Rules Of Inference Flashcards
What is an argument in logic?
An argument is a set of statements where some statements (premises) support another statement (conclusion).
What are premises?
Premises are statements that provide support or evidence for the conclusion in an argument.
What is a conclusion?
A conclusion is the statement in an argument that is supported by the premises.
True or False: An argument can have more than one conclusion.
False.
What is the purpose of rules of inference?
Rules of inference provide the logical structure for deriving conclusions from premises.
Fill in the blank: In a valid argument, if the premises are true, the conclusion must be ______.
true.
Identify the type of argument: ‘If it rains, the ground will be wet. It is raining. Therefore, the ground is wet.’
Modus Ponens.
Identify the type of argument: ‘If it rains, the ground will be wet. The ground is not wet. Therefore, it is not raining.’
Modus Tollens.
True or False: A sound argument must be valid and have true premises.
True.
Multiple Choice: Which of the following is NOT a rule of inference? A) Modus Ponens B) Disjunctive Syllogism C) Ad Hominem D) Modus Tollens
C) Ad Hominem.
Fill in the blank: An argument is ______ if it is structured such that true premises guarantee a true conclusion.
valid.
Identify the type of argument: ‘Either it is raining or it is sunny. It is not raining. Therefore, it is sunny.’
Disjunctive Syllogism.
What is hypothetical syllogism?
Hypothetical syllogism allows one to derive a conclusion from two conditional statements.
Fill in the blank: An argument is ______ if it is based on weak or insufficient evidence.
invalid.
True or False: The strength of an argument depends solely on the truth of the premises.
False.
What is the role of a conclusion in an argument?
The conclusion summarizes the main claim being supported by the premises.
What is the primary purpose of using rules of inference?
To derive logical conclusions from premises.
True or False: Modus Ponens states that if ‘P implies Q’ and ‘P’ is true, then ‘Q’ must also be true.
True
Fill in the blank: The rule of inference known as __________ allows us to conclude ‘not P’ if ‘P implies Q’ and ‘Q’ is false.
Modus Tollens
Which of the following is an example of Disjunctive Syllogism? A) P or Q; not P; therefore Q. B) If P then Q; P; therefore Q.
A) P or Q; not P; therefore Q.
Define the term ‘premise’ in the context of logical reasoning.
A premise is a statement or proposition that provides the basis for an argument or inference.
What conclusion can be drawn using Hypothetical Syllogism from the premises ‘If P then Q’ and ‘If Q then R’?
If P then R.
True or False: Conjunction allows us to combine two true statements into one.
True
What is the conclusion of the argument: ‘If it rains, the ground will be wet. It is raining. What can we conclude?’
The ground will be wet.
Identify the rule of inference used: ‘P implies Q; Q is false; therefore, P is false.’
This is an application of Modus Tollens.
List one common application of rules of inference in real life.
Rules of inference are commonly used in legal reasoning to derive conclusions from evidence.
