已选分类
哲学
1单选题Anthony: It has been established that over 80 percent of those who use heroin have a history of having used marijuana. Such evidence would seem to prove that smoking marijuana definitely leads to heroin use. Judith: Maybe smoking marijuana does lead to heroin use, but it is absurd to think that citing those statistics proves that it does. After all, 100 percent of the people who take up heroin had a previous history of drinking water. Judith's reply to Anthony's argument relies on which one of the following argumentative strategies?
2单选题Surveys show that every year only 10 percent of cigarette smokers switch brands. Yet the manufacturers have been spending an amount equal to 10 percent of their gross receipts on cigarette promotion in magazines. It follows from these figures that inducing cigarette smokers to switch brands did not pay, and that cigarette companies would have been no worse off economically if they had dropped their advertising. Of the following, the best criticism of the conclusion that inducing cigarette smokers to switch brands did not pay is that the conclusion is based on
3单选题New employees of Ace Industries are complaining about discomfort caused by excessive noise inside Ace's factory. Experienced Ace factory employees, however, do not suffer any such discomfort. Although Ace accepts responsibility for the health of its employees, it has decided not to issue earplugs to new employees. Ace reasoned that the new employees would also become accustomed to the noise without using earplugs. Which of the following, if true, indicates a flaw in Ace's decision not to issue earplugs to new employees?
4单选题Spiritualism, the doctrine that it is possible to communicate with the spirits of the deceased through specially talented persons called mediums, is fraudulent. As long ago as the 1870's, Professor Edwin Lankester showed that the purported "spirit writing" of the famed medium Henry Slade Was present on a slate before the "spirits" were supposed to have begun writing on it. This example demonstrates that the doctrine of spiritualism is worthless. If the example above is correctly reported, which of the following is the best argument against the conclusion drawn above?
5单选题John: It is permissible and even advisable to execute criminals convicted of brutal murders. After all, a publicized execution can serve to deter heinous crimes and thus minimize suffering in the long run. Capital punishment is a kind of societal self-defense. Mary: You are ignoring the prior issue of whether a state or society has the right to take anyone's life. If there is no such right, then, the issue of whether capital punishment deters crime is irrelevant. If it were determined dial capital punishment does not serve to deter crime, John's and Mary's positions would be affected in which of the following ways?
6单选题If a society encourages freedom of thought and expression, then, during the time when it does so, creativity will flourish in that society. In the United States creativity flourished during the eighteenth century. It is clear, therefore, that freedom of thought was encouraged in the United States during the eighteenth century. An error of reasoning of the same kind as one contained in the passage is present in each of the following arguments EXCEPT:
7单选题Soft Drink Manufacturer: Our new children's soft drink, RipeCal, is fortified with calcium. Since calcium is essential for developing healthy bones, drinking RipeCal regularly will help make children healthy. Consumer Advocate: But RipeCal also contains large amounts of sugar, and regularly consuming large amounts of sugar is unhealthful, especially for children. In responding to the soft drink manufacturer, the consumer advocate does which of the following?
8单选题A large group of hyperactive children whose regular diets included food containing large amounts of additives was observed by researchers trained to assess the presence or absence of behavior problems. The children were then placed on a low-additive diet for several weeks, after which they were observed again. Originally nearly 60 percent of the children exhibited behavior problems; after the change in diet, only 30 percent did so. On the basis of these data, it can be concluded that food additives can contribute to behavior problems in hyperactive children. The evidence cited fails to establish the conclusion because
9单选题Mainstream economic theory holds that manufacturers, in deciding what kinds of products to manufacture and what form those products should have, simply respond to the needs and desires of consumers. However, most major manufacturers manipulate and even create consumer demand, as anyone who watches television knows. Since even mainstream economic theorists watch television, their motive in advancing this theory must be something other than disinterested concern for scientific truth. The claim that manufacturers manipulate and create consumer demand plays which one of the following roles in the argument?
10单选题Kyle: The rate of highway fatalities per 100 million miles driven was about a third lower last year than ten years ago. The decrease is mainly attributable to greater use of seat belts and to less drinking of alcohol by drivers, but last year's sluggish economy also contributed, by curtailing driving. Lisa: The economy could not have been a factor, because even if fewer fatalities occur when fewer miles are driven, the number "per 100 million miles driven" is what you were discussing, and that figure would not fall merely because fewer miles were driven. Lisa's objection is based on
11单选题Emperor: The enemy empire across the sea has harassed us for centuries. I want to conquer it and stop it once and for all. What advice can you give me? Admiral: If you cross the sea a mighty empire will fall. Emperor: In that case, prepare the troops. We set sail tonight. Of the following, the strongest criticism of the Emperor's decision to invade would be that it
12单选题The government should enact a bill that would prohibit the sale and consumption of alcohol on commuter trains. Recently, the state, exercising its legitimate authority, passed a law to protect the health of commuters by prohibiting smoking on the commuter line. When intoxicated riders get off the train, get in their cars, and drive, the public is exposed to at least as much danger as are nonsmoking rail passengers who are forced to inhale cigarette smoke. In arguing that alcohol consumption on commuter trains should be banned, the author relies on
13单选题Lumber Merchant: Because logging companies have long been replanting trees after logging, almost half of the tropical hardwood now sold is harvested from sustainable sources. Environmentalist: On the contrary, barely one percent of the tropical hardwood sold is harvested from sustainable sources, since nearly all logging involves destruction of animal habitats that cannot be restored by replanting trees. The environmentalist's response to the lumber merchant is based on a reinterpretation of
14单选题Proposals for extending the United States school year to bring it more in line with its European and Japanese counterparts are often met with the objection that curtailing the schools' three-month summer vacation would violate an established United States tradition dating from the nineteenth century. However, this object misses its mark. True, in the nineteenth century the majority of schools closed for three months every summer, but only because they were in rural areas where successful harvests depended on children's labor. If any policy could be justified by those appeals to tradition, it would be the policy of determining the length of the school year according to the needs of the economy. The argument counters the objection by
15单选题Roberta was born in 1967, and so in 1976 she was nine years old. It is clear from this example that the last two digits of a person's birth year will be the same as the last two digits of the year of that person's ninth birthday, except that the position of the digits will be reversed. Which of the following is the best criticism of the assertions made above?
16单选题Pamela: Business has an interest in enabling employees to care for children, because those children will be the customers, employees, and managers of the future. Therefore, businesses should adopt policies, such as day-care benefits, that facilitate parenting. Lee: No individual company, though, will be patronized, staffed, and managed only by its own employees' children, so it would not be to a company's advantage to provide such benefits to employees when other companies do not. In which one of the following pairs consisting of argument and objection does the objection function most similarly to the way Lee's objection functions in relation to Pamela's argument?
17单选题Monroe, despite his generally poor appetite, thoroughly enjoyed the three meals he ate at the Tip-Top Restaurant, but, unfortunately, after each meal he became ill. The first time he ate an extra-large sausage pizza with a side order of hot peppers; the second time he took full advantage of the all-you-can-eat fried shrimp and hot peppers special; and the third time he had two of Tip-Top's gaint meatball sandwiches with hot peppers. Since the only food all three meals had in common was the hot peppers, Monroe concludes that it is solely due to Tip-Top's hot poppers that he became ill. Monroe's reasoning is most vulnerable to which one of the following criticisms?
18单选题Many plant varieties used in industrially developed nations to improve cultivated crops come from less-developed nations. No compensation is paid on the grounds that the plants used are "the common heritage of humanity." Such reasoning is, however, flawed. After all, no one suggests that coal, oil, and ores should be extracted without payment. Which of the following best describes an aspect of the method used by the author in the argument above?
19单选题Mayor Smith, one of our few government officials with a record of outspoken, informed, and consistent opposition to nuclear power plant construction projects, has now declared herself in favor of building the nuclear power plant at Littletown. If someone with her past antinuclear record now favors building this power plant, then there is good reason to believe that it will be safe and therefore should be built. The argument is vulnerable to criticism on which one of the following grounds?
20单选题Jane: According to an article in this newsmagazine, children hand-eye coordination suffers when they spend a great amount of time watching television. Therefore, we must restrict the amount of time Jacqueline and Mildred are allowed to watch television. Alan: Rubbish! The article says that only children under three are affected in that way. Jacqueline is ten and Mildred is eight. Therefore, we need not restrict their television viewing. Alan's argument against Jane's conclusion makes which one of the following errors in reasoning?