1. Are all valid arguments (arguments without loopholes) good arguments?
(i.) Yes (ii.) No (iii.) Indeterminate (iv.) No one really knows
2. If an argument is loophole-free (i.e., it is valid), must its premises be true?
(i.) Yes (ii.) No (iii.) Indeterminate (iv.) No one really knows
3. Good arguments might not have good reasoning (good support) and true premises.
(i) True
(ii) False
(iii) Indeterminate
(iv) No one really knows
4. In your own words, why are gut feelings that a conclusion is true not a reliable
indicator of how well the premises support it?
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5.Construct a spurious duplicate for the following argument:
P: Mickey Mouse is caught by paparazzi breaking into Donald Duck’s house.
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C: The pictures taken by the paparazzi will damage Disneyworld.
Loophole: A squirrel walks over the picture while it is in the developing tray.
Spurious duplicate:
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6. Argument B comes from argument A by making the conclusion of argument B more
specific (i.e., contains more information) than that of argument A and by using the same
premises as that of argument A. Is it possible for argument A to have loopholes which
argument B does not have?
(i.) Yes (ii.) No (iii.) Indeterminate (iv.) No one really knows
7. If you find many loopholes to an argument, and conjecture there are many more
loopholes you would be able to think of if you had the time to do that, then the support
the premises give to the conclusion is
(i) Perfect—10 (ii) the worst possible-0 (iii) Closing in on .99 (iv) maxima lIgnorance—5
8. If there is information in the structure of the space of situations in which an argument’s
premises are true which shows that the premises are true and the conclusion is false in 1/5
of the space, and the argument’s premises are true, is it rational to believe that the
negation of the conclusion is true?
(i.) Yes (ii.) No (iii.) Indeterminate (iv.) No one really knows
9. If the conclusion of an invalid argument is true, then at least one of the premises of that
argument must be
(i) True
(ii) False
(iii) Neither true nor false
(iv) Either true or false
10. Write out the premises and conclusion. Decide whether the argument is valid or
invalid. If invalid, describe one loophole. p. 21 #43
Make sure you write (with identification) all of the premises and the conclusion.