Sample Exam Questions for Kahane These are just like the scantron questions for the midterm and the...

Sample Exam Questionsfor Kahane

These are just like the scantron questions for the midterm and the final exam. In fact, some of these may be

on the midterm or final.

Chapter 1

1. The conclusion of a deductively valid argument could follow from the premises and still be false.a. True

b. False

Chapter 1

2. You can evaluate an argument for its deductive validity without any reference to background beliefs.a. True

b. False

Chapter 2

3. Deductive arguments move from the general to the particular, while inductive arguments move from the particular to the general.

a. True

b. False

Chapter 2

4. “Either all three angles of a triangle add up to 180 degrees, or it’s not a triangle” is an example of which type of statement?

a. contingent

b. categorical

c. contradictory

d. tautological

Chapter 3

5. One reason that politicians get away with inconsistent claims or arguments is:

a. they are good at lying.

b. they are Republicans

c. voters see political issues from their own self interests.

d. all voters are just plain stupid.

Chapter 3

6. Inconsistency is not, strictly speaking, a fallacy, so we are on perfectly safe ground when accepting the conclusion of an argument that contains self-contradictory statements.a. True

b. False

Chapter 4

7. The straw man fallacy misrepresents the opponent’s position to make it easier to attack

a. True

b. False

Chapter 4

8. “Equivocation” and “ad hominem” fallacies are similar, in that they both attack the person making the argument, rather than the argument itself.

a. True

b. False

Chapter 5

9. Just because A comes before B doesn’t necessarily mean that A causes B.

a. True

b. False

Chapter 5

10. Which of the following makes an analogy questionable?

a. comparing sample cases

b. comparing small sample cases

c. comparing cases that are not relevantly alike.

d. comparing representative sample cases.

Chapter 6

11. Believing bad things about others is always an act of prejudice.

a. True

b. False

Chapter 6

12. Being prudent is a way of demonstrating

a. a good sense of proportion

b. the lack of a defect in reasoning

c. proper perspective

d. all of the above

Chapter 7

13. Slipping a value judgment into a factual assertion is one way of not

a. being caught

b. saying anything

c. justifying it

d. being emotional

Chapter 7

14. “Slanting” is sometimes known as “innuendo.”

a. True

b. False

Chapter 8

15. If moral values are objective (which they are), the fact that someone’s feeling that a moral claim is true will be:

a. irrelevant evidence

b. fact evidence

c. moral evidence

d. none of the above

Chapter 8

16. One’s own moral standards, used in the evaluation of another’s moral claims, should not be exempt from:

a. summary method

b. description

c. challenge and improvement

d. all of the above

Chapter 9

17. Writing a cogent essay is _______ summarizing and evaluating someone else’s essay.

a. easier than

b. more difficult than

c. about the same level of difficulty as

Chapter 9

18. Possibly the most difficult part of writing an argument is to

a. find the time

b. selpl ecah wrod colrertcy

c. provide convincing evidence

d. provide relevant statistics

Chapter 10

19. Ads are designed to manipulate us via sophisticated ploys

a. True

b. False

c. Neither; I am a marketing major and I refuse to answer this stupid question because I find it offensive and misleading.

Chapter 10

20. Ads are often based on the fact that appeals to fears and prejudices can:

a. be examples of fallacious reasoning

b. be examples of weasely reasoning

c. be a way to compare terms

d. be a way to sell a product

Chapter 11

21. The purpose of mass media is to:

a. educate the audience

b. entertain the audience

c. sell the audience to advertisers

d. all of the above

Chapter 11

22. News reporting in mass media both reports what happens and reports the explanation as to why it happened.

a. True

b. False

Chapter 12

23. Textbooks are written in a way that aids true understanding and retention of specific facts.

a. True

b. False

a. True, and if you say otherwise, I will contact your boss and get you fired.

Chapter 12

24. Today’s textbooks tend to present their topics in a way that is:

a. unbiased

b. apolitical

c. irrational

d. subjugated and oppressed