Arguments
Syllogisms
Standard Form
Surprise!
100

What is the purpose of an argument?

To convince others to think about and/or do something differently

100

List the 5 types of syllogisms in 30s

Disjunctive, categorical, hypothetical, modus ponens, modus tollens

100

Write out the general format of Standard Form

P1: Full sentence with capital letters. 

P2: Full sentence. 

C: Full sentence. (P1, P2)

100

What makes an argument convincing?

Logical reasoning

200

True/False: The excerpt below contains an argument. 

Singapore was strategically located along vital maritime trade routes, making it an ideal hub for international trade. The British established free trade policies in Singapore, attracting merchants from all over the world. Additionally, its deep-water harbor allowed for easy docking of large ships, further boosting its role as a trading port. Therefore, Singapore's strategic location and open trade policies made it one of the most important trade ports in the world.

Yes


200

Name the type of syllogism in the excerpt below.

Experts warn that if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, global temperatures will inevitably follow. As global temperatures rise, we can expect extreme weather events to become more frequent. Therefore, if emissions aren't reduced, the world could face more intense and frequent natural disasters in the years ahead.

Hypothetical syllogism

200

Name all the errors in the argument presented in standard form below. 

P1 if an AI system is ethically designed, then it does not reinforce harmful biases.

P2 This AI system does reinforce harmful biases.

C Therefore, this AI system is not ethically designed.


P1, P2, C missing colon

P1 first letter not capitalised

C includes conclusion indicator

C missing (P1, P2)

200

Which stage of the Inquiry Process does argumentation fall under?

Exercise Reasoning

300

State the conclusion of the argument below. 

Either the aim of education is to produce unthinking copyists who repeat whatever the textbooks says or it should produce people who can think critically for themselves. Now, I'm sure you will agree that the aim of education is not to produce unthinking people. Therefore, the aim of education is to produce people who can think critically for themselves.

The aim of education is to produce people who can think critically for themselves.

300

Identify the conclusion in the following argument:

To  alleviate the cost of living crisis, either the government should implement substantial wage increases or it should introduce more affordable housing options . The government has yet to announce any substantial wage increases in recent years.

Conclusion: _____

A) The government should raise wages significantly for all workers.

B) The government should introduce more affordable housing options.

C) The cost of living crisis will worsen in the future.

D) The government has been incompetent in addressing the crisis.

B) The government should introduce more affordable housing options.

300

Write the following argument in Standard Form. 

All massive congestions are potential safety concerns. Hence, all massive congestions ought to be prevented since all potential safety concerns ought to be prevented.

P1: All massive congestions are potential safety concerns.

P2: All potential safety concerns ought to be prevented.

C: All massive congestions ought to be prevented. (P1, P2)

300

List 5 premise indicators and 5 conclusion indicators

Any relevant answer 

400

Write the following argument in Standard Form. 

It is clear that we should not allow parents to drive into the school compound whenever they liked. This applies throughout the school’s operating hours. This is because we either allow parents to drive into the school compound whenever they liked or we prevent massive congestions in the school compound, and there is no doubt that we should prevent massive congestions in the school compound.

P1: Either we allow parents to drive into the school compound whenever they liked or we prevent massive congestions in the school compound.

P2: We should prevent massive congestions in the school compound.

C: We should not allow parents to drive into the school compound whenever they liked. (P1, P2)

400

True or False: The excerpt below contains a Modus Ponens argument. 

The political candidate has won the presidency, so the party must be competent—after all, if they were competent, they'd win, and they did win. 

False. It is a fallacy of affirming the consequent. 

400

Write the following argument in Standard Form.

If all the people in the house are migrant workers who entered the country legally," said Sir Lockham, "then the tip received at the police station must have been a prank call. I can see no other reason for it. Therefore if all the people in the house are migrant workers who entered the country legally then we need to assess the reliability of tips we receive from the public, because if it was a prank call that we received at the police station then we need to assess the reliability of tips we receive from the public." 

P1: If all the people in the house are migrant workers who entered the country legally, then the tip received at the police station must have been a prank call. 

P2: If the tip received at the police station was a prank call, then we need to assess the reliability of tips we receive from the public. 

C: If all the people in the house are migrant workers who entered the country legally, then we need to assess the reliability of tips we receive from the public. (P1, P2)

400

Write a syllogism to convince me that dogs are secretly plotting to take over the world.

Any logical answer

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