TUTORIAL 1

I. Each of the following passages contains a single argument. Using the letters “P” and “C,”
identify the premises and conclusion of each argument, writing premises first and conclusion
last. List the premises in the order in which they make the most sense (usually the order in
which they occur), and write both premises and conclusion in the form of separate declarative
sentences. Indicator words may be eliminated once premises and conclusion have been
appropriately labeled.

1. Carbon monoxide molecules happen to be just the right size and shape, and happen to have just the
right chemical properties, to fit neatly into cavities within hemoglobin molecules in blood that are
normally reserved for oxygen molecules. Consequently, carbon monoxide diminishes the oxygen-
carrying capacity of blood.
(Nivaldo J. Tro, Chemistry: A Molecular Approach, 2nd ed.)
2. When individuals voluntarily abandon property, they forfeit any expectation of privacy in it that they
might have had. Therefore, a warrantless search or seizure of abandoned property is not unreasonable
under the Fourth Amendment.
( Judge Stephanie Kulp Seymour, United States v. Jones)
3. It really does matter if you get enough sleep. We need sleep to think clearly, react quickly, and create
memories. Studies show that people who are taught mentally challenging tasks do better after a good
night’s sleep. Other research suggests that sleep is needed for creative problem solving.
(U.S. National Institutes of Health, “Your Guide to Healthy Sleep”)
4. The classroom teacher is crucial to the development and academic success of the average student,
and administrators simply are ancillary to this effort. For this reason, classroom teachers ought to be
paid at least the equivalent of administrators at all levels, including the superintendent.
(Peter F. Falstrup, letter to the editor)
5. An agreement cannot bind unless both parties to the agreement know what they are doing and freely
choose to do it. This implies that the seller who intends to enter a contract with a customer has a duty
to disclose exactly what the customer is buying and what the terms of the sale are.
(Manuel G. Velasquez, “The Ethics of Consumer Production”)
6. Punishment, when speedy and specific, may suppress undesirable behavior, but it cannot teach or
encourage desirable alternatives. Therefore, it is crucial to use positive techniques to model and
reinforce appropriate behavior that the person can use in place of the unacceptable response that has
to be suppressed.
(W alter Mischel and Harriet Mischel, Essentials of Psychology)

7. Profit serves a very crucial function in a free-enterprise economy, such as our own. High profits are
the signal that consumers want more of the output of the industry. High profits provide the incentive
for firms to expand output and for more firms to enter the industry in the long run. For a firm of above-
average efficiency, profits represent the reward for greater efficiency.
(Dominic Salvatore, Managerial Economics, 3rd ed.)

8. Since private property helps people define themselves, since it frees people from mundane cares of
daily subsistence, and since it is finite, no individual should accumulate so much property that others
are prevented from accumulating the necessities of life.
(Leon P. Baradat, Political Ideologies, Their Origins and Impact)
9. Radioactive fallout isn’t the only concern in the aftermath of nuclear explosions. The nations of
planet Earth have acquired nuclear weapons with an explosive power equal to more than a million
Hiroshima bombs. Studies suggest that explosion of only half these weapons would produce enough
soot, smoke, and dust to blanket the earth, block out the sun, and bring on a nuclear winter that would
threaten the survival of the human race.
( John W. Hill and Doris K. Kolb, Chemistry for Changing Times, 7th ed.)
10. Poverty offers numerous benefits to the nonpoor. Antipoverty programs provide jobs for middle-
class professionals in social work, penology, and public health. Such workers’ future advancement is
tied to the continued growth of bureaucracies dependent on the existence of poverty.
( J. John Palen, Social Problems)
11. The stakes in whistleblowing are high. Take the nurse who alleges that physicians enrich
themselves in her hospital through unnecessary surgery; the engineer who discloses safety defects in
the braking systems of a fleet of new rapid-transit vehicles; the Defense Department official who alerts
Congress to military graft and overspending: all know that they pose a threat to those whom they
denounce and that their own careers may be at risk.
(Sissela Bok, “Whistleblowing and Professional Responsibility”)

12. Anyone familiar with our prison system knows that there are some inmates who behave little
better than brute beasts. But the very fact that these prisoners exist is a telling argument against the
efficacy of capital punishment as a deterrent. If the death penalty had been truly effective as a
deterrent, such prisoners would long ago have vanished.
(“The Injustice of the Death Penalty,” America)
II. The following arguments were taken from magazine and newspaper editorials and letters to
the editor. In most instances the main conclusion must be rephrased to capture the full intent
of the author. Write out what you interpret the main conclusion to be.

_1. University administrators know well the benefits that follow notable success in college sports:
increased applications for admissions, increased income from licensed logo merchandise, more
lucrative television deals, postseason game revenue, and more successful alumni fund drives. The idea
that there is something ideal and pure about the amateur athlete is self-serving bunk.
(Michael McDonnell, letter to the editor)
2. College is the time in which a young mind is supposed to mature and acquire wisdom, and one can
only do this by experiencing as much diverse intellectual stimuli as possible. A business student may
be a whiz at accounting, but has he or she ever experienced the beauty of a Shakespearean sonnet or
the boundless events composing Hebrew history? Most likely not. While many of these
neoconservatives will probably go on to be financially successful, they are robbing themselves of the
true purpose of collegiate academics, a sacrifice that outweighs the future salary checks.
( Robert S. Griffith, “Conservative College Press”)
3. A person cannot reject free will and still insist on criminality and codes of moral behavior. If people
are compelled by forces beyond their control (genes or environment), then their actions, no matter
how vile, are excusable. That means the Nuremberg trials of Nazi murderers were invalid, and all
prison gates should be flung open. The essence of our humanity is the ability to choose between right
and wrong, good and evil, and act accordingly. Strip that from us and we are mere animals.
(Rabbi Gilbert S. Rosenthal, letter to the editor)
4. Most of the environmental problems facing us stem, at least in part, from the sheer number of
Americans. The average American produces three quarters of a ton of garbage every year, consumes
hundreds of gallons of gasoline, and uses large amounts of electricity (often from a nuclear power
plant, coal burning, or a dam). The least painful way to protect the environment is to limit population
growth.
(Craig M. Bradley, letter to the editor)
III. Answer “true” or “false” to the following statements:
1. The purpose of the premise or premises is to set forth the reasons or evidence given in support of
the conclusion.
2. Some arguments have more than one conclusion.
3. All arguments must have more than one premise.
4. The words “therefore,” “hence,” “so,” “since,” and “thus” are all conclusion indicators.
5. The words “for,” “because,” “as,” and “for the reason that” are all premise indicators.
6. In the strict sense of the terms, inference and argument have exactly the same meaning.
7. In most (but not all) arguments that lack indicator words, the conclusion is the first statement.
8. Any sentence that is either true or false is a statement.
9. Every statement has a truth value.
10. Aristotle is the person usually credited with being the father of logic.
IV. Create the following arguments:
1. An argument having one or more premise indicators and the conclusion:
“Uniforms should/should not be required in high schools.”
2. An argument having a conclusion indicator and the conclusion: “The legal drinking age
should/should not be lowered to 18.”
3. An argument having no indicator words and the conclusion: “Renewable forms of energy
should/should not be subsidized by the government.”
V. The following statements represent conclusions for arguments. Each is expressed in the form
of two alternatives. Select one of the alternatives for each conclusion, and then jot down several
reasons that support it. Finally, incorporate your reasons into a written argument of at least
100 words that supports the conclusion. Include premise and conclusion indicators in some of
your arguments, but not in all of them.
1. A constitutional amendment that outlaws flag burning should/should not be adopted.
2. Street drugs should/should not be legalized.
3. The death penalty should/should not be abolished.
4. Sanctions should/should not be imposed on students for using speech that is offensive to minorities.
5. Free health care should/should not be guaranteed to all citizens.
6. Same-sex marriages should/should not be recognized by the state.
7. The possession, ownership, and sale of handguns should/should not be outlawed.
8. Cigarettes should/should not be regulated as an addictive drug.
9. Affirmative action programs should/should not be abolished.
10. Doctors should/should not be allowed to assist terminally ill patients in committing suicide.
VI. The following arguments are deductive. Determine whether each is valid or invalid,
and note the relationship between your answer and the truth or falsity of the premises
and conclusion. Finally, determine whether the argument is sound or unsound.
1. Since Moby Dick was written by Shakespeare, and Moby Dick is a sciencefiction novel, it follows that
Shakespeare wrote a science-fiction novel.
2. The longest river in South America is the Amazon, and the Amazon flows through Brazil. Therefore,
the longest river in South America flows through Brazil.
3. All leopards with lungs are carnivores. Therefore, all leopards are carnivores.
4. Every province in Canada has exactly one city as its capital. Therefore, since there are thirty
provinces in Canada, there are thirty provincial capitals.
5. Since some fruits are green, and some fruits are apples, it follows that some fruits are green apples.
VII. The following arguments are inductive. Determine whether each is strong or weak, and
note the relationship between your answer and the truth or falsity of the premise(s) and
conclusion. Then determine whether each argument is cogent or uncogent.
1. The grave marker at Arlington National Cemetery says that John F. Kennedy is buried there. It must
be the case that Kennedy really is buried in that cemetery.
2. Franklin Delano Roosevelt said that we have nothing to fear but fear itself. Therefore, people have
no reason to fear serial killers.
3. People have been listening to rock and roll music for over a hundred years. Probably people will still
be listening to it a year from now.
4. Coca-Cola is an extremely popular soft drink consumed all over the world. Therefore, probably
someone, somewhere, is drinking a Coke right this minute.
5. Children love green M&M’s. But brussels sprouts are green, too. Therefore, it must be the case that
children love brussels sprouts.
VIII. Determine whether the following arguments are inductive or deductive. If an argument is
inductive, determine whether it is strong or weak. If it is deductive, determine whether it is
valid or invalid.
1. Since Tom is the brother of Agatha, and Agatha is the mother of Raquel, it follows that Tom is the
uncle of Raquel.
2. Since Christmas is always on a Thursday, it follows that the day after Christmas is always a Friday.
3. After taking LSD, Alice said she saw a flying saucer land in the shopping center parking lot. Since
Alice has a reputation for always telling the truth, we must conclude that a flying saucer really did land
there.
4. Circle A has exactly twice the diameter of circle B. From this we may conclude that circle A has exactly
twice the area of circle B.
5. This cash register drawer contains over 100 coins. Three coins selected at random were found to
have dates earlier than 1960. Therefore, probably all of the coins in the drawer have dates earlier than
1960.
6. Statistics reveal that 86 percent of those who receive flu shots do not get the flu. Jack received a flu
shot one month ago. Therefore, he should be immune, even though the flu is going around now.
IX. Answer “true” or “false” to the following statements:
1. Some arguments, while not completely valid, are almost valid.
2. Inductive arguments allow for varying degrees of strength and weakness.
3. Invalid deductive arguments are basically the same as inductive arguments.
4. If a deductive argument has true premises and a false conclusion, it is necessarily invalid.
5. A valid argument may have a false premise and a false conclusion.
6. A valid argument may have a false premise and a true conclusion.
7. A sound argument may be invalid.
8. A sound argument may have a false conclusion.
9. A strong argument may have false premises and a probably false conclusion.
10. A strong argument may have true premises and a probably false conclusion.
11. A cogent argument may have a probably false conclusion.
12. A cogent argument must be inductively strong.
13. If an argument has true premises and a true conclusion, we know that it is a
perfectly good argument.
X. Create the following sound and cogent arguments:
1. A sound argument about musicians
2. A valid unsound argument about painters
3. An invalid argument about writers
4. A cogent argument relating to politics
5. A weak argument relating to cooking