Chapter 2, Exercise Sets

More standardization and

diagramming

Chapter 2, Exercise 1
2. This passage does not contain an
argument. It begins with a comment
that everyone knows the U.S. is
having an election (in 2008); the
author proceeds to state three things
that he thinks Europe should focus
on. He does not offer reasons for his
statement that these three things
are jobs, Muslims, and neighbors.

4. This passage does contain an

argument. The conclusion is in the
last sentence and is indicated by the
word therefore. The other three
sentences are premises

6. This passage does not contain an

argument. It amounts to an
expression of thanks publicly stated
by the Spirit of Sport Foundation.

7.
The passage contains both an argument and a
subargument.
(1) The butler was passionately in love with the victim.
Thus,
(2) It was not the butler who committed the murder.
(3) Either the butler committed the murder or the judge
committed the murder.
Therefore,
(4)The judge committed the murder.
The subargument goes from (1) to (2), and the main
argument goes from (2) and (3) to (4).

(1)
(2)

+
(4)

(3)

12. This passage contains a linear

argument from (1) to (2).
(1)We are not under an obligation to give
aid unless it is likely to be effective in
reducing starvation or malnutrition.

Therefore,
(2) We are not under an obligation to give
aid to countries that make no effort to
reduce the rate of population growth that
will lead to catastrophe.

16. This passage contains an argument.

Standardization:
(1) No one who uses a relatively unreliable procedure
in order to decide whether to punish can know
whether that other person deserves punishment.
(2) No one who cannot know whether another person
deserves punishment has a right to punish that
person.
Therefore,
(3) No one who uses a relatively unreliable procedure
in order to decide whether to punish another person
has a right to punish that person.

(1)

(3)

(2)

17. This passage does not contain an

argument; it offers observations on
the role of observations in obtaining
a good diagnosis.

Chapter 2, Exercise set 2, 3,

and 4

More standardization and

diagramming

Exercise set 2
(1) There is no point in getting your first
elementary education in some other language if
your native language is English, because English
is the language of world business and world
scholarship, and English is the most important
language a person can learn to speak and write
fluently.

(1) English is the language of world business and

world scholarship.

(2) English is the most important language a person

can learn to speak and write fluently.

Therefore

(3) There is no point in getting your first elementary

education in some other language if your native
language is English.

Linked, linear, or convergent?

Seemingly linear, if we take (1) to provide
specific reasons for accepting (2).

(1)

(2)

(3)

(3) Virtue is something that is

valued because of the kinds of
comparisons we make between
people. Therefore if all people
shared all good qualities
equally, there would be no such
thing as virtue. (Adapted from
the seventeenth century
philosopher Thomas Hobbes)

(1) Virtue is something that is valued because

of the kinds of comparisons we make between
people.

Therefore,

(2) If all people shared good qualities equally,

there would be no such thing as virtue.

There is one premise and one conclusion.

The support pattern is, by default, linear.

5. There must be electrons

because scientific theories
and calculations based on
the hypothesis that they
exist explain many things
that happen in our world.

(1) Scientific theories and calculations based

on the hypothesis that electrons exist explain
many things that happen in our world.

Therefore

(2) Electrons must exist.

Since there is one premise and one conclusion,

the support pattern is, by default, linear.

6. Language is necessary for communication,

and communication is necessary for the
advancement of our civilization. Therefore,
language is necessary for the advancement of
our civilization. And we can go on from this point.
Because language is necessary for human
advancement, any attempt to censor language
will restrict that advancement. Therefore the
censorship of written materials is always wrong.

(1) Language is necessary for communication.

(2) Communication is necessary for the advancement of our civilization.

Therefore

(3) Language is necessary for the advancement of our civilization.

(4) Any attempt to censor language will restrict the advancement of our
civilization.

Therefore,

(5) The censorship of written materials is always wrong.

Covergent, linked, linear?

Linear, if we take (3) to give us grounds for (4).

(1)

+
(3)
(4)
(5)

(2)

8. How could there be life without

change? Stagnation is death.
(1) Stagnation is death.

Therefore,

(2) There can be no life without

change.

9. Descartes influenced Pascal

and Pascal influenced Sartre.
Therefore, Descartes influenced
Sartre.

(1)+ (2)
(3)
This seems to be clearly linked, since (3) makes
mention of concepts only connected by (1) and (2)
together

EXERCISE 3

Assume that each of the following passages

states an argument in which the final sentence
contains the conclusion. (Note: The final
sentence may also contain a supporting premise,
but at the very least, it will contain the
conclusion.) In each case, determine the
premises of the argument. Are there any
unstated premises? If so, what are they?

1. If the global climate is

getting warmer, then
winters on the Canadian
prairie should be less
severe. And they're pretty
mild. What can we
conclude from that?

The invited conclusion is that (3)

the global climate is getting
warmer. The premises are (1) if
the global climate is getting
warmer winters on the Canadian
prairie should be less severe and
(2) winters on the Canadian prairie
are (by implication) less severe.

(1)

(3)

(2)

4. Mad cow disease spreads

because of a certain form of
protein that is not destroyed
by disinfecting efforts, even
at very high temperatures.
Because we can't control the
way it spreads, the disease is
very serious.

The main conclusion is that mad cow

disease is very serious. A premise is
(1) mad cow disease spreads because
of a certain form of protein that is not
destroyed by disinfecting efforts, and
this premise establishes a
subconclusion, (2) that we cannot
control the way mad cow disease
spreads. The argument is (1)
therefore (2) therefore (3), in a linear
support pattern.

(1)

(2)

(3)

7. Young people are often

bored. They do crazy,
sometimes criminal, things
out of boredom. So the way
to cut the crime rate among
youth is to give them some
meaningful activities to do.

The conclusion is (3) the way to cut the crime

rate among youth is to give them some
meaningful activities to do. The premises are
(1) Young people do crazy, sometimes criminal,
things out of boredom.
The missing premise is (2) if young people are
given meaningful activities to do, they will not
be bored.

(1)

(2)

(3)

9. Photographs can be altered and the

techniques for doing so are increasingly
sophisticated, due to the use of
computers. You can see a man and his
children in a picture, with no wife beside
him, and yet in the original picture his wife
(whom he has now divorced) was there.
He had her eliminated with sophisticated
alteration techniques. You can see from
this that photographs are not a reliable
guide to what reality was like in the past.

The conclusion is that (3) photographs

are not a reliable guide to what reality
was like in the past. The second and
third sentences are best understood
as illustrative material. But The
illustrative material could be
understood as providing a subargument for (1) here. The premises
are (1) Photographs can be (easily)
altered and (2) The techniques for
altering photographs are increasingly
sophisticated due to the use of
computers.

(2)
(1)
(3)

EXERCISE 4

In each of the following passages, state

whether an argument is given. If so,
identify the conclusion. Do you think
any of these passages should be
interpreted as expressing an argument
with an unstated conclusion? If so,
which ones? What is the unstated
conclusion, and what are your reasons
for reading it into the passage?

Show her you care by

giving jewelry. These
glorious jewels have
delighted beautiful women
for more than a century.
What could be better for
the woman you love?

There is an unstated conclusion to

the effect that you should give the
woman you love glorious jewels.
The premise is that glorious jewels
like these have delighted beautiful
women for more than a century.
(Clearly, this passage copies the
style of an advertisement.)

6. Background: The following passage is

taken from Alfie Kohn, No Contest: The
Case Against Competition (Boston:
Houghton Mifflin, 1992), p. 51. (Punctuation
has been altered slightly.)

Since group performance in problem

solving is superior to even the individual
work of the most expert group members, it
should not be surprising that students learn
better when they cooperate.

There is an argument. The premise is

that group performance in problem
solving is superior to even the
individual work of the most expert
group members. The conclusion is
that students learn better when they
cooperate. There is no unstated
conclusion.

9. Background: The following passage is the text of an advertisement that

appeared in The Atlantic Monthly in May 1999, posted by the Nuclear Energy
Institute, based in Washington, D.C. The text is accompanied by two
photographs. The first shows a plant, or factory, with blue sky and clouds above it
and the words Fresh Air written against the sky. The second shows ripe red
tomatoes glossy with drops of moisture and has "Fresh Food" written in it.

Nuclear makes it happen. Chances are you know nuclear power generates about
20 percent of America's electricity without emitting greenhouse gases, but
nuclear technology contributes to our lives in countless other ways. Through food
irradiation, for example, harmful microbes such as E. coli can be virtually
eliminated in meats, fruits, and vegetables. That means more peace of mind at
the dinner table. From medical miracles to space exploration, nuclear technology
enhances our lives in many ways. It's the same technology that enables more
than 100 nuclear power plants to produce valuable electricity and keep our air
clean. That's one reason why the majority of Americans believe nuclear powerone of our cleanest sources of electricity-should continue to play an important
role in our energy future. NUCLEAR. SO MUCH MORE THAN YOU EVER IMAGINED.

advertisers are trying to establish here.

The conclusion is that (5) nuclear
processes are safe and should continue to
play an important role in the future of
American energy. The stated premises are
(1) that nuclear power does not emit
greenhouse cases; (2) that irradiation of
foods eliminates harmful microbes; (3)
that nuclear technology helps in various
activities ranging from medicine to space
exploration. The claim that nuclear power
plants help keep the air clean can be
plausibly viewed as a repetition of (1). All
these points are stated, not implicit. The
visual material is intended to convey an
association between nuclear power and

(1) Nuclear power does not emit greenhouse cases.

(2) that irradiation of foods eliminates harmful
microbes.
(3) that nuclear technology helps in various
activities ranging from medicine to space
exploration.
Therefore,
(4) Nuclear processes are safe and should continue
to play an important role in the future of American
energy.

(1)

(2)
(5)

(3)

10. Not all discrimination is

wrong. For example, if a
golf competition wants to
restrict admission to
players with less than a
certain handicap level, it's
quite all right to do that.

The conclusion is the first

sentence. The premise is
the second sentence. The
missing premise is that
restricting admission to a
golf competition is an
example of discrimination.

(3) restricting admission to

a golf competition is an
example of discrimination.
(1) + (3)
(2)

11. Women's ski jumping was not

accepted as an event in 2008
Olympics. But what's gone wrong
here? This sport has been
recognized for a long time. There
are competitions in many
different countries. And there are
some pretty expert women
jumpers who are thrilling to
watch.

jumping should be accepted as an

event in the Olympics. This
conclusion is not quite stated
explicitly; it can be drawn from the
rhetorical question in the second
sentence, and from the first
sentence. There are three premises
and these are offered in a
convergent support pattern. (1)
Womens ski jumping has been
recognized for a long time. (2)
There are competitions in womens
ski jumping in many different
countries. (3) There are some pretty

(4) Womens ski jumping should

be accepted as an event in the
Olympics.
(1) (2) (3)

(4)

EXERCISE SET
EXERCISE 5

For each of the following examples, (a)

decide whether the passage contains an
argument. If it does, then (b) represent
the argument in a standardized form with
the premises preceding the conclusion. (c)
Check carefully to see whether any
passage requires either a missing
conclusion or a missing premise. (d)
Indicate any subarguments. (e) If you add
material that is not explicitly stated by the
author, give interpretive reasons for doing
so. Remember, there should be no
supplementation without justification.

2. High blood pressure is a

real health hazard.
Therefore, anyone who is
overweight should get to
work and reduce.

Standardization:
(1) High blood pressure is a real health
hazard.
(3) Being overweight is likely to cause high
blood pressure (missing premise)
Therefore,
(2) Anyone who is overweight should get to
work and reduce.

(1)

(2)

(3)


(3) Any busy person is at
risk of illnesses caused by
stress. So all mothers run
those risks.

Standardization:
(1) Any busy person is at risk of illnesses
caused by stress.
(3) All mothers are busy persons, (missing
premise)
So,
(2) All mothers are at risk of illnesses
caused by stress.

(1)

(2)

(3)

(5) If people were truly

unselfish, they would give
as much to worthy
charities as they save for
their old age. But do they?
You tell me!

(1) If people were truly unselfish, they

would give as much to worthy charities as
they save for old age.
(3) People do not give as much to worthy
charities as they save for their old age.
(missing premise, indicated by the
rhetorical question, "do they?")
Therefore,
(2) People are not truly unselfish, (missing
conclusion, indicated by the rhetorical
question at the end of the passage)

(1) + (3)

(2)

8. We all hope to grow old someday, and

when we grow old, we will need the services
of retailers, manufacturers, politicians,
dentists, doctors, nurses, and many other
personnel. These people will provide us with
what we need, and they will help to care for
us. Who will they be? Only a few, if any, will
be our own children. The rest will be other
people's children. Thus, we all have a
personal stake in educating other people's
children. Anyone who says, "I am willing to
pay to educate my own children, but not
other people's children" is making a serious
mistake.

Standardization:
(1) We all hope to grow old some day
(2) When we grow old we will need the services of retailers,
manufacturers, politicians, dentists, doctors, nurses, and many
other personnel
(3) Retailers, manufacturers, politicians, dentists, doctors, nurses,
and many other personnel will provide us with what we need
(4) Retailers, manufacturers, politicians, dentists, doctors, nurses,
and many other personnel will help to care for us
(5) Only a few of retailers, manufacturers, etc. will be our own
children
So,
(6)The rest of these people will be other people's children
Therefore, (7) We all have a personal stake in educating other
people's children.

(3) And (4) are problematic here. Perhaps its

best to see them as supporting (2), the idea
being that when we get old we will need these
peoples services to take care of us and give us
what we need.
(3) + (4)

(1) + (2)

(5)

(7)

(6)

11. Background: This passage comes from a book by

Ahmed Rashid about the Taliban party in Afghanistan.

There were no political conditions in which the Taliban

were prepared to compromise. After every military defeat
they tightened their gender policies ferociously, under
the assumption that harsher measures against women
would sustain morale amongst their defeated soldiers.
And every victory led to another tightening because the
newly conquered population had to be shown Taliban
power. (Ahmed Rashid, Taliban: Militant Islam) Oil) and
Fundamentalism in Central Asia [New Haven, CT: Yale
University Press, 2001], p. 112.)
This doesnt seem to be (best interpreted as) an
argument.

13. "If Kelsey is highly

intelligent, she would only
go out with highly
intelligent guys and I'm not
one of them. So why would
Kelsey go out with me?"

The conclusion is implied by the

rhetorical question at the end. It is (3)
Kelsey would not likely go out with the
speaker. The stated premises are (1) if
Kelsey is highly intelligent she would
only go out with highly intelligent guys
and (2) the speaker is not a highly
intelligent guy. An unstated premise,
which we will call (4), is that Kelsey is
highly intelligent.

(1) If Kelsey is highly intelligent she

would only go out with highly
intelligent guys
(2) The speaker is not a highly
intelligent guy.
(4) Kelsey is highly intelligent.
(3) Kelsey will not likely go out with
the speaker.

(1) + (2) + (4)

(3)

15. "I found out Kelsey is a librarian,

which means she's highly intelligent.
(1) Kelsey is a librarian.
(2) Librarians are highly intelligent.
(3) Kelsey is highly intelligent.
(1) + (2)

(3)

16. "Since watching the news and reading the news are
both elements in the same syndrome, it is hardly
surprising that TV news viewing is positively associated
with civic involvement. Those of us who rely solely on TV
news are not quite as civic in our behavior as our fellow
citizens who rely on newspapers, we news watchers are
nevertheless more civic than other Americans. Regular
viewers of network newscasts ... spend more time on
community projects, attend more club meetings, and
follow politics much more closely than other Americans."
(Robert Putnam, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival
of American Community [New York: Touchstone, 2001], p.
220.)

This is an argument if one invokes a great

deal of charity. By and large, however, it
is description.