible for it to snow in London, ON without there being precipitation in London, ON. - **True** - False ### 8 Is the following statement true or false? If X is nomologically necessary for Y, it is nomologically impossible to have Y without X. - **True** - False ### 9 Is the following statement true or false? It is logically possible for you to get 100% on the midterm exam. - **True** - False ### 10 Which of the following statements are true? - **A. Being a valid argument is a necessary condition for being a sound argument.** - B. Being an invalid argument is a necessary condition for being an inductively strong argument. - **C. It is logically possible for there to exist a sound argument that is inductively strong.** - **D. It is logically impossible for there to exist a valid argument that is not good by our intuitive standards.** ### 11 Is the following claim true or false? It is logically necessary that everyone who has two children has at least one child. - **True** - False ### 12 Suppose that we know that P in fact obtains, i.e., that the claim that P is a true statement. What do we know for sure given this information? - **A. P is logically possible.** - **B. P is nomologically possible.** - C. Any argument with the claim that P as a conclusion is valid. - **D. Not-P is logically impossible.** ## Part 3: Argument Mapping ### 1 Consider the following argument: [1] Elementary schools should not allow children to bring their toys to school. [2] This creates a distraction in the classroom. [3] For one, the student who brings a toy is distracted by the toy. [4] Also, other students are distracted by their classmates' toys. [5] Apart from all this, kids sometimes forget their toys at school. [6] And when kids forget their toys at school, they get really upset once they get home.) Which argument map best depicts this argument? - **A. **[Image of argument map]** - B. [Image of argument map]** - C. [Image of argument map]** - D. [Image of argument map]** ### 2 Consider the following argument: [1] Many people dislike old houses, [2] but I think living in an old house is great! [3] Living in an old house is like living in the past, [4] and living in the past is amazing. [5] This is because in the past people were more detail-oriented. [6] And in the past life was more slow-paced. [7] Apart from all that, old houses smell like musky old closets, [8] and who doesn't love the smell of a musky old closet? Which argument map best depicts this argument? - A. **[Image of argument map]** - B. **[Image of argument map]** - C. **[Image of argument map]** - D. **[Image of argument map]** ### 3 How many sub-arguments does the argument depicted by this argument map have? [Image of argument map] - **4** ### 4 Consider the following argument: [1] Lilian is an excellent candidate for our job. [2] After all, she has a lot of relevant work experience. [3] And her reference letters are all very strong. [4] And she doesn't have a criminal record. [5] But our boss always hires incompetent candidates. [6] Lilian will never get the job! Which of the following argument maps best depicts this argument? - A. **[Image of argument map]** - B. **[Image of argument map]** - C. **[Image of argument map]** - D. **[Image of argument map]** ### 5 Consider the following argument map: [Image of argument map] Which of the following are sub-arguments in this argument? - **A. P2. Therefore, P1.** - **B. P1. P3. Therefore, C.** - C. P1. P2. Therefore, C. - D. P1. Therefore, C. - **E. P3. Therefore, C.** - **F. P4. Therefore, P3.** - G. P5. P6. Therefore, P4. ### 6 Consider the following argument map: [Image of argument map] Which of the following arguments does this argument map best depict? - **A. The Golf Argument** - (P1) Golf is fun. - (P2) You get to play golf with friends. - (P3) You get to play golf outside. - (P4) Being outside is fun. - (P5) All fun sports are riveting. - (C) Golf is a riveting sport. - B. The Pet Palace Argument - (P1) Pet Palace treats their fish poorly. - (P2) Pet Palace overcrowds their fish tanks. - (P3) Pet Palace leaves dead fish in their fish tanks for days. - (P4) Leaving dead fish in a fish tank is harmful to the other fish. - (P5) Pet Palace has been fined for inhumane practices. - (C) Pet Palace has inhumane practices. - **C. The Leave-Me-Alone Argument** - (P1) You will regret it if you talk to me. - (P2) I make everyone miserable. - (P3) If a witch casts a spell on someone, talking to them is bad luck. - (P4) A witch cast a spell on me. - (P5) Talking to me is bad luck. - (C) You should leave me alone. ### 7 Consider the following argument: [1] The rules of the Squid Game say that there can only be one winner. [2] Seong Gi-hun is the hero of our story. [3] The hero never loses. [4] Seong Gi-hun will win. [5] Park Hae-soo is another candidate. [6] I am sure that Park Hae-soo will lose. Which of the following argument maps best depicts this argument? - A. **[Image of argument map]** - B. **[Image of argument map]** - C. **[Image of argument map]** - D. **[Image of argument map]** ### 8 How many sub-arguments does the argument depicted by this argument map have? [Image of argument map] - **6** ### 9 Consider the following argument: (P1) Squearle is a famous philosopher. (P2) Squearle was accused of sexual harassment. (C) Therefore, a famous philosopher was accused of sexual harassment. Fill in the blank: (P1) and (P2) are _____. - A. co-premises - **B. independent premises** - C. premises in a multi-layered argument ### 10 Consider the following argument map: [Image of argument map] Suppose that P1 is true and the argument is valid. What follows for sure from this information alone? - **A. The argument is sound.** - **B. The conclusion is true.** - **C. If P2 is true, then C is true.** - D. If C is true, then P2 is true. - E. If P2 is true, then the argument is sound. - F. none of the above ### 11 Consider the following argument map: [Image of argument map] Which of the following arguments does it best depict? - A. **Argument 1** - (P1) If the tax rate next year is over 14%, I am moving to Greece. - (P2) It was announced that the tax rate is 15% next year. - (P3) If Trudeau is re-elected as Prime Minister, I am moving to Greece. - (P4) Trudeau was re-elected as Prime Minister. - (C) I am moving to Greece. - B. Argument 2 - (P1) It is much warmer in Greece than in Canada in the winter. - (P2) Commodities in Greece are much cheaper than in Canada. - (P3) Greece has beautiful natural scenery. - (P4) I have family in Greece. - (C) I should move to Greece. - C. It does not adequately depict either of these arguments. ### 12 Consider the following text: [1] Did you know that a gas fireplace is way better than a traditional wood-burning fireplace? [2] A gas fireplace is actually a great way to heat your home! [3] It's super energy-efficient: [4] You can turn down the thermostat, and turn up the heat in the fireplace, that is! [5] By leveraging the power of your gas fireplace to heat up the room you're in, you'll be saving money on your energy bill and avoiding wasting energy from the central heating system. [6] Traditional fireplaces, of course, need a chimney. [7] Usually, the chimney becomes a costly and somewhat annoying part of home maintenance. [8] They need to be cleaned regularly (at least once a year), and [9] they even pose some health and safety hazards if it gets clogged up. [10] But a gas fireplace doesn't need a chimney. [11] That's obvious since it uses vents to carry byproducts out of the home. [12] There are even ventless gas fireplaces that don't require any venting systems at all. [13] So, you see, a gas fireplace is way better than a traditional wood-burning fireplace! Adapted from "Gas Fireplace Operation: How Do They Work?" Vertical Chimney Care. https://verticalchimney.com/blog/gas-fireplace-operation/ Which of the following are true about this text? - **A. This argument is valid.** - **B. [10] and [11] are co-premises.** - **C. [2] is an intermediate conclusion.** - ** D. [3] is an intermediate conclusion.** - **E. Both [1] and [13] are intended to express the conclusion of the argument.**