Chapter 3 Study Questions

  1. What is a deductive argument? What is an inductive argument?
  2. What is a valid argument? What is an invalid argument?
  3. What is a strong inductive argument? What is a weak one?
  4. What does it mean to say that an argument is sound or cogent?
  5. What are the four steps involved in determining whether an argument is deductive or inductive, sound or cogent?
  6. What are four indicator words or phrases that suggest an argument is probably deductive?
  7. What are four indicator words or phrases that suggest an argument is probably inductive?
  8. What is an implicit premise?
  9. Why is it often very important to make implicit premises explicit?
  10. What is the procedure for uncovering implicit premises?
  11. What is a conditional statement?
  12. What is the argument pattern for each of modus ponens, modus tollens, hypothetical syllogism, denying the antecedent, affirming the consequent, and disjunctive syllogism?
  13. How is the counterexample method used to evaluate validity?
  14. How would you diagram the following argument?
    “If the unemployment rate goes up, then the prime minister’s popularity will go down. If the prime minister’s popularity goes down, then he will lose the election. So if the unemployment rate goes up, the prime minister will lose the election.”
  15. What three obstacles are you usually faced with when you try to evaluate an argument in a very long passage?
  16. How do sound arguments differ from both cogent arguments and valid arguments? Use examples to illustrate.
  17. Provide examples of each of both a good and bad deductive argument, as well as of both a good and bad inductive argument.
  18. What is the difference between a good and bad inductive argument? Use examples to illustrate.
  19. What is the difference between a good and bad deductive argument? Use examples to illustrate.
  20. How do valid arguments differ both from invalid arguments as well as sound arguments? Use examples to illustrate.
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