Tutorial Sheet 1 - Unit 1correct
Tutorial Sheet 1 - Unit 1correct
Questions 4 to 7 are True and False items. Please indicate your answers accordingly.
Questions 12 to 17 are True and False items. If the answer is true write T and if false write
F, in addition to giving a brief reason for your answer.
Which of the following claims are true, which false, and why?
Based on the definitions of validity, identify the validity of following arguments by placing (V)
for valid and (I) for invalidity in the space provided.
33. All spiders have ten legs. All ten-legged creatures have wings. Therefore, all spiders have
wings. _V____premises support conclusion
34. All mammals have wings. All whales have wings. Therefore, all mammals are whales.
__I__talking about wings all along does not support the premise.
35. If I win the Super Lotto then I would be wealthy. I did not win the Super Lotto.
Therefore, I am not wealthy _I____
36. Every liar is a thief. Every thief is a murderer. So, every liar is a murder. _V____
38. Use argument forms to determine whether the following arguments are valid or are
fallacies. Give a reason to justify your answers.
1. Jamaica will experience a severe depression given that the economy collapses. The
economy collapses if inflation soars. So, inflation soars only if a severe depression will
occur.
Let A= Jamaica will experience a severe depression Let B= the economy collapses Let
C=Inflation soars
So C only if A will occur. A given B if C- Not a valid argument/
A. If Jane goes to UTECH then Fred will turn down the job in St. Elizabeth. Fred
turned down the job in St. Elizabeth. So, Jane must be going to UTECH.
B. If either Bolt or Asafa won, then both Walker and Frazer lost. Since I know that
either Bolt or Asafa won, it must follow that both walker and Fraser lost.
C. If you marry, you will get bored. If you stay single then you will be lonely. You
have got to either be married or single. So, you are going to either be bored or
lonely. VALID
39. Use counterexamples to show that the following arguments are invalid.
A. If Susan is a famous author then she knows how to write. Moreover, Susan knows
how to write. So, she is a famous author.
B. If Lewis is a famous author then he knows how to write. But Lewis is not a famous
author. Hence, Lewis does not know how to write.
C. “No people whose attention is easily distracted while they are working are people
who are keenly interested in their work. No successful people are people whose
attention is easily distracted while they are working. So, all successful people are
people who are keenly interested in their work.”
D. “All zoologists are natural scientists. No historians are zoologists. So, no historians
are natural scientists.”
E. “Some people who endanger the social order are not mean-spirited people. All
intolerant people are people who endanger the social order. Hence, some intolerant
people are not mean-spirited people.”