Q&A Hero

Q: Evaluate the following analogical argument:Washburn has read that it is good to include cabbage in ones diet. He doesnt care much for cabbage, but he likes brussels sprouts. Since the latter look like small cabbages, he assumes that their nutritional benefits will be about the same as those of cabbage.

Q: Evaluate the following analogical argument:Clark said gun control should not be blamed in situations when the user abuses the weapon. "A gun is an inanimate object," he said. "A plane is an inanimate object, but look at how many people are killed by them and theyre not illegal." Clark said that he was raised on a ranch and has "run around with guns since I was big enough to carry them." He added that he has never shot anybody as a result of growing up around guns.

Q: Evaluate the following analogical argument:According to a 2008 National Safety Council study, hunting has the lowest rate of injury of the 22 most popular recreational activities. Get this: Badminton, yes, badminton! Four times as many injuries as hunting.

Q: Evaluate the following analogical argument:Hank Kingscote has won every one of his fifteen previous prizefights by knockouts. The chances are that the poor fellow whos going to fight him next will wind up stretched out on the canvas.

Q: Evaluate the following analogical argument: A conversation: "You going to vote for Spankey or Howard in the city council election?"

Q: Evaluate the following analogical argument:"He won the Silver Medal of Honor, has a Purple Heart, and was an Eagle Scout. I find it difficult to believe that it was he who committed the robbery."

Q: Evaluate the following analogical argument:Mr. Naphal has read in an authoritative science report that a dye commonly injected into Florida oranges is carcinogenic. He resolves not only to avoid Florida oranges until he learns that they no longer are dyed with the same chemical, but also to avoid California oranges and all grapefruit as well.

Q: Evaluate the following analogical argument:From a letter to the editor: "Harry Kryshnah lost the last election because he supported handgun control. So now hes changed his tune and claims hell be the first one to oppose handgun control. I voted for him last June, but I wont vote for him this time, and its not because I favor handgun control. I just dont want a governor who can talk out of both sides of his mouth like that."

Q: Evaluate the following analogical argument:In Great Britain, savings of between 20 and 40 percent in costs have resulted from selling government-run programs and businesses to individuals and companies in the private sector. This argues well for the administrations interest in selling such U.S. government entities as the Bonneville Power Administration, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and various parts of the postal service.

Q: Evaluate the following analogical argument: Wolfgang has been to America, once visiting New York and once visiting Columbus. (Why is it always "Columbus, Ohio"? Is there another sizable Columbus?) Now he has an opportunity to visit New Orleans. Wolfgang decides not to go. "Based on my experience, it will be awfultherell be crime, violence, poverty, rude people, drug addictsevery kind of unpleasantness."

Q: Evaluate the following analogical argument:Six months ago, several of Mollys friends joined the Trimtime Fitness Center. Each of them participated in Trimtimes weight-reduction and fitness regimen. All reported substantial weight reduction, and all are visibly slimmer. Molly is convinced. She joins Trimtime and enrolls in the same program, hoping and expecting to see the same results. She is especially delighted to learn that Trimtime had adjusted its program to make it even more effective in a shorter period of time.

Q: Evaluate the following analogical argument: He: Lets leave Cincinnati for the golden West! Why dont we move to Los Angeles? She: Well, for one thing, we couldnt afford to buy a house there. He: Dont be such a pessimist. We bought this house here, didnt we? How much more expensive can houses in Los Angeles be?

Q: Evaluate the following analogical argument:The Patriots easily made it into last years Super Bowl. Theyll have almost the same personnel next year, so Im putting my money on the Patriots to be back next year.

Q: Evaluate the following analogical argument:The thing that worries me is that were going to get bogged down in Iraq just as we got bogged down in Vietnam. The situations are exactly the same: Its us against a poor nation that is determined to win and doesnt play by the rules our military thinkers understand.

Q: Rank the following analogical arguments: a. Look, our stereo is a Panasonic and so is our TV, and weve never had any trouble with either of them. Lets get the Panasonic answering machine. Why take chances? b. Look, our stereo is Japanese and so is our TV, and weve never had any trouble with either of them. Lets get the Japanese answering machine. Why take chances? c. Look, Franks answering machine is a Panasonic and so is Heathers, and they both say theyve never had trouble with them. Lets get the Panasonic answering machine. Why take chances?

Q: Evaluate the following analogical argument: Can I recommend a good mechanic? SureB&M Tuneup. Ive been taking my car there for years, and Ive never had a single complaint. Of course, I have an old Chevy, and you drive a Mazdaone of those rotary-engine jobs, isnt it?

Q: Evaluate the following analogical argument:Hey, Coach! I know somebody good for our volleyball team. Her name is Stacy, and she hasnt played much volleyball, but shes a great basketball player.

Q: Evaluate the following analogical argument: Prostitution is legal in the Netherlands, and it doesnt seem to produce any terrible societal problems. Ill bet it would be the same in the United States.

Q: Evaluate the following analogical argument:I like Fuji apples; Ill bet Fuji pears are good too.

Q: Evaluate the following analogical argument:We have visited seven cities in southern Spain, and every one of them has a bull ring. Ill bet theres one in the next Spanish city we visit.

Q: Evaluate the following analogical argument:When Halleys comet appeared a few years ago, there was an upsurge in the number of suicides across the country. The same thing happened when the Hale-Bopp comet appeared in 1997. Ill bet the next appearance of a visible comet will produce a rash of suicides.

Q: Evaluate the following analogical argument:The stock market has made huge gains during each of the past four years. Im willing to put my money on the claim that it will do the same this coming year.

Q: In a retrospective observational study, none of the members of the control group show the effect of the cause being investigated.

Q: In a prospective observational study, the members of the experimental group are exposed to the suspected causal agent by the investigators.

Q: The claim "Fouled spark plugs kept the car from starting" implies that the car would have started if the spark plugs had not been fouled.

Q: The claim "Fluoridated water prevents tooth decay," if true, implies that fluoridated water would prevent tooth decay in the majority of individuals who use it.

Q: Johnson is hired by a company to see if a new product, Topocal, will cause hair to grow on the heads of bald men. He recruits one thousand bald men and randomly divides them into two groups: Five hundred men (group A) rub Topocal on their scalps each day; the other five hundred (group B) rub a standard skin lotion on their scalps each day. After two months, Johnson checks to see what the results have been. He finds that there has been hair growth in 7 percent of group A and in 2 percent of group B.The category that best fits this study isA. prospective observational study.B. retrospective observational study.C. randomized controlled experiment.

Q: Johnson is hired by a company to see if a new product, Topocal, will cause hair to grow on the heads of bald men. He recruits one thousand bald men and randomly divides them into two groups: Five hundred men (group A) rub Topocal on their scalps each day; the other five hundred (group B) rub a standard skin lotion on their scalps each day. After two months, Johnson checks to see what the results have been. He finds that there has been hair growth in 7 percent of group A and in 2 percent of group B.What if Johnson had started with 2,000 bald men (1,000 in each group) and got the same 7 and 2 percent figures? Would this have made any difference for the significance of Johnsons results? A. Yes: It changes them from insignificant to significant.B. Yes: It changes them from significant to insignificant.C. No: They were insignificant before, and this leaves them that way.D. No: They were significant before, and this leaves them that way.

Q: Johnson is hired by a company to see if a new product, Topocal, will cause hair to grow on the heads of bald men. He recruits one thousand bald men and randomly divides them into two groups: Five hundred men (group A) rub Topocal on their scalps each day; the other five hundred (group B) rub a standard skin lotion on their scalps each day. After two months, Johnson checks to see what the results have been. He finds that there has been hair growth in 7 percent of group A and in 2 percent of group B.If there is a control group here, it is A. bald men in general.B. the bald men who participated in the study.C. the men in group A.D. the men in group B.E. there is no control group in this study.

Q: Johnson is hired by a company to see if a new product, Topocal, will cause hair to grow on the heads of bald men. He recruits one thousand bald men and randomly divides them into two groups: Five hundred men (group A) rub Topocal on their scalps each day; the other five hundred (group B) rub a standard skin lotion on their scalps each day. After two months, Johnson checks to see what the results have been. He finds that there has been hair growth in 7 percent of group A and in 2 percent of group B.Given the size of Johnsons two groups, would you say that the results of the test are statistically significant?A. yesB. noC. no way to tell

Q: Johnson is hired by a company to see if a new product, Topocal, will cause hair to grow on the heads of bald men. He recruits one thousand bald men and randomly divides them into two groups: Five hundred men (group A) rub Topocal on their scalps each day; the other five hundred (group B) rub a standard skin lotion on their scalps each day. After two months, Johnson checks to see what the results have been. He finds that there has been hair growth in 7 percent of group A and in 2 percent of group B.What is the population?A. bald men in generalB. the bald men who participated in the studyC. the men in group AD. the men in group B

Q: Johnson is hired by a company to see if a new product, Topocal, will cause hair to grow on the heads of bald men. He recruits one thousand bald men and randomly divides them into two groups: Five hundred men (group A) rub Topocal on their scalps each day; the other five hundred (group B) rub a standard skin lotion on their scalps each day. After two months, Johnson checks to see what the results have been. He finds that there has been hair growth in 7 percent of group A and in 2 percent of group B.What is the sample?A. bald men in generalB. the bald men who participated in the studyC. the men in group AD. the men in group B

Q: When we say that the number is "statistically significant," which of these is closest to what we mean? A. the number is big enough for a sample in a good argument. B. the number is big enough to negate the results of other experiments. C. the number is big enough to have resulted from something besides chance. D. the number is big enough to influence events that happen later in the series.

Q: When an experiment displays an outcome that is statistically significant at the .05 level, it means that A. there is a 95 percent probability that the outcome was not a result of chance. B. there is a 5 percent probability that the outcome was not a result of chance. C. there is a 95 percent probability that the outcome was flawed.

Q: In prospective observational studies, we use "d" to stand for A. the difference between the frequency of an effect in the experimental group and that in the control group. B. the difference between the frequency of a suspected cause in the experimental group and that in the control group. C. the data accumulated from the control group. D. the data accumulated from the experimental group.

Q: An experiment in which subjects are randomly assigned either to an experimental group or a control group is called aA. randomized controlled experiment.B. randomized observational study.C. randomized cohort trial.

Q: Is the following a physical causal explanation or behavioral causal explanation? "She believes that she contributes to global warming each time she drives, so she walks to work."A. behavioralB. physical

Q: Is the following a physical causal explanation or behavioral causal explanation? "The reason shes not wearing that bracelet is because it reminds her of an old girlfriend."A. physicalB. behavioral

Q: Is the following a physical causal explanation or behavioral causal explanation? "Her arm developed a rash because shes allergic to the bracelet she was wearing."A. physicalB. behavioral

Q: Is the following a physical causal explanation or behavioral causal explanation? "Oil will soon disappear because the supply is finite and most of it has been used."A. physicalB. behavioral

Q: Is the following a physical causal explanation or behavioral causal explanation? "Theyre not driving as much because they think the price of gas is too high."A. physicalB. behavioral

Q: Is the following a physical causal explanation or behavioral causal explanation? "The reason she thinks Michel is a great singer is because shes tone-deaf."A. physicalB. behavioral

Q: Is the following a physical causal explanation or behavioral causal explanation? "Her artistic immaturity makes her think that singers like Jeff are great artists."A. behavioralB. physical

Q: Is the following a physical causal explanation or behavioral causal explanation? "He is not attending the concert because his ex-girlfriend is performing there."A. behavioralB. physical

Q: Is the following a physical causal explanation or behavioral causal explanation? "The lack of adequate public transport indirectly contributes to global warming."A. physicalB. behavioral

Q: Is the following a physical causal explanation or behavioral causal explanation? "The reason I cant get my printer to work is because Im a mechanical idiot."A. physicalB. behavioral

Q: Is the following a physical causal explanation or behavioral causal explanation? "My printer wont work because its not properly hooked up to my computer."A. physicalB. behavioral

Q: Consider the following passage: Julia sells exotic birds. She has placed four orders with wholesale bird supplier Papagayo Co., and all of them have been filled with healthy birds. Lately, however, some wholesale competitors have been trying to get her to order from them. But, when its time to make the next order, she decides shes better off with Papagayo because shes pretty sure shell get healthy birds. (Do not assume that you know anything about birds or the bird business.) The attribute of interest here is A. the Papagayo Company. B. Julia. C. healthy birds. D. the next order. E. Papagayos competitors.

Q: Consider the following passage:Julia sells exotic birds. She has placed four orders with wholesale bird supplier Papagayo Co., and all of them have been filled with healthy birds. Lately, however, some wholesale competitors have been trying to get her to order from them. But, when its time to make the next order, she decides shes better off with Papagayo because shes pretty sure shell get healthy birds. (Do not assume that you know anything about birds or the bird business.)If Julia orders more expensive birds in the new order, her argument wouldA. become stronger.B. become weaker.C. have no effect on the argument.

Q: Consider the following passage:Julia sells exotic birds. She has placed four orders with wholesale bird supplier Papagayo Co., and all of them have been filled with healthy birds. Lately, however, some wholesale competitors have been trying to get her to order from them. But, when its time to make the next order, she decides shes better off with Papagayo because shes pretty sure shell get healthy birds. (Do not assume that you know anything about birds or the bird business.)The original passage isA. an argument from analogy.B. generalizing from a sample.

Q: Consider the following passage: Julia sells exotic birds. She has placed four orders with wholesale bird supplier Papagayo Co., and all of them have been filled with healthy birds. Lately, however, some wholesale competitors have been trying to get her to order from them. But, when its time to make the next order, she decides shes better off with Papagayo because shes pretty sure shell get healthy birds. (Do not assume that you know anything about birds or the bird business.) Given the original circumstances, which of these conclusions would produce the strongest argument? A. Most of the birds in the new shipment will be healthy. B. All the birds in the new shipment will be healthy. C. None of the birds in the new shipment will be healthy. D. Some of the birds in the new shipment will be able to swear in two languages.

Q: Consider the following passage:Julia sells exotic birds. She has placed four orders with wholesale bird supplier Papagayo Co., and all of them have been filled with healthy birds. Lately, however, some wholesale competitors have been trying to get her to order from them. But, when its time to make the next order, she decides shes better off with Papagayo because shes pretty sure shell get healthy birds. (Do not assume that you know anything about birds or the bird business.)If we dont know what kind of bird shes about to order, we have the strongest argument if the previous orders wereA. some for parrots and some for macaws.B. just for parrots.C. just for macaws.

Q: Consider the following passage:Julia sells exotic birds. She has placed four orders with wholesale bird supplier Papagayo Co., and all of them have been filled with healthy birds. Lately, however, some wholesale competitors have been trying to get her to order from them. But, when its time to make the next order, she decides shes better off with Papagayo because shes pretty sure shell get healthy birds. (Do not assume that you know anything about birds or the bird business.)If all the preceding orders had been for parrots, then her argument would be stronger if the new order was forA. both parrots and macaws.B. just parrots.C. just macaws.

Q: Consider the following passage:Julia sells exotic birds. She has placed four orders with wholesale bird supplier Papagayo Co., and all of them have been filled with healthy birds. Lately, however, some wholesale competitors have been trying to get her to order from them. But, when its time to make the next order, she decides shes better off with Papagayo because shes pretty sure shell get healthy birds. (Do not assume that you know anything about birds or the bird business.)If Julia had placed seven orders with Papagayo with the same result, her argument would beA. stronger.B. weaker.C. neither stronger nor weaker.

Q: Consider the following passage: Julia sells exotic birds. She has placed four orders with wholesale bird supplier Papagayo Co., and all of them have been filled with healthy birds. Lately, however, some wholesale competitors have been trying to get her to order from them. But, when its time to make the next order, she decides shes better off with Papagayo because shes pretty sure shell get healthy birds. (Do not assume that you know anything about birds or the bird business.) The premise-analogue in the passage is A. the new order. B. the previous four orders. C. the Papagayo Co. D. the competitors.

Q: A sample is random ifA. it is chosen by a method the investigator does not know anything about.B. an important variable is disproportionately present or absent.C. every member of the population has an equal chance at being selected for the sample.

Q: When we generalize from a sample, we draw a conclusionA. about a sample based on a population.B. about a population based on a sample.C. about an attribute of interest based on a population.

Q: With the same confidence level, a generalization from a larger sample will have A. less strength. B. a smaller error margin. C. a larger error margin. D. a larger population.

Q: In generalizing from a sample, in order to achieve an error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points at a confidence level of about 95 percent, whats the smallest random sample we can get away with, regardless of the size of the population? A. 10 percent of the population B. 100 C. 500 D. 1,000 E. 5,000

Q: Lin sends away for a hot-cold serving tray she has seen advertised. The tray is promised to keep hot dishes hot and cold dishes cold without electricity. Lin tries it out by placing a pan of hot beans on it. They stay hot throughout dinner. "It works," she tells her husband. Is Lin using good causal reasoning?

Q: Lin sends away for a hot-cold serving tray she has seen advertised. The tray is promised to keep hot dishes hot and cold dishes cold without electricity. Lin tries it out by placing a pan of hot beans on it. They stay hot throughout dinner. "It works," she tells her husband. Do you think there could be a better test of the hot plate? Explain your response in a sentence or two.

Q: Lin sends away for a hot-cold serving tray she has seen advertised. The tray is promised to keep hot dishes hot and cold dishes cold without electricity. Lin tries it out by placing a pan of hot beans on it. They stay hot throughout dinner. "It works," she tells her husband.

Q: Lin sends away for a hot-cold serving tray she has seen advertised. The tray is promised to keep hot dishes hot and cold dishes cold without electricity. Lin tries it out by placing a pan of hot beans on it. They stay hot throughout dinner. "It works," she tells her husband. What type of argument or pattern of reasoning is employed?

Q: Lin sends away for a hot-cold serving tray she has seen advertised. The tray is promised to keep hot dishes hot and cold dishes cold without electricity. Lin tries it out by placing a pan of hot beans on it. They stay hot throughout dinner. "It works," she tells her husband. What kind of causal claim is this?

Q: Lin sends away for a hot-cold serving tray she has seen advertised. The tray is promised to keep hot dishes hot and cold dishes cold without electricity. Lin tries it out by placing a pan of hot beans on it. They stay hot throughout dinner. "It works," she tells her husband. What causal claim (if any) is stated or implied in Lins conclusion?

Q: Juanita has taken six courses at Valley Community College, and she has a grade average of B so far. All the courses she has taken have been in sociology and psychology. Shes thinking of enrolling in another course next term, and she expects to make at least a B in whatever she takes. Suppose that when she took the previous courses, Juanita had done all her studying alone because she didnt know any of the other students at Valley but that now she knows several good students and plans to study with them when she takes her next course. Would her argument be stronger or weaker?

Q: Juanita has taken six courses at Valley Community College, and she has a grade average of B so far. All the courses she has taken have been in sociology and psychology. Shes thinking of enrolling in another course next term, and she expects to make at least a B in whatever she takes. Would you assess Juanitas argument as stronger, weaker, or neither if you knew that she had made a B in each of her previous courses and not just that she has a B average?

Q: Juanita has taken six courses at Valley Community College, and she has a grade average of B so far. All the courses she has taken have been in sociology and psychology. Shes thinking of enrolling in another course next term, and she expects to make at least a B in whatever she takes. Would Juanitas argument be stronger, weaker, or neither if we knew that the new course will be in psychology?

Q: Juanita has taken six courses at Valley Community College, and she has a grade average of B so far. All the courses she has taken have been in sociology and psychology. Shes thinking of enrolling in another course next term, and she expects to make at least a B in whatever she takes. If we dont know yet what subject she will take, would her argument be stronger, weaker, or neither if her previous six courses had been in four different subjects rather than two?

Q: Make this inductive (statistical) syllogism into a strong argument by supplying an appropriate premise or conclusion: Most people with old cars have financial problems, so Anne and Dennis must be struggling financially.

Q: Make this inductive (statistical) syllogism into a strong argument by supplying an appropriate premise or conclusion: A vast number of people who care about sustainability have a vegetable garden, so Scott probably does, too.

Q: Make this inductive (statistical) syllogism into a strong argument by supplying an appropriate premise or conclusion: Were going to the home of our Italian friends, Marco and Claudia, for dinner. I suspect itll be really good.

Q: Make this inductive (statistical) syllogism into a strong argument by supplying an appropriate premise or conclusion: Dennis plays trumpet in the marching band at Yale, so he probably doesnt have a girlfriend.

Q: Make this inductive (statistical) syllogism into a strong argument by supplying an appropriate premise or conclusion: People who go to Burning Man are not like you and me. Why just look at how odd Greg is!

Q: Make this inductive (statistical) syllogism into a strong argument by supplying an appropriate premise or conclusion: Greg must be into all that New Age stuff since he wears his hair in a ponytail.

Q: Determine whether the following is valid or invalid:Look, if the check bounced, then youre right: Two things will happen. First, wed owe a penalty. And second, our records would be out of whack. Now, if our records are out of whack or if we pay a penaltyeither waythen were in big trouble, just like you said. The check isnt going to bounce, though. So relax. Were not in any trouble.

Q: Determine whether the following is valid or invalid:If we dont see the movie tonight, we wont be able to talk about it in class. And if we cant talk about it in class, we wont make Ms. Schmidt very happy. So lets see the movie. Then Ms. Schmidt will be happy.

Q: Determine whether the following is valid or invalid:If she can play the tuba, then she can darn well play the baritone. And if she can play the baritone, then she can play the French horn. We can conclude that as she can play the tuba, she can play the French horn.

Q: Determine whether the following is valid or invalid:If its going to be a cool spring, then the azaleas will need extra fertilizer. Indications are, however, that its not going to be a cool spring.

Q: Determine whether the following is valid or invalid:If a flyer is on one of the bulletin boards, then you know it was approved by the Associated Students, and that flyer was approved. Therefore, its on one of the bulletin boards somewhere.