Arguments?

Ms. Reshma Sable

rs.hrsolution@gmail.com
CT Test Question

Q. If you have only one match and you walked

into a room where there was an oil burner, a
kerosene lamp, and a wood burning stove,
which one would you light first?

Q. What is the beginning of eternity, The end of

time and space; The beginning of every end,
And the end of every race?
 
Content

 Arguments?
 Sentences?
 Statements?
 Premises?
 Conclusions?
Argument?

 An Argument is a set of one or more

meaningful declarative statements (or
propositions) known as the Premises along
with another meaningful declarative
statements (or proposition) known as the
Conclusion.

Argument = Premises + Conclusion

 Kathleen Dean Moore : "a claim or
proposition put forward along with reasons or
evidence supporting it."

 Robert Ennis : "an attempt to support a

conclusion by giving reasons for it."
 Irving M. Copi : "group of propositions of which
one, the conclusion, is claimed to follow from the
others, which are premises."

 Richard Epstein : “is a collection of statements, one

of which is called the conclusion whose truth the
argument attempts to establish; the others are
called the premises, which are supposed to lead to,
or support, or convince that the conclusion is true."
Proposition or Statement
 A proposition (statement)  is a sentence
that is either true or false.

 Some of the statements are “clearly true”

Example: “Red is a color”

 Some of the statements are “clearly false”

Example: “Mumbai is in China”

 Some of the statements are “controversial”

Example: “God does not exist”
Important things to Remember

A sentence may be used to express more

than one statement.
Example
 "Since smoking is bad for your health, you should
not do it."
 includes two statements:
 "Smoking is bad for your health."
 "You should not do it." 
Important things to Remember (conti.)

 "Joseph went to the store and Barbara went

to the beach,"
 includes two statements:
 Joseph went to the store
 Barbara went to the beach
Important things to Remember (conti.)

 Not all sentences are statements.

Example
 What is the time? (Question)

 Hi, Dad! (Greeting)

 Close the window! (Command)

 Please send me your current catalog. (Request)

 Let’s go to Paris for our anniversary. (Proposal)

 Insert tab A into slot B. (Instruction)

 Oh, my goodness! (Exclamation)

Important things to Remember (conti.)

Opinions – are not statements

 "opinion" is a belief that we accept.
Example
 Our views about religion.

 the best form of government.

 what constitutes the virtuous life.

 the meaning of works of art, literature, and music

can all be classified as "opinions."

• such statements are not true or false, and there is
no need to offer reasons in support of them.
Important things to Remember (conti.)

 A Rhetorical Question
“It is a sentence that has the grammatical form of a
question but is meant to be understood as a
statement.”
Example:
 “Alysaa, you should quit smoking. Don’t you realize how bad that

is for your health?”

Here, the person asking the question is not looking for any information,
rather making an assertion that smoking is bad for ones health.
Important things to Remember (conti.)

 An Ought Imperative
Ought : expressing duty/probability
Imperative : giving or expressing a command

 Imperative sentences are statements if they are intended as

pieces of advice or value judgments about what someone ought
or ought not to do.

 Imperative sentences are NOT statements if they are intended

as orders, suggestions, proposals or exhortations (exhort :
strongly argue to do something).
Important things to Remember (conti.)

Example
 Commencement address: Do not read beauty

magazines. They will only make you feel ugly. (Mary

Schmich)
Important things to Remember (conti.)

 Beware, sometimes a sentence may seem to

include two statements, but does not.
Example
"If Andre comes to the party, then Susan will stay at
home." 
 note that this statement is NOT saying that both
events (Andre comes to the party and Susan will
stay at home.) will occur. 
 Rather it is making a single statement about the
relationship of the two parts, namely that if one thing
happens the other will happen too.
Examples of Statement
 "The U. S. holds presidential elections every
four years."
 "Bob bought a new car."
 "Suzanne has the measles."
 "More than forty people are enrolled in this
class."
 "An advanced form of life exists on the planet
Mars."
Each of these sentences is a statement
because it is either true or false.
Truth or Falsity of each statement

 With some investigation, one can determine

the truth or falsity of each statement.
 It is very important to note that even if a
statement seems obviously false, such as the
statement about advanced life on Mars, it is
still a statement, though a false proposition.
Exercise on Identifying Statements

1. The batter hit the baseball 502 feet into

the center field.
Ans: YES, This is a Statement.
 It is either true or false that the ball went
502 feet.
2. The teacher exclaimed, "Don't come into
class late again!"
Ans: This is NOT a Statement.
 It is a command and an exclamation.
3. Blue is my favorite color.
Ans: This is a Statement.
 It is NOT an opinion.
Comment: Be careful about what you say is just an opinion. Can it
be true or false that the person's favorite color is blue? I think so.
It may be that we have no other means of checking the truth of
the statement than by person's own word, and, for all I know, the
person could be lying about their favorite color.
None of those considerations change the fact that the statement
is either true or false.
4. Scientists have discovered the remains of
a lost civilization on the floor of the
Atlantic Ocean.
Ans: YES This is a Statement.
Comment: It's a false  statement (as far as I know).
A sentence does not have to be true to be a
statement.
5. Wow! Did you see that baseball sail out of
the park?
Ans: This is NOT a Statement.
 It is an exclamation and a question.
6. The Fuehrer is independent of all groups,
associations, and interests, but is bound
by laws which are inherent in the nature of
the people.
Ans: I don't know what this means, so it is
difficult to say if it can be true or false.
Comment: Sometimes sentences can be so fuzzy and
confusing that the best response is to admit that you
can't make a judgment about it.
7. I now pronounce you man and wife.
Ans: This is NOT a Statement.
Comment: This is not a statement, but is a
very special kind of sentence. It is like
blessing or a toast, it is designed to help
establish, and confirm a specific reality. 
Specific individuals are granted certain
authority to confer specific titles, rights, and
responsibilities on others.
 
8. The most important thing in life is family.
Ans: YES this is a Statement.
 It is either true or false.
9. The Chesnutt Library has more than
500,000 volumes.
Ans: YES this is a Statement.
 It is either true or false.
10. Sit down and be quiet!
Ans: This is NOT a Statement.
 Its a Command.
11. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury:
Could any reasonable person really
believe that a man of such outstanding
character as my client could have
committed the heinous crime for which he
has been accused? 
Ans: This is NOT a Statement.
 Its a Question .
12. John F. Kennedy was shot by a single
gunman on November 22, 1963.
Ans: YES this is a Statement.
 It may be controversial, but it is either true or

false.
13. Kill the referee! 
Ans: This is NOT a Statement.
 Its an Exclamation and Command.
14. Take your umbrella with you today.
Ans: This is NOT a Statement.
 Its a Command.
15. Have you seen Eddie Murphy's latest
movie?
Ans: This is NOT a Statement.
 Its a Question.
16. The teacher said, "If you are late for
class again, I will give you a 0 for your
next test grade." 
Ans: YES this is a Statement.
 It’s either true or false that the teacher made

the statement.
16. Are you sure she is the one who did it?
Ans: This is NOT a Statement.
 Its a Question.
17. If you keep up this behavior, you will be
punished. 
Ans: YES this is a Statement.
 It is either true or false.
18. Complete this questionnaire.
Ans: This is NOT a Statement.
 Its a Question.
19. You will be punished if you do not sit
down.
Ans: YES this is a Statement.
 It’s either true or false.
20. You wouldn't dare break your word to
us, would you?
Ans: This is NOT a Statement.
 Its a Question.
20. Holy God!  
Ans: This is NOT a Statement.
 Its a Exclamation.
CT Test Question

Q. How many books can you put in an empty

bag?

Q. How can you make 7 even?