philosophy homework
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HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT #7: MIDTERM PRACTICE
This assignment is due at the start of our class meeting on Thursday, March 10. Because we will go over the answers to this assignment as soon as it is turned in, no late assignments will be accepted. This assignment is designed as a practice exam; although it is longer than the exam will be, it provides models of all of the kinds of questions you will be asked on the midterm. On this homework assignment, you may work in groups and you may turn in group work. There are 60 points possible on this homework assignment, and I will divide your score by 2. So the highest possible score on this assignment is 30/30 points.
DO NOT TURN IN THESE QUESTIONS. YOU SHOULD BRING THESE QUESTIONS AND A COPY OF YOUR ANSWERS TO CLASS SO YOU WILL HAVE THEM WHILE WE GO OVER THE ANSWERS TOGETHER.
Multiple Choice Section: Write only the letter of the correct answer for the questions in this section. [1 point each]
1. Identify the conclusion of the argument in the following passage.
Credit unions are not-for-profit, and every member is also an owner. Consequently, it’s the members, not bank executives or shareholders, who reap the benefits of a credit union’s investments. [Tim Chen, U.S. News & World Report, “How Credit Unions Support Community Development,” January 26, 2012.]
a. Credit unions are not-for-profit, and every member is also an owner.
b. Credit unions’ members, not bank executives or shareholders, reap the benefits of a credit union’s investments.
2. Identify the conclusion of the argument in the following passage.
Since Thailand … has never been conquered or colonized by Europeans, it has developed a society unlike any other in Southeast Asia. [Gore Vidal, Point to Point Navigation: A Memoir, 1964 to 2006. (New York: Vintage International, 2006), p. 42.]
a. Thailand has never been conquered or colonized by Europeans.
b. Thailand has developed a society unlike any other in Southeast Asia.
3. Identify the conclusion of the argument in the following passage.
Many customers who receive door hangers are irritated by the ads and rip them down immediately…. [Alana Samuels, “Direct-Ad Opportunity Knocks,” Los Angeles Times, June 13, 2007.]
a. Many customers who receive door hangers are irritated by the ads.
b. Many customers who receive door hangers rip them down immediately.
4. Identify the conclusion of the argument in the following passage.
Photography, because it preserves the appearance of an event or a person, has always been closely associated with the idea of the historical. [John Berger, “Paul Strand,” in About Looking. (New York: Pantheon Books, 1980), p. 47.]
a. Photography has always been closely associated with the idea of the historical.
b. Photography preserves the appearance of an event or a person.
5. Identify the conclusion of the argument in the following passage.
…[T]he [military] commander has failed in his duty if he has not won victory – for that is his duty. [British Field Marshal William Slim, quoted in Max Boot, “Fire the Incompetents, Find the Pattons,” Los Angeles Times, May 31, 2007.]
a. The military commander has failed in his duty if he has not won victory.
b. Winning victory is the military commander’s duty.
6. Identify the conclusion of the argument in the following passage.
…[T]he Bible deems it crucial that we remember. And the Bible is right, for memory forms the bedrock of identity. [Shlomo Riskin, “Parashat Bo: We Remember, Therefore We Are,” Jerusalem Post, January 25, 2007.]
a. The Bible deems it crucial that we remember.
b. It is crucial that we remember.
c. Memory forms the bedrock of identity.
7. Identify the conclusion of the argument in the following passage. Note: The argument is this passage is bold-faced and underlined.
The smallest [East African carnivore] is the Dwarf Mongoose, Nguchiro or Kicheche, which hunts in large packs for insects and small creatures by day, making temporary homes in termite hills. This mongoose is easily tamed and can be treated as a domestic pet. [Shell Guide to Wild Life. (Nairobi: Injes May, 1976), p. 22.]
a. The Dwarf Mongoose is easily tamed.
b. The Dwarf Moongoose can be treated as a domestic pet.
8. Identify the conclusion of the argument in the following passage.
I … [am] limited in my understandings of God’s purpose and therefore prone to sin. [Barack Obama, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream. (New York: Vintage Books, 2006), p. 265.]
a. I am limited in my understandings of God’s purpose.
b. I am prone to sin.
9. Identify the conclusion of the argument in the following passage.
I definitely regard hookah smoke as being bad because any smoke that goes through your lungs is not good. [Adam Delmendo, CTVA major, quoted in Ariel Galura, “Popular Student Past-Time Poses Serious Health,” Summer Sundial (California State University, Northridge), June 18-22, 2007.]
a. I definitely regard hookah smoke as being bad.
b. Hookah smoke is bad.
c. Any smoke that goes through your lungs is not good.
10. Identify the conclusion of the argument in the following passage.
Because California has strong ties to Asia and Latin America, some language experts believe the loyalty to native tongues has advantages. [Anna Gorman and David Pierson, “Not at Home with English,” Los Angeles Times, September 13, 2007.]
a. California has strong ties to Asia and Latin America.
b. Some language experts believe the loyalty to native tongues has advantages in California.
c. The loyalty to native tongues has advantages in California.
11. Identify the conclusion of the argument in the following passage.
A McCain Republican is someone who thinks that global warming is important, and immigration reform is important, and campaign finance reform was an attempt to clean up the system. … And someone who thinks – given that we are in two wars – it might be important to have someone with military credentials in the White House…. [Alexis Simendinger, “What Exactly Is a McCain Republican?,” National Journal, September 1, 2008.]
a. We are in two wars.
b. A McCain Republican is someone who thinks that it might be important to have someone with military credentials in the White House.
c. It might be important to have someone with military credentials in the White House.
12. Identify the conclusion of the argument in the following passage.
Current world population estimates of Armenians range from 6 million to 8 million. Approximately 3.5 million live in the Republic of Armenia, so a majority live outside the homeland. [Berge Bulbulian, The Fresno Armenians: History of a Diaspora Community. (Fresno, CA: The Press at California State University, Fresno, 2000), p. 6.]
a. Current world population estimates of Armenians range from 6 million to 8 million.
b. Approximately 3.5 million Armenians live in the Republic of Armenia.
c. A majority of Armenians live outside the homeland.
13. Identify the conclusion of the argument in the following passage.
In people of good character, sex is a matter for ethical judgment, indeed, for a lifelong process of ethical self-scrutiny. For justice is in our lives, and sex is in our lives. If we care about both, we cannot but anxiously seek to bring them closer together. [Martha C. Nussbaum, “Eros and Ethical Norms,” in Martha C. Nussbaum and Juha Sihvola, eds., The Sleep of Reason: Erotic Experience and Sexual Ethics in Ancient Greece and Rome. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002), p. 87.]
a. In people of good character, sex is a matter for ethical judgment, indeed, for a lifelong process of ethical self-scrutiny.
b. Justice is in our lives, and sex is in our lives.
c. If we care about both justice and sex, we cannot but anxiously seek to bring them closer together.
14. Identify the conclusion of the argument in the following passage.
In addition to its importance as a traditional art form, Japanese tattooing is a significant modern phenomenon because of its major impact on the form and content of temporary western body art. [Clinton R. Sanders with D. Angus Vail, Customizing the Body: The Art and Culture of Tattooing. (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2008), p. 13.]
a. Japanese tattooing is important as a traditional art form.
b. Japanese tattooing is a significant modern phenomenon.
c. Japanese tattooing has a major impact on the form and content of temporary western body art.
15. Identify the conclusion of the argument in the following passage. Note: The speaker is a fictional character, called the Very Reverend Krikor Chakmachian III. To exorcise means to force an evil spirit to leave.
Exorcism is a very serious term that applies only to humans. There are some among our people who still hold notions – no doubt left over from our pagan past – of spirits dwelling in such things as rocks and trees. But the church is explicit here: no objects other than humans have spirits, and hence cannot be exorcised. We must be clear about that. [Aris Janigian, Bloodvine. (Berkeley, California: Heyday Books, 2003), p. 11.]
a. No objects other than humans have spirits.
b. Non-human objects cannot be exorcised.
16. Identify the conclusion of the argument in the following passage.
Gramps had left the furniture business to become a life insurance agent, but as he was unable to convince himself that people needed what he was selling and was sensitive to rejection, the work went badly. [Barack Obama, Dreams from My Father. (New York: Three Rivers Press, 1995), p. 55.]
a. Gramps had left the furniture business to become a life insurance agent.
b. Gramps was unable to convince himself that people needed the insurance he was selling and was sensitive to rejection.
c. Gramps’ work as a life insurance agent went badly.
17. Identify the conclusion of the argument in the following passage.
...[T]here are two central goals of an undergraduate education in the liberal arts: to produce students who can reason and argue for themselves..., and also to produce students who are ... “citizens of the entire world.” This ... is the primary rationale for gay studies, as for women’s studies: the completeness of knowledge itself demands their promotion. It is also true that this knowledge can help produce students who are more fully “citizens of the entire world.” This knowledge will, of course, have a special meaning for those whose very identity has previously been excluded from the precincts of knowledge. But to know the lives of one’s fellow citizens and to understand their history is essential also for those who are not lesbian or gay. As the legal theorist Richard Posner has recently argued, a great deal more knowledge about sexuality, and especially about homosexuality, is essential if we are to have a well-informed judiciary and, in general, a humane and just society. [Martha Nussbaum, “The Softness of Reason,” The New Republic (July 13 and 20, 1992).]
a. One of the goals of undergraduate education in the liberal arts is to produce students who can reason and argue for themselves.
b. One of the goals of undergraduate education in the liberal arts is to produce students who are citizens of the entire world.
c. The completeness of knowledge itself demands the promotion of gay studies.
d. Knowledge of gay studies will have a special meaning for those whose very identity has previously been excluded from the precincts of knowledge.
e. Gay studies should be included in the undergraduate liberal arts curriculum.
18. Does the following passage contain an argument or not?
The jobless rate has fallen to the lowest since February 2009…. [John Detrixhe and Daniel Kruger, “Treasury Yield Falling Since January Signals U.S. Slowdown,” San Francisco Chronicle, February 29, 2012.]
a. Yes, this passage contains an argument.
b. No, this passage does not contain an argument.
19. Does the following passage contain an argument or not?
It is … important not to let your dog sit in the front passenger seat or in your lap as you drive. A deploying air bag would be devastating. [Megan Blake, “Keep Your Dog Safe in the Car,” Dog’s Life (Summer 2011), p. 6.]
a. Yes, this passage contains an argument.
b. No, this passage does not contain an argument.
20. Does the following passage contain an argument or not?
…[T]he majority of sexual abuse offenses are committed by people who know the victim, including immediate or extended family members: a neighbor, coach, babysitter, teacher, or religious leader. According to the U.S. Department of Justice and the Crimes Against Children Research Center, over a third of all sexual abuse against children is committed by a minor. [Janet Mock, Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love and So Much More. (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2014.), p. 45.]
a. Yes, this passage contains an argument.
b. No, this passage does not contain an argument.
21. Does the following passage contain an argument or not?
When support and education for trans youth are absent, feelings of isolation and helplessness can worsen. [Janet Mock, Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love and So Much More. (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2014.), p. 118.]
a. Yes, this passage contains an argument.
b. No, this passage does not contain an argument.
22. Does the following passage contain an argument or not?
JFK had pledged not to invade Cuba if Castro would allow inspections of any remaining missiles on the island. Since Castro did not cooperate, JFK … regarded his pledge as inoperative. [Gore Vidal, Point to Point Navigation: A Memoir, 1964 to 2006. (New York: Vintage International, 2006), p. 259.]
a. Yes, this passage contains an argument.
b. No, this passage does not contain an argument.
23. Does the following passage contain an argument or not?
LIBRA Be careful. You might blurt out the unvarnished truth in a situation where tact is required. You don’t want to stir up a controversy if you can avoid it. [Linda C. Black, “Horoscope,” Daily Sundial (California State University, Northridge), October 2, 2008.]
a. Yes, this passage contains an argument.
b. No, this passage does not contain an argument.
24. Does the following passage contain an argument or not?
Many of my earliest memories of the 1930s involve the virulent anti-Semitism in the world at that time. I am not just speaking of what was happening in Hitler’s Germany. I am speaking of what was very much happening here in America as well. I am Jewish, and my public schooling in Scranton, Pennsylvania, was filled with anti-Semitic events. For example, in fourth grade there was a kid who almost every day during recess would come up to me and call me “kike,” “moneylender,” “Christ killer,” and other prejudicial slurs. I would go over to him and call him Hitler, and we would start fighting with each other. The teachers always just told us to stop fighting. They did nothing about the anti-Semitism that they surely heard. I learned that I had to defend myself – not many others were stepping forward to offer help. [Ira L. Reiss, An Insider’s View of Sexual Science Since Kinsey. (Lanham, Massachusetts: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2006), p. 2.]
a. Yes, this passage contains an argument.
b. No, this passage does not contain an argument.
25. Identify the premise of the argument in the following passage.
…[A]nimals ought to be treated compassionately and kindly by people – because people can empathize with their pain but not because they have rights as human beings do. [Tibor R. Machan, “Animals Do Not Have Rights,” Opinion, New York Times, September 26, 2011.]
a. People can empathize with animals’ pain.
b. Animals have rights as human beings do.
26. Identify the main conclusion of the argument in the following passage. Note: This is a new clause that Adidas has added to its promotional contracts with athletes.
Adidas acknowledges and adheres to the principles of diversity, as this is a central part of the Adidas group philosophy. Therefore Adidas warrants that this agreement will neither be terminated nor modified in case the athlete comes out to the public as a member of the LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender] community. [Cody Gohl, “Adidas Tells Sports Stars It Won’t Drop Them If They Come Out – And Put It in Writing,” www.newnownext.com , February 15, 2016.]
a. Adidas acknowledges and adheres to the principles of diversity.
b. The principles of diversity are a central part of the Adidas group philosophy.
c. Adidas will neither terminate nor modify this agreement in case the athlete comes out to the public as a member of the LGBT community.
27. Identify the main conclusion of the argument in the following passage.
…[T]he private sector has provided very generous support over the years to such organizations as the Los Angeles Mission and many other agencies serving … [the homeless] population. Because of this “giving back” by individuals, foundations and corporations in our city, literally millions of dollars have been saved by the government, and therefore by the taxpayers. [Marshall McNott, Letter to the Editor, Los Angeles Times, November 2, 2005.]
a. The private sector has provided very generous support over the years to such organizations as the Los Angeles Mission and many other agencies serving the homeless population.
b. Literally millions of dollars have been saved by the government.
c. Literally millions of dollars have been saved by the taxpayers.
28. Identify the main conclusion of the argument in the following passage.
Look through the top half of your windshield when you drive. Doing so keeps your attention focused at least five or six car-lengths ahead, giving you more time to react to potentially dangerous situations. [Sue Elliott-Sink, “Eyes on the Road,” Westways 97: 6 (November/December 2005), p. 44.]
a. Look through the top half of your windshield when you drive.
b. You should look through the top half of your windshield when you drive.
c. Looking through the top half of your windshield when you drive keeps your attention focused at least five or six car-lengths ahead.
d. Looking through the top half of your windshield when you drive gives you more time to react to potentially dangerous situations.
29. Identify the main conclusion of the argument in the following passage.
Notwithstanding the desirability of taking belugas, both for these valuable products [leather and oil] and for the conservation of salmon, little has formerly been done in this direction because of the difficulty of capturing them, as the beluga is an exceptionally wary animal. [Joseph A. McGill, “A Remarkable Whaling Development,” 1921, quoted in Nancy Lord, Beluga Days: Tracking a White Whale’s Truths. (New York: Counterpoint, 2004), pp. 7-8.]
a. Little has formerly been done to capture belugas.
b. It is difficult to capture belugas.
c. The beluga is an exceptionally wary animal.
30. Identify the main conclusion of the argument in the following passage. Note: Gorse, bracken and heather are rough, scratchy ground-covering plants that are uncomfortable to sit on.
…[Christopher Robin and Pooh] walked on, thinking of This and That, and by-and-by they came to an enchanted place on the very top of the Forest called Galleons Lap, which is sixty-something trees in a circle; and Christopher Robin knew it was enchanted because nobody had ever been able to count whether it was sixty-three or sixty-four, not even when he tied a piece of string round each tree after he had counted it. Being enchanted, its floor was not like the floor of the Forest, gorse and bracken and heather, but close-set grass, quiet and smooth and green. It was the only place in the Forest where you could sit down carelessly, without getting up against almost at once and looking for somewhere else. [A. A. Milne, The House at Pooh Corner. (New York: E. P. Dutton and Company, 1928), p. 171.]
a. Galleons Lap was enchanted.
b. Nobody had ever been able to count whether Galleons Lap had sixty-three or sixty-four trees in a circle, not even when he tied a piece of string round each tree after he had counted it.
c. Galleons Lap’s floor was not like the floor of the Forest, gorse and bracken and heather, but close-set grass, quiet and smooth and green.
d. Galleons Lap was the only place in the Forest where you could sit down carelessly, without getting up against almost at once and looking for somewhere else.
Short Answer Section: Follow specific instructions below. Do not add any ellipses in this section.
Instructions for #1-#6: Each of the following passages contains an argument. For each, write the conclusion and write and label any premise introducers or conclusion introducers that are used. Be sure to write the conclusion as a complete sentence that is phrased as a statement and makes sense all by itself. [2 points each]
1. Bob Simoneau, workforce development director for the National Assn. of State Workforce Agencies, said that because the [minimum wage] law is so complex, many minimum-wage workers – especially those who don’t speak English as a first language – find it hard to understand. [Joel Havemann, “For Some, Minimum Wage Is Still Elusive,” Los Angeles Times, July 24, 2007.]
2. If you’ve had chickenpox, you’re at risk for Shingles. That’s because Shingles is a disease caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. [Merck, Advertisement, Los Angeles Times, April 29, 2007, 2007.]
3. Note: Mauritius is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, about 1200 miles off the southeast coast of Africa.
…[Mauritius] faces a high debt burden and hence high interest payments…. [“A Daunting Task Ahead!,” L’Express (Mauritius), June 6, 2007.]
4. …[T]he Liguasan Marsh is part of Philippine territory, hence, the national government has dominion over it. [“Liguasan Marsh: Another Flashpoint?,” Editorial, Sun Star (Philippines), June 7, 2007.]
5. Most of us [Korean American college students] have first-generation parents. We know what goes on in a Korean house … the parental pressure … study, study, study … marry a Korean … don’t talk back. So it is easier to get closer with other Koreans. They know where you are coming from. Even if you give someone the best explanation of Korean culture, it’s not the same. [Anonymous Korean American college student, quoted in Rebecca Y. Kim, “Made in the U.S.A.: Second-Generation Korean American Campus Evangelicals,” in Jennifer Lee and Min Zhou, eds., Asian American Youth: Culture, Identity, and Ethnicity. (New York: Routledge, 2004), p. 244.]
6. Don’t spend any more time between each set than you have to. Not only will waiting longer than necessary prevent you from getting an efficient workout, but it leaves other people waiting around for you, too. [Michael Mejia and Myatt Murphy, The Men’s Health Gym Bible. (New York: Rodale, 2006), p. 268.]
Instructions for #7-#8: Each of the following passages contains an argument with only one conclusion, which has been stated. For each, reconstruct the argument. [3 points each]
7. There are now fewer patients who suffer from throat cancer. This is because Singapore has increased cancer screenings and prevention programmes. And doctors said another reason is a changing pattern where more cancers can now be treated. [May Wong, “More Surviving Cancer, Trend Likely to Continue: NCC (National Cancer Centre),” Channel News Asia (Singapore), May 28, 2007.]
8. Lincoln is enjoying a huge resurgence of popularity this year, partly because Feb. 12 will be the 200th anniversary of his birth, and partly because of President Barack Obama’s avowed passion for the man. [Dave Drury, “Witness To History: Lincoln’s Trusted Friend Gideon Welles,” Hartford Courant (Connecticut), February 8, 2009.]
Instructions for #9-#10: Each of the following passages contains an argument with only one conclusion, which has been left unstated. For each, reconstruct the argument. Be sure to include the unstated conclusions in your reconstructions. [3 points each]
9. Note: The speaker is a fictional character.
It’s four o’clock in the morning. At four o’clock in the morning nothing in the world can make me laugh. [Peter Metthiessen, Partisans. (New York: Vintage Books, 1955/1983), p. 4.]
10. If you engage in sports you are likely to look better, and looking better, you’ll feel better. [Hugh Murray, “Sports, Anyone?,” in Eric E. Rofes, ed., Gay Life: Leisure, Love, and Living for the Contemporary Gay Male. (Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, 1986), p. 236.]
Instructions for #11-12: Each of the following passages contains an argument with at least one subconclusion and a main conclusion. For each, reconstruct the argument. If any conclusions have been left unstated, be sure to include them in your reconstructions. [3 points each]
11. Note: Unflattering jokes about mothers-in-law were common in stand-up comedy in the 1950s. The argument is this passage is bold-faced and underlined.
Yesterday at 12:30 my mother-in-law passed away. She was a grand lady. When I hear these mother-in-law jokes I don’t laugh. They are not funny to me, because I’ve had a good one. [Harry S. Truman, Diary Entry, December 6, 1952, in Harry S. Truman, Off the Record: The Private Papers of Harry S. Truman, ed. Robert H. Ferrell. (New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1980), p. 279.]
12. Without a cloud, there will be no rain; without rain, the trees cannot grow; and without trees, we cannot make paper. [Thich Nhat Hanh, quoted in His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Victor Chan, The Wisdom of Forgiveness: Intimate Conversations and Journeys. (New York: Riverhead Books, 2004), p. 119.]
