Phil 12 Winter 2006 Directions and Sample Questions for First Exam I Argumentation A Basic concepts Select the best answer to the following multiple choice questions about basic concepts of logic and scientific reasoning as used in this course 10 points An argument is a a conflict between two or more individuals b a discourse designed to convince someone to accept a conclusion c a set of statements some of which are offered to justify others d none of the above B Conditionals Select the best answer to the following multiple choice questions about conditional statements 15 points Only if you follow the directions will you pass the exam is logically equivalent to which of the following statements a If you follow the directions you will pass the exam b You will pass the exam if you follow the directions c If you pass the exam you followed the directions d Unless you passed the exam you followed the directions The statement Only if you follow the directions will you pass the exam is false when a You followed the directions and passed the exam b You followed the directions and did not pass the exam c You did not follow the directions and passed the exam d You did not follow the directions and did not pass the exam C Conditional arguments Identify the form of each of the following conditional arguments AND whether it is valid or not 15 points If you passed the exam then you followed the directions and you followed the directions Therefore you will you pass the exam a Modus ponens c Affirming the consequent b Modus tollens d Denying the antecedent e Valid f Invalid D Evidential Relations Answer the following questions about the logical relations involved in evaluating hypotheses including showing the form of argument involved and illustrate with an example in a short paragraph 15 points What is the logical form of a falsification Illustrate with an example Give two reasons other than laziness or conservatism why researchers might reasonably not reject a hypothesis even if the predictions made from it are false II Observation A Observation Categorization and Taxonomy Answer the following questions about observation categorization and taxonomy in a short paragraph making it clear how it illustrates a feature of science 15 points What aspect of perception is illustrated by the drawing on the left What challenge does this pose to scientists Explain in some detail B Basic concepts Select the best answer to the following multiple choice questions about terms used to describe features of observational research including variables and their measurement 10 points A nominal variable a uses numbers only as names b uses numbers to specify rank ordering c uses numbers to quantify differences between items d uses numbers to specify ratios between items C Observational research variables and measurement Select the best answer to the following true false matching or multiple choice questions 20 points What percent of scores lie within 2 standard deviations of the mean of a distribution a 50 b 68 c 95 d 99