Exercises
As you can see, learning the principles of critical thinking 0r logic requires at
least some prior knowledge and ability. But, you may wonder (especially if this
is your first course in critical or logical reasoning), Where does this prior knowl—
edge and ability come from—and d0 you have these prerequisites? Fortunately,
the answer is yes. Since you are, as Aristotle says, a rational animal, you already
have the necessary equipment, namely, a logical sense that helps you reason in
everyday life and enables you to begin honing your critical reasoning.
argument conclusion critical thinking
explanation indicator words inference
logic premise statement
-—Exercises marked with *
have answers in ”Answers to Exercises” (Appendix A).
Exercise 1.1
*1
*6.
. In what way can feelings and critical thinking complement each other?
*8.
. Give an example of a statement. Then give an example of a sentence that is
10.
*11.
12.
13.
*14.
. What is critical thinking?
2. Is critical thinking primarily concerned with what you think or how you
think?
. Why is critical thinking systematic?
*4. According t0 the text, What does it mean to say that critical thinking is
done according to rational standards?
. According t0 the text, how does a lack of critical thinking cause a loss 0f
personal freedom?
What does the term critical refer to in critical thinking?
What is a statement?
not a statement.
According to the text, by what standard should we always proportion our
acceptance of a statement?
What is an argument?
Give an example of an argument with two premises.
What is a premise?
What is a conclusion?
15.
16.
*1 7.
18.
*1 9.
20.
21 .
22.
*23.
24.
CHAPTER 1 Critical Thinking, Facts, and Feelings
Why can’t a mere assertion or statement of beliefs constitute an argument?
True or false: A11 disagreements contain an argument.
Does the following passage contain an argument? Sample passage: I couldn't
disagree more with Olivia. She says that Video games provoke young men
t0 Violence and other insensitive acts. But that’s just not true.
Does the following passage contain an argument? Sample passage: Alonzo
asserts that the government should be able to arrest and imprison anyone
if they are suspected of terrorist acts. But that's ridiculous. Doing that
would be a violation of basic civil liberties guaranteed in the Bill of Rights.
What are indicator words?
List three conclusion indicator words.
List three premise indicator words.
Give an example 0f a short argument that uses one or more indicator words.
What is probably the best strategy for trying to find an argument in a com—
plex passage?
True 0r false: You can almost always find an argument in narrative writing.
Exercise 1.2
For each of the following sentences, indicate whether it is or is not a statement.
*1. Now that you’re mayor of the city, do you still believe that the city government
is a waste 0f time?
2. Do not allow your emotions t0 distort your thinking.
. If someone wants t0 burn the American flag, they should be able to do it
without interference from the police.
. Do you think that I’m guilty?
. Should our religious beliefs be guided by reason, emotion, or faith?
. Stop driving on the left side 0f the road!
. The Vietnam War was a terrible mistake.
. The Vietnam War was not a terrible mistake.
. I shall d0 my best to do my duty t0 God and my country.
*1 0. Are you doing your best for God and country?
Exercise 1.3
For each of the following passages indicate whether it constitutes an argument,
For each argument specify what the conclusion is.
*1.
2.
3.
René hates Julia, and she always upsets him, so he should avoid her.
Do you think the upcoming election will change anything?
Ipledge allegiance t0 the flag of the United States of America and t0 the republic
for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty
and justice for all.
10.
*11.
12.
13.
14.
*1 5.
16.
Exercises
. Why d0 you think you have the right to park your car anywhere you please?
. Wait just a minute. Where do you think you're going?
. If you smoke that cigarette in here, I will leave the room.
. The Titanic sank, and no one came to save it.
. Jesus loves me, for the Bible tells me so.
. Spiderman is a better superhero than Superman because kryptonite can’t
hurt him, and he doesn’t have a Lois Lane around to mess things up.
"Whether our argument concerns public affairs or some other subject we
must know some, if not all, of the facts about the subject on which we are
t0 speak and argue. Otherwise, we can have no materials out of which to
construct arguments." [Aristot1e, Rhetoric]
If guns are outlawed, then only outlaws will have guns. Don’t outlaw
guns.
If someone says something that offends me, I should have the right to
stop that kind 0f speech. After all, words can assault people just as weapons
can.
”Citizens who so value their ‘independence’ that they will not enroll in a
political party are really forfeiting independence, because they abandon a
share in decision—making at the primary level: the choice of the candidate.”
[Bruce L. Felknor, Dirty Politics]
If someone says something that offends me, I cannot and should not try
t0 stop them from speaking. After all, in America, speech—even offensive
speeCh—is protected.
“Piercing car alarms have disturbed my walks, café meals or my sleep
at least once during every day I have lived in the city; roughly 3,650 car
alarms. Once, only once, was the wail a response to theft . . . Silent car
alarms connect immediately to a security company, while the noisy ones
are a problem, not a solution. They should be banned, finally.” [Letter to
the editor, New York Times]
”If history is a gauge, the U.S. government cannot be trusted when it comes
t0 sending our children to war. It seems that many years after Congress
sends our children to war, we find out that the basic premise for the war
was an intentional lie.” [Letter to the editor, LA. Daily News]
Exercise 1.4
For each of the following passages indicate whether it constitutes an argument.
For each argument specify both the conclusion and the premises.
*1.
2.
Faster-than-light travel is not possible. It would violate a law of nature.
You have neglected your duty 0n several occasions, and you have been
absent from work too many times. Therefore, you are not fit t0 serve in
your current capacity.
*7.
*10.
11.
CHAPTER 1 Critical Thinking, Facts, and Feelings
. Racial profiling is not an issue for white people, but it is an issue for African
Americans.
. The flu epidemic on the East Coast is real. Government health officials say
so. And I personally have read at least a dozen news stories that characterize
the situation as a ”flu epidemic.”
. Communism is bunk. Only naive, impressionable pinheads believe that
stuff.
. ”Current—day Christians use Violence to spread their right—to-life message.
These Christians, often referred t0 as the religious right, are well known
for Violent demonstrations against Flamed Parenthood and other abortion
clinics. Doctors and other personnel are threatened with death, clinics
have been bombed, there have even been cases 0f doctors being murdered.”
[Letter to the editor, Arizona Daily Wildcat]
“I am writing about the cost of concert tickets. I am outraged at how much
ticket prices are increasing every year. A few years ago, one could attend
a popular concert for a decent price. Now some musicians are asking as
much as $200 to $300.” [Letter t0 the editor, Buflalo News]
. ”Homeland security is a cruel Charade for unborn children. Some 4,000
per day are killed in their mother’s womb by abortion. This American
holocaust was legalized by the Supreme Court in an exercise of raw
judicial power.” [Letter to the editor, Bufi‘alo News]
. Witches are real. They are mentioned in the Bible. There are many people
today who Claim to be witches. And historical records reveal that there
were witches in Salem.
Stretched upon the dark silk night, bracelets 0f city lights glisten brightly.
Vaughn's car is old. It is beat up. It is unsafe to drive. Therefore, Vaughn’s
car is ready for the junkyard.
Exercise 1.5
For each of the following conclusions, write at least two premises that can support
it. Your proposed premises can be entirely imaginary. To concoct the prem—
ises, think of what kind of statement (if true) would convince you t0 believe the
conclusion.
EXAMPLE
Conclusion: Pet psychics can diagnose a dog’s heartburn 100 percent of
the time.
Premise 1: In the past fifty years, in hundreds of scientific tests, pet psychics
were able to correctly diagnose heartburn in dogs 100 percent of the time.
Premise 2: Scientists have confirmed the existence 0f energy waves that
can carry information about the health of animals.
*3.
*6.
*9.
10.
11.
*12.
13.
14
Exercises
. What this country needs is more family values.
. A11 animals—rodents, dogs, apes, whatever—have moral rights, just as
people do.
Every woman has the right t0 abort her fetus if she so chooses.
. When I looked into your eyes, time stood still.
. Repent! The end is near.
When it comes t0 animals, Vaughn doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
. Suspicion has arisen regarding the financial dealings of Governor
Spendthrift.
. The Internet is the most dangerous tool that terrorists have in their arsenal.
The Internet is the best tool that law enforcement officials have against
terrorists.
Pornography is good for society because it educates people about sexuality.
Pornography is bad for society because it misleads people about sexuality.
Stranger Things is the greatest series Netflix has ever offered.
It is the duty of every student to prevent this arbitrary tuition increase.
. Jill cannot hold her liquor.
Exercise 1.6
For each of the following passages, determine if there is an argument present. If
so, identify the premises and the conclusion.
*1
*3.
. ”[T]he Religious Right is not ’pro-family’. . . . Concerned parents realize
that children are curious about how their bodies work and need accurate,
age-appropriate information about the human reproductive system. Yet,
thanks to Religious Right pressure, many public schools have replaced sex
education with fear-based ’abstinence only’ programs that insult young
people’s intelligence and give them virtually no useful information.” [Rob
Boston, Free Inquiry Magazine]
. ”[Francis Bacon] is the father of experimental philosophy. . . . In a word,
there was not a man who had any idea of experimental philosophy before
Chancellor Bacon; and of an infinity 0f experiments which have been made
since his time, there is hardly a single one which has not been pointed out
in his book. He had even made a good number of them himself.” [Voltaire,
On Bacon and Newton]
”Is there archaeological evidence for the [Biblical] Flood? If a universal
Flood occurred between five and six thousand years ago, killing all
humans except the eight on board the Ark, it would be abundantly clear
in the archaeological record. Human history would be marked by an
absolute break. We would see the devastation wrought by the catastrophe
in terms of the destroyed physical remains of pre—Flood human
CHAPTER1 CriticaI Thinking, Facts, and Feeiings
settlements. . . . Unfortunately for the Flood enthusiasts, the destruction
of all but eight 0f the world’s people left no mark on the archaeology
of human cultural evolution.” [Kenneth L. Feder, Frauds, Myths, and
Mysteries]
4. ”Subjectivism claims that what makes an action [morally] right is
that a person approves of it 0r believes that it’s right. Although sub—
jectivism may seem admirably egalitarian in that it takes everyone’s
moral judgments to be as good as everyone else’s, it has some rather bizarre
consequences. For one thing, it implies that each of us is morally
infallible. As long as we approve of or believe in what we are doing,
we can do no wrong. But this cannot be right. Suppose that Hitler believed
that it was right t0 exterminate the Jews. Then it was right for
Hitler t0 exterminate the Jews. . . . But what . . . Hitler did was wrong,
even if [he] believed otherwise.” [Theodore Schick, IL, Free Inquiry
Magazine]
.-§_e_|_f_-_A§_s_9_s_§m_e_nt_99i_z_ _______________________________________________________
Answers appear in ”Answers t0 Self—Assessment Quizzes” in Appendix B.
1. What is an argument?
2. Name at least three premise indicators and three conclusion indicators.
3. Select the sentence that is not a statement:
a. When I met you, you didn’t know anything about logic.
b. Read the story and write a complete review of it.
c. Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth 0n this continent
a new nation.
d. The best pizza in town can be had at Luigi’s.
4. From the following list, select the conclusion that is supported by the
premises in the following argument:
When conservative John Wately last spoke on this campus, he was
shouted down by several people in the audience who d0 not approve
of his politics. He tried to continue but finally had to give
up and walk away. That was unfortunate, but he’s not the only
one. This kind of treatment has also happened to other unpopular
guest speakers. How easily the students at this university forget
that free speech is guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. University
regulations also support free speech for all students, faculty, and
Visitors and strictly forbid the harassment 0f speakers. And this
Self—Assessment Quiz 21
country was founded 0n the idea that citizens have the right t0
freely express their Views—even when those Views are unpopular.
a. John Wately is a fascist.
b. We should never have guest speakers on campus.
c. Campus speakers should be allowed t0 speak freely without being
shouted down.
d. Some guest speakers deserve to have the right of free speech and some
don’t.
5. Indicate whether the following passage contains an argument. If it does,
specify the conclusion.
We live in an incredibly over-reactionary society where the mindless
forces 0f Victim demagoguery have unfortunately joined with
the child-worship industry. It is obviously tragic that a few twisted
kids perpetuated such carnage there in Columbine. [Letter to the
editor, Salon.com]
6. Indicate whether the following passage contains an argument. If it does,
specify the conclusion.
“War doesn’t solve problems; it creates them,” said an Oct. 8 letter
about Iraq. World War II solved problems called Nazi Germany
and militaristic Japan and created alliances with the nations we
crushed. . . . The Persian Gulf war solved the problem of the Iraqi
invasion of Kuwait. The Civil War solved the problem of slavery.
These wars created a better world. War, or the threat 0f it is the
only way to defeat evil enemies who are a threat to us. There is n0
reasoning with them. There can be no peace with them . . . so it's
either us or them. What creates true peace is Victory. [Letter to the
editor, New York Times]
7. Indicate whether the following passage contains an argument. If so, specify
the conclusion.
Paul Krugman will always reach the same answer, namely that
President Bush is wrong about everything. This time, he asserts
that the federal government is ”slashing domestic spending.”
Really? The president’s budget request for 2003 would raise d0mestic
spending 6 percent. Even setting aside spending that is re—
lated t0 homeland security, the president’s request was for more
than 2 percent growth, or nearly $7 billion in new dollars. In total,
over the last five years, domestic spending will have skyrocketed
by more than 40 percent. [Letter t0 the editor, New York Times]
CHAPTER1 Critical Thinking, Facts, and Feelings
For questions 8—12, indicate which sentences or sentence fragments are likely t0
be conclusions and which are likely to be premises.
8. Therefore, the Everglades will be destroyed within three years.
9. Assuming that you will never reach Boston
10. This implies that you are not driving as safely as you should.
11. Given all the hoopla surrounding the football team
12. It follows that sexual harassment should be a crime.
For questions 13—15, write at least two premises for each of the numbered conclusions.
You can make up the premises, but you must ensure that they support the
conclusion.
13. DNA evidence should be disallowed in cases 0f capital murder.
14. Computers will never be able to converse with a human being well
enough t0 be indistinguishable from humans.
15. The great prophet Nostradamus (1503—1566) predicted the September 11
terrorist attacks.
Read the following argument. Then in questions 16—20, supply the information
requested. Each question asks you t0 identify by number all the sentences in the
argument that fulfill a particular role—Conclusion, premise, background information,
example 0r illustration, or reiteration 0f a premise or the conclusion. Just
write down the appropriate sentence numbers.
[1] Is global warming a real threat? [2] Or is it hype propagated by treehugging,
daft environmentalists? [3] The president apparently thinks
that the idea of global climate change is bunk. [4] But recently his own
administration gave the lie t0 his bunk theory. [5] His own administration
issued a report 0n global warming. [6] It gave no support to the idea
that global warming doesn’t happen and we should all go back to sleep.
[7] Instead, it asserted that global warming was definitely real and that it
could have catastrophic consequences if ignored. [8] For example, global
climate change could cause heat waves, extreme weather, and water
shortages right here in the United States. [9] The report is also backed
by many other reports, including a very influential one from the United
Nations. [10] Yes, global warming is real. [11] It is as real as typhoons
and ice storms.
16. Conclusion.
17. Premise or premises.
18. Background information.
19 Example or illustration.
20. Repetition 0f conclusion 0r premise.
Writing Assignments 23
._V_\lri!_ing!_\_§_s_i_9_nm_e_n_t_s_ ________________________________________________________
1. Select an issue from the following list and write a three—page paper defend—
ing a claim pertaining t0 the issue. For guidance in writing argumentative
essays, see chapter 12.
0 Should there be a constitutional amendment banning the desecration of
the American flag?
0 Should a representation of the Ten Commandments be allowed t0 be
displayed in a federal courtroom?
0 Should the legal drinking age be lowered?
0 Should the private ownership 0f fully automatic machine guns be
outlawed?
2. Obtain the “Letters to the Editor” section of any newspaper (including
student newspapers and online newspapers). Select a letter that contains
at least one argument. Locate the conclusion and each premise. Next g0
through the letters again to find one that contains r10 argument at all.
Rewrite the letter so that it contains at least one argument. Try to preserve
as much of the original letter as possible. Stay on the same topic.